Catholic Church affirms Big Bang; Pope invites Scientists to Vatican

[Open Heart]

The Vatican has invited the world's leading scientists and cosmologists to try and understand the Big Bang.

Astrophysicists and other experts will attend the Vatican Observatory to discuss black holes, gravitational waves and space-time singularities as it honors the late Jesuit cosmologist considered one of the fathers of the idea that the universe began with a gigantic explosion.

The conference – which runs through the week – is part of an increasing admission by the church that scientific theories were real and not necessarily in contradiction with theological doctrine.

Pope invites scientists to the Vatican after church realises the big bang is real

 

[ViaCrucis]

It was a Catholic priest who first proposed the theory of the big bang, I wasn't aware that it was ever much questioned in scientifically-literate Catholic circles. Not having read the article, it at least seems based on the title of the article that it is suggesting that Catholics are just now going, "Oh yeah, there was a moment when the universe came into existence" when that's been well known and well accepted for decades now in the scientific community (among whom are many faithful and practicing Catholics).

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Open Heart]

It was a Catholic priest who first proposed the theory of the big bang

Yes. The article mentions that the Big Bang was first theorized by a Jesuit monsignor.

 

[mea kulpa]

This is an excellent catholic video that mentions the big bang

 

[MoonlessNight]

Yes. The article mentions that the Big Bang was first theorized by a Jesuit monsignor.

Not only was the theory invented by Georges Lemaitre, a Jesuit, but Pope Pius XII so strongly endorsed the theory that Lemaitre actually had to ask him to back off a bit (because it was possible that the theory was wrong, though creation is certainly real it is possible that it could have happened through a different method). In fact, in the early days of the big bang theory, it was viewed by many atheist scientists the same that they view "intelligent design" these days: as a way to smuggle religion into science. Atheist scientists were largely committed to the solid-state model, which was consistent with an eternal and uncreated universe. Even the name "big bang theory" was originally an insult generated by atheist opponents to the theory.

Thus we have a theory invented by a Catholic religious, endorsed almost immediately by the Pope, and criticized largely by atheists. And yet the article still says that the Catholic Church "realises" that the big bang theory is real? It's hard to see this as anything other than blatant historical revisionism.

It's about as absurd as trying to imply that the Catholic Church only recently came to grips with Thomistic metaphysics.

 

[Open Heart]

In fact, in the early days of the big bang theory, it was viewed by many atheist scientists the same that they view "intelligent design" these days: as a way to smuggle religion into science.

Yes. My aunt, who was one of Hubble's technicians, told me how upset the atheists she worked with were over this new evidence.

 

[Davidnic]

Fr. Lemaitre even corrected Einstein on his errors on the matter.

 

[StevenMerten]

I agree. The atheist scientists did not like it when Georges Lemaitre, a Jesuit priest, introduced proof of a specific time that the universe was created. Most scientists today now accept the 'Big Bang' as when the universe was created.


I take it to the next step. It is scientifically proven that physical time slows down as velocity increases. At the speed of light, physical time stops. This is Albert Einstein’s 'Theory of Relativity', Time Dilation. God says that He created the earth first and then said, 'Let There Be Light', which, is the 'Big Bang' going off. Science tells us that the mass of one septillion stars suddenly popped into existence on the head of pin or the size of a walnut. Well the mass of one septillion stars popping into existence, next to much smaller earth, would be an accelerator, a gravitational force, extreme accelerator. Earth accelerated to near the speed of light accomplished! Science tells us that empty space probably flowed out into existence in front of the big bang. So now God has speed control, simply by bringing empty space into existence between the earth and its big bang accelerator. Doing this, billions of years of star formation can occur in six days of creation. Time on earth, at near the speed of light, is only elapsing in days, while billions of years of star formation is occurring, at a far lower velocity, in the big bang universe.


The scientists are having a great deal of difficulty countering this theory over in the Christian Forums Creation Forum. Please visit my thread over there and see what you think, or lets start discussing the scientifically possibility of creation in six days, on earth, on the week Adam was made.


My thread:

The Aliens are going to laugh at earth cosmologists explaining 13.8 billion years from creation.

 

[BroIgnatius]

"increasing admission by the church that scientific theories were real and not necessarily in contradiction with theological doctrine"

It was the Catholic Church who championed the Scientific Method.

 

[Open Heart]

I agree. The atheist scientists did not like it when Georges Lemaitre, a Jesuit priest, introduced proof of a specific time that the universe was created. Most scientists today now accept the 'Big Bang' as when the universe was created.

Yes you are right. Eventually we all have to admit what the facts are. So atheists had to swallow the big bang just like Christians have had to swallow evolution.

 

[Open Heart]

The scientists are having a great deal of difficulty countering this theory

Your idea that the earth was created before the Big Bang contradicts all known evidence. The planets are made up of material from the formation of stars, which are themselves almost always made from the remnants from the explosions of earlier stars.

 

[mea kulpa]

If the big bang theory is correct everything in space would be moving in the same direction outwards from a central point and spin in the same direction but planets spin in opposite rotations comets and astaroids move in opposite directions

 

[Open Heart]

If the big bang theory is correct everything in space would be moving in the same direction outwards from a central point and spin in the same direction but planets spin in opposite rotations comets and astaroids move in opposite directions

Are you an expert in physics? Neither am I. So we depend upon the scholarship of those who are, and they tell us that the Big Bang produces a universe that looks exactly like what we have, due to the effects of gravity.

I'm talking out of my hat right now, I don't know that this is actually what physicists say, but this is what seems logical to me. It seems to be an assumption on your part that matter spreads out in equal proportions from the singularity. I say that assumption is mistaken. And because the distribution is unequal, the gravity in some places is going to be greater than others, leading to the formation of galaxies, etc.

If someone in the forum actually knows the physics, it would be wonderful if you would comment.

 

[mea kulpa]

At the end of the day these things are taken on authority. The big bang theory is just that... a theory

 

[concretecamper]

Correct...the Big Bang is just a theory. It may be correct, it may not be.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I think today's Church is going down rabbit holes chasing after theories and is losing focus on the Gospel.

 

[bill5]

At the end of the day these things are taken on authority. The big bang theory is just that... a theory

True. But it's not "taken on authority." It's taken on a great deal of evidence and analysis. Realistically it will never be possible to say this is a fact with 100% certainty, but we appear up in the 90%+ area with it as it stands.

And really, this is not a "Catholics vs atheists" thing as some of the posts seem to be implying. Basically ALL scientists questioned it initially, as science demands, and kicked it in the tires. When it became clear the evidence withstood the kicking, nearly all scientists of all beliefs accepted it. That's how science works.

 

[bill5]

I think today's Church is going down rabbit holes chasing after theories and is losing focus on the Gospel.

???

 

[StevenMerten]

Your idea that the earth was created before the Big Bang contradicts all known evidence. The planets are made up of material from the formation of stars, which are themselves almost always made from the remnants from the explosions of earlier stars.

Hello Open Heart,
To earth, traveling near the speed of light, would only have days going by while billions of years were going by, at a slower velocity in the big bang. Earth is still going to be collecting some of this billions of years old star debris on it.

 

[concretecamper]

I think relativity, frame of reference, and light as a scalar is a bit too deep for this thread.