Origins of the Universe: Differing Views

The purpose of this research is to examine the merits of two - apparently contradictory and obstinate-points of view regarding the origin and existence of the universe, and the life which is in it; and, with an especial reference to the presence of human life on the planet of our residence.

Due to the nature and complexity of this topic, the researcher can only advance a rather modest presentation at this time. Moreover, the length of the exposition is necessarily abbreviated in order to abide by the prerequisitional limitations imposed. Therefore, the presentation will be confined to comparing the version of Creation found in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Pentateuch with the Theory of Evolution, originally propounded by Darwin and Wallace, as it is currently understood by the

scientific community, and without making any other comparisons - odious, or otherwise - with the creation epics of other people.

It is still being debated by Biblical scholars, and theologians of diverse religious persuasions, whether or not one of the creation accounts in Genesis infers that God created the universe "out of nothing," or that He produced the world from a disordered mass of matter, or chaos. However, the prevailing con-sensus of opinion is that the latter explanation was the actual case, and seems to reflect, more accurately, the sentiment of ancient Israel on the matter.

Jewish and Christian hermeneuticists rally around the con-viction that God "created" order out of chaos. Th

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from the head of Zeus, from some kind of bass or trout, nor that humanity burst forth, full bloom, from an orangutan, or other simian ancestor. But, it does say that there was a prototypical simian-type ancestor which gave rise to both simian and human species as we know them today. This, of course, cannot be reconciled with the concept of the special creation found in Genesis, where the archetype of humankind was formed from the "dust of the ground." But, a number of theologians have postulated that this account of creation is not entirely contrary to evolutionary theory; and, that the Biblical narrative may be a cameo-rendition, greatly foreshortened for reasons of literary economy, of an evolutionary process. That is, from the "dust," or if you will, from the chemical compounds in the dust (scientists' "soup"), uncomplicated life arose, in-stigated by God, and from whence, through the evolutionary process (and under God's watchful guidance), emerged more complicated, more organized, forms of life; until, finally, humanity became manifest in the persons of, Adam and Eve. The difficulty with this model, however, is that the idea of "special creation" is denied, and is replaced by the concept of "creative evolution." Never

Category: Science - O