Stephen Hawkins and The Big Bang

The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not “a magician with a magic wand”, Pope Francis has declared.

Speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pope made comments which experts said put an end to the “pseudo theories” of creationism and intelligent design that some argue were encouraged by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.

Francis explained that both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator – arguing instead that they “require it”.

“When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” Francis said.

“The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it.

“Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”

“The role played by time at the beginning of the universe  is, I believe, the final key to removing the need for a Grand Designer, and revealing how the universe created itself. … Time itself must come to a stop.

 We have finally found something that does not have a cause because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this means there is no possibility of a creator because there is no time for a creator to have existed. Since time itself began at the moment of the Big Bang, it was an event that could not have been caused or created by anyone or anything. … So when people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the Big Bang, so there is no time for God to make the universe in. It’s like asking for directions to the edge of the Earth. The Earth is a sphere. It does not have an edge, so looking for it is a futile exercise.” 
― Stephen W. Hawking

• Creation ex nihilo- Creation out of nothing. Before God created the universe. Only God can create out of nothing. 

• Evolution - The process of mutation & natural selection which leads to changes in species over time to suit particular environments.

• Imago Dei - In the image of God. The belief that human beings are uniquely a reflection of God’s personhood. Unlike the other animals, human beings are rational, free and moral. 

• Inspiration - God breathed’ The belief that the Spirit of God guides an individual act or write what is good and true. 

• Omnipotence- The belief that God is all powerful.

• Revelation - The word used to describe all of the ways in which God makes himself known to human beings. Christians believe that God does this finally and fully in the person of Jesus Christ. 

• Stewardship - The duty to care for creation responsibly, as stewards rather than consumers, and to protect it for future generations.

• Transcendence - Existing outside of space and time that makes him nothing like anything else that exists, above and beyond creation.