The Story of Creation

THE Bible describes how and when the world was created in the beginning. It deals with primordial history.

The Bible gives two narratives, one tells of the creation of the universe, the other the creation of mankind. Both introduce us to the story of salvation which eventually led to the coming of the Messiah, the long awaited Savior of the world. Jesus of Nazareth was born in the Year of the Lord (anno domini).

What amazes me tremendously is how time and space came into being. At first, there was nothing. The universe came into being from nothing.
Early this year, the book of Lawrence Krauss was published. It has the title, “A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing.”

The book discusses the intriguing principle not just that it is perfectly possible for something to come out of nothing but that it happens all the time. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Nothing makes sense.”

In 1927, French priest George Lemaitre proposed the Big Bang as the origin of the universe. He developed the theory that the universe, rather than being static, was expanding and it owed its beginning to an infinitesimal point called the “Primeval Atom.”

Pope Pius IX happily seized on this theory and said it proves Genesis right when it announced that God said: “Let there be light.”

Of course, Lemaitre’s theory was scientific and not religious or theological.

Just recently, scientists in Geneva discovered the so called “God particle.” Their machine, called the Large Hadron Collider, was able to collide atomic particles at the speed of light. It discovered the subatomic particle boson, which they named the God particle. If there exists such a thing as the God particle, one must say of course that it was God who created that particle.

Geologists now have discovered that since the beginning of creation, there have been several geological eras. Sixty million years ago a meteorite impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs that ended the Age of Reptiles and paved the way for the Age of Mammals. After millions of years, the Age of Humans appeared. It was the birth of mankind.

Geologists have discovered also that since the last Ice Age, the temperature of the earth has been unusually steady. For the last 10,000 years, the average temperature has leveled out and we have been enjoying the stability that a steady state brings: the introduction of agriculture and the development of civilizations. Geologists call this the Holocene.

The story of creation goes on until our time. In recent years we became more reliant than ever before on fossil fuels. The effect on the planet has been tangible. The loss of biodiversity has reached very high levels, which has led to the belief that we are in the sixth mass extinction event the earth has experienced. This is alarming.

Early this month there was the Rio+20 meeting held in Brazil where world leaders gathered to discuss sustainable development. They have been “finding ways to reduce poverty, advance social equality and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get the future we want.”

It is evident: we have to recognize our boundaries.

Ernesto Mondoñedo in his article speaks of our runaway appetites which we have to control. We seem incapable of setting boundaries for our use of the planet. I believe the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are imperative: wisdom, understanding, courage, knowledge, fear of God, counsel and piety.

So far this story of creation represents the secular history of creation. If we compare this history with the biblical story of the history of salvation, an intriguing question comes to my mind. If the history of the universe is 13.7 billion years old and the earth 4.5 billion – that is what the geologists say -- my question is: why is it that God sent the Messiah, his Son, as the Savior of the world, only 2,000 years ago?

This is a great mystery – only God knows why.

A more important thing is that after our death in this world, we enter into eternity, the mystery of God Himself. It is the Age where there is no space and no time. It should inspire in us a sense of wonder. We have got to marvel at the incalculable mystery of eternity.

(For your comments, email nolvanvugt@gmail.com)