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| Reading Genesis in the 21st century |
| The author or authors of the first book of the Bible
was not or were not well versed in quantum physics or the evolutionary
sciences of modern cosmology or biology. Even so, the view held by
certain scholars, that the first few chapters of Genesis form part
of a myth cannot be accepted as such. The verses of these chapters
are pregnant with meaning if you read them in the right spirit of
humility, realizing that we do not have nor will ever have the answers
to all questions regarding the universe and life, realizing that we
shall never be omniscient like God. Once we have all the answers,
once we know everything, we cease to be humans. The horizon of knowledge
is as elusive as the horizon of the cosmos. That is what science is
all about. That is why we do not expect scientists to put an end to
their investigations by accepting that God created everything and
controls everything. We, humanity, must go on the never ending search
for the answers for the mysteries of the universe and of life and
at each new finding we must be able to say, ‘How great thou
art my Lord’. While agreeing with the view that the verses of
these chapters should not be taken too literally I believe that there
is a lot of sense there and in the following pages I am making a humble
attempt to read and understand some of these verses in the light of
modern cosmology and biology. |
| (The verses of the Bible are given in italics.) |
| In the beginning God created heaven and
earth. |
| There was a beginning, 13.7 billion years back (according
to cosmologists in the year 2003) when God created singularity - a
something that was almost nothing in size but everything in mass -
that included all the matter of our universe. Time and space, energy
and matter, all had their beginnings at this instant of creation.
Here the term ‘heaven’ can be taken to mean space-time
continuum and ‘earth’ to mean matter-energy conglomerate. |
| And the earth was without form and void. |
| There was no Bang, Big or Small, no fragmentation,
only inflation. The space-time-matter-energy complex was quark-gluon
porridge, without form- no spiral or oval galaxies, no circular or
elliptical orbits - no shape. There were no atoms or molecules, no
pulsars or quasars, no stars or planets, the cosmos was void. |
| And the darkness was upon the face of the
deep. |
| The radiation era had not yet started, there was no
light. The then universe, the event horizon, all was dark. At the
moment of creation the temperature of the singularity was infinite
according to modern cosmologists. So also the density and pressure.
Though it was so hot there was no heat or light radiating from it
- no photons. It was almost like a black hole, but different. Black
holes do not allow radiations to escape. In singularity there was
no radiation at all, internal or external. |
| And the spirit of God moved upon the face
of the waters. |
| Cosmic and chemical evolution, to be followed by biogenesis
and biologic evolution, started under the guidance and direction of
the Holy Spirit of God, to bring order from chaos, to balance gravity
with antigravity, to accelerate or decelerate the rate of inflation
or expansion, the rate of evolution, to continue the sublime process
of creation. |
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