Jim Brown quotes Dr. Hugh Ross in Agape Press:
“The Big Bang tells that the causal agent is a transcendent entity working beyond matter, energy, space, and time,” Ross explains. “That immediately puts the Big Bang creation event beyond the natural realm -- and what I’ve noticed is that astronomers are not deceived by it. They recognize that the Big Bang theory is a theistic model, not an atheistic model.”
Ross says for 50 years, astronomers fought as hard as they could against the Big Bang model because of its philosophical and theological implications. He says the only astronomers that are still holding out against the theory do so, by their own admission, because of their atheistic worldview.
Ross doesn’t appear to me to be acting in a very honest manner. Contrary to what he says, there are many arguments against the idea that the Big Bang supports theism. There are also many arguments that the Big Bang actually supports the rejection of theism.
Either Ross isn’t aware of this, in which case he can’t be trusted to know what he is talking about, or he is aware of it, in which case he is deliberately distorting the truth in order to serve his own agenda. This wouldn’t be the first time that conservative evangelicals or fundamentalists have distorted science and reality in order to serve their religious interests — for such people, ideology trumps reality at every point.
Theism, God, and Belief in God:
The Big Bang theory used to be highly controversial… One of its biggest critics was Fred Hoyle, who, as a devout atheist, found it sat uncomfortably close to the idea of some kind of moment of creation -> implying some kind of creator, or causeless first cause…
He ridiculed many big bang supporters, suggesting they were all closet creationists…
Funny how things change – at least atheism *does* change… Although supporters rarely acknowledge past mistakes.
devout atheists?