I’m reading a fascinating book called, Genesis and the Big Bang: The Discovery of Harmony Between Modern Science & the Bible by Gerald L. Schroeder [1990]. Today, I read a paragraph that struck me as so beautiful, I want to share it with all y’all.
When considering the events and even the nature of matter preceding the creation, as well as the creation itself, we find literal agreement between science and theology. This agreement that the universe formed from an initially massless state should not be discounted as trivial. If the theological description of the universe were based on a simple understanding of nature, then there would be no agreement. Because creation ex nihilo cannot be learned from simple observations of nature, both Plato and Aristotle believed that the matter of the universe must be eternal. A towering tree may form from a small seed or a human from a tiny ovum, but the seed or ovum need a continuous flow of nutrients. The cosmic analogy of this, as envisioned by the Greek philosophers, was a need for a primeval substance predating the universe from which the universe was formed. In contrast, the founders of the Judeo-Christian theology considered that “nothing” was quite sufficient to provide the start of our universe.
I had this transcribed from the book and logged on to upload it here, only to find Pistol Pete had posted that very funny Bible parody by Iowahawk. Coincidence?! Who knows. 🙂