About the Theory of the Universe
How did the universe begin? Did it begin at all? There are many different theories that attempt to answer such questions, but they are just that--theories.
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History
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People have had ideas about how the universe began since the beginning of time. The Sumerians believed the Earth was the center of the universe. The indigenous peoples of America believed that creation and life on earth are interconnected. Although Aristotle and Ptolemy believed the earth was round, for thousands of years the geocentric theory--that the earth is the center of the universe--was the model most believed. In the 16th century, Copernicus introduced the heliocentric model, which says that the sun is the center of the earth. Galileo, after the introduction of the telescope, confirmed the heliocentric model, although he was accused of heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. The Big Bang Theory, supported by Edwin Hubble, describes the beginning of the universe as a 3-second explosion that happened more than 12 billion years ago. It is presently the most widely believed theory.
Significance
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Faith and science have been at odds about the beginning of the universe for centuries. Many biblical scholars believe that the time frame of "Creation Week" totaled less than 10,000 years. In the Old Testament, the chapters in Genesis discuss only the origin of life on earth. The New Testament that elaborates viewpoints of the universe before life on earth. Nowhere in the Bible can it be found that the universe is billions of years old.
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Considerations
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At the start of the Big Bang, there was only a point, not a size, and the temperature range was infinite. The universe expanded into space in fractions of seconds. The five "eras" of the Big Bang are Plank, Inflation, Quark, Radiation and Matter--where life on earth began to evolve. According to this theory, life began on earth 12 billion years ago. Science is still studying the Big Bang, and it is still considered just a theory.
Theories/Speculation
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Several other theories of the universe have been proposed. An "expansion theory" suggests that there are trillion-years-long expansions and contractions of the universe, with each cycle destroying and re-starting the universe. A "bubble" universe theory suggests that there is a parent universe that creates new universes from tiny bubbles and wormholes caused by fluctuations. Hindu cosmology believes in the concept of a multiverse: an infinite number of universes, each with its own gods, people, planets, births and deaths, and re-births within a cycle lasting 8.4 billion years. The Creationist theory is based on the Christian belief that God created heaven and earth in 6 days; nothing but God existed before the earth, and the earth is less than 6,000 years old.
Expert Insight
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Cosmology is the study of the physical universe within the phenomena of time and space. Famous cosmologists include: Dr. Stephen Hawking, who supports the "bubble" theory; the late Sir Fred Hoyle, who believed in the "steady state" theory; and Dr. George Ellis, who supports the "emergence universe."
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Resources
- Photo Credit Google Images
