How Genesis and The Big Bang Theory Come Close to Each Other

Science and Religion may seem opposed, but sometimes they converge in some interesting ways, such as how the Universe began. For example, there are numerous similarities between the biblical origin of the universe and the Big Bang theory. Admittedly, there are some issues, and some liberties do need to be taken to make it work completely, but the two tellings do match up rather well. Let’s look at those similarities.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Looking at this as a metaphor, it makes some sense. This is how the universe started, as a formless and empty void. Darkness would have been the natural state of the universe, given the lack of light and other forms of energy.

[I’m not ignoring the existence of Heaven and Earth. Rather, this is my one concession that this is a religious construct, and that they are necessarily different planes of existence for the sake of that concession.]

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

This is where the Big Bang happens. The universe was filled with energy and mass, presumably in the form of quarks, which then coalesced into protons, electrons, and neutrons, forming atoms of hydrogen, which then formed he first stars. Matter would fuse in the hearts of these stars, only to be scattered when they inevitably went nova. This matter would eventually form more stars and clouds of matter around them, which would eventually form into planets, moons, and other celestial objects.

4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.

Let’s shift perspective to the surface of the primordial Earth. From this perspective, as the planet rotated on its axis, the day would shift between day and night. This would allow the planet to cool and heat; not worth noting now, but very important later on.

Also, note that “day” in this sense doesn’t necessarily mean “a period of twenty-four hours,” but rather a “subjective period of unknown but immense time.” It’s important to realize that we aren’t necessarily referring to days as merely day and night, but as distinct eons, so that everything has time to happen.

6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning — the second day.

Eventually, water would separate from the Earth’s crust and form clouds. These clouds would eventually hit a saturation point, and rain would fall on the planet for centuries, filling the lakes and oceans. This would form into a primordial soup which, when combined with lightning, would form the beginnings of life.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Eventually, the rains would fall into regular patterns and the land would dry out in sections. Erosion would become a major factor, and when combined with tectonic shifts, would form the basics of geography. Thus, the major features would be formed, such as deserts, mountains, plains, and everything in between. This geography would be the first step toward setting up weather and therefore climate.

11Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning — the third day.

Remember that primordial soup? That soup would organize into viruses, and from there into protozoa. Some of them would eventually grab some chlorophyll as a way to create food and become blue-green algae, and further evolve into the simplest plants. These plants would eventually conquer the world, with some leaving the water and covering the planet where they were able. They would take advantage of all of the carbon dioxide thrown into the air by volcanic activity and pump the atmosphere full of oxygen.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to goven the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 18 And there was evening, and there was morning — the fourth day.

Eventually, the clouds would part and the skies above would be visible. The day would go from a general glow that permeated the clouds to the sun beating down on the planet, but protected by ozone and Earth’s magnetic fields. The stars would now be visible as well, not to mention galaxies and other celestial objects. At some point prior to this, the mass that would become the moon had separated from Earth, possibly due to a near-miss from a planetoid. However, it would become a major factor in the development of the planet, as it allowed for the tides.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning — the fifth day.

Some of the protozoa grouped together, becoming the first plants. Others became the first animals. Developing after the plants, they nonetheless were fruitful and filled the oceans. Sure, birds were a ways off, but there wasn’t a segment of the ocean that didn’t have animal life in it.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Eventually, some of the animals would leave the water and join the plants on the surface of the planet. They would evolve into a wide variety of different animals, even differentiating into herbivores and carnivores. This would set the stage for when humanity came into being.

So with little adjustment, the biblical story of how the Universe came into being has a number of similarities with how physicists think it all happened. Sure, there are some issues (such as when birds appear), but it generally fits rather well. It’s just interesting to see how close the Bible got it once you take a close look at it.