In this episode, Stephen and Father explain Big Bang Theory, Pius XII’s reference to it, and whether it is compatible with Catholic cosmology.
A special note of thanks to Nicholas Wilton for allowing us the use his music for this series. You can find out more about Mr. Wilton and his beautiful compositions here.
Featured Image: Fondazione Cariplo / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Original Air Date: June 23, 2020
Show Run Time: 22 minutes
Show Guest: Father Stephen McKenna
Show Host: Stephen Heiner
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Great show! The overall Big Bang theory is incompatible with the sun, moon, and stars being created on the 4th day after the earth. This is often forgotten by creationists who reject evolution but accept copernicanism. That the earth does not move is biblical and to deny it highly erroneous and absurd philosophically. The simple scientific explanation of cosmology is that the earth is the center of mass, and therefore not movable irrespective of its own size or mass. This is the teaching or doctrine of the Church Fathers and the Roman Catechism of St. Pius V.
To further clarify my comment: that the earth is stable and not moved and that the heavenly bodies are endowed with constant movements in revolution around the earth is the simple teaching of the catechism of Trent. To best explain how this is possible scientifically it is only necessary to theorize that the earth is motionless at the center of mass of the entire universe (not the solar system). This is not stated in the Scriptures but it is very compatible with the fact that the earth was created on the first day, and the heavenly bodies later in time and in order of teleological importance. But if you limit a Big Bang to the first day of creation, as you did, I would have no problem with it as long as it is clear that you are not endorsing the entire theory as it is commonly understood.
The Big Bang theory is also difficult to closely identify with God’s fiat “Let there be light” because this comes after the original creation of the Heavens and the Earth out of nothing in Genesis 1:1. In other words, the matter of the earth must somehow exist before the Big Bang explosion if it is the creation of light and energy. In addition, the expansion of the universe corresponds to the spreading out of the firmament on the 2nd Day. Add to this that every scientific theory of cosmogony has the stars and the sun existing before, not after the Earth as Genesis does, and a reconciliation of the entire Big Bang theory with the Catholic faith is impossible. Attempts to harmonize scientific theories with Biblical cosmology are as problematic as trying to harmonize Darwinian evolution with the events of days four, five, and six of Genesis. The basic problem is that science proceeds from the observation of the current natural order of providence with its repeatable laws, whereas the Divine fiats and ex nihilo miracles of the order of creation during the hexameron are entirely unique and were finished at the end of the sixth day and are not repeated in the physical realm today for scientists to study. Descartes was the first to suggest the observation of the current natural order would be a better way to understand how creation took place than the revelation in the Scriptures. The devil has challenged the words of Moses in a multitude of ways to undermine the foundations of the faith. Jesus said if you don’t believe Moses, how will you believe my words? Pope St Pius X taught us that the Church must not change her traditional teachings to conform to modern scientific theory, and the Big Bang and evolution are secular theories developed by atheists and agnostics to provide an alternative explanation for the universe that they think is intellectually respectable, even if it is not. Let the scientists stick to facts of the current natural order and leave the story of creation to the true Catholic Church. This is one of the primary errors of Russia and it separates the Apostasy from the faith of all time.