Religious people always think i believe in the big bang theory

22 Comments

I love discussing/debating theism/religion, but I've noticed whenever I discuss with a religious person about religion I always get, "Then what do you believe in? Science?" and, "Then, what created everything? The Big Bang?" It's annoying especially because the previous question is usually in response to me saying that I don't believe their religion and god and can only be certain of something with proof, which the Big Bang THEORY is not proven. It seems they just try to, unsuccessfully, attack my beliefs because I am impugned to theirs. Discuss your thoughts on this.

Shared this experience. 11
Similar experience. I think it's a defensive attack. 22
I've never been responded to like that 13
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Comments ( 22 )
  • dappled
    12 years ago

    I get this too. Particularly around the theory of evolution. (Some) religious people ask me how I can believe that we're descended from apes. I answer that I don't believe that. Apes have evolved too. We're not descended from modern day apes. We have a common ancestor which looks like neither of us.

    My cousin and I are both descended from our common grandparents. I would never say I'm descended from my cousin.

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    • Megid
      12 years ago

      Exactly.

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  • flutterhigh
    12 years ago

    Stephen Hawking describes scientific theory (as opposed to philosophical or colloquial theory) as thus: "It must accurately describe a large class of observations on the basis of a model that contains only a few arbitrary elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations [...] Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis; you can never prove it."

    The Big Bang theory is really just a reverse extrapolation of documented characteristics of the universe, namely, that all bodies of mass in the universe appear to be receding from Earth, i.e. the universe is expanding. It is widely accepted among the scientific community and corroborated by a vast amount of research. I don't really understand what's hard to accept about it, nor do I understand why it should be incompatible with religion. Literally nothing is incompatible with the idea of a god, that's the nature of religion.

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    • UnrecognizableMan
      12 years ago

      Additional evidence for the big bang is that the ratio of different types of elements/sub-atomic particles and light (that wouldn't have been destroyed by stars since the big bang) is consistent with a hot big bang.

      Also the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation is everywhere, it's the most dominant source of radiation in the universe. It is the light from when the universe was a lot smaller and all the matter in the universe was crushed into a hot plasma. This indicates the universe was previously a lot smaller and is consistent with the big bang theory.

      I'm religious, and I have no doubt about the big bang. But, as I think the OP was saying, I also get annoyed when people use religion as an excuse for close mindedness.

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    • dom180
      12 years ago

      This. The word "theory" has different meanings for scientists than it does in popular culture. People presume that because it is a "theory", it probably isn't true, which is nonsense.

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  • disthing
    12 years ago

    Meh. Both religious and non-religious people make presumptions about the other. I'm sure there are some Christians who find it irritating when Atheists assume they believe everything in the Bible to be literal truth.

    I've generally given up on debating religion with anyone simply because it never concludes with anyone any the wiser. It's futile. I'll only challenge it if it infringes upon my life in some way.

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    • ImmaculateLucifer
      12 years ago

      I really don't presume all religious people to believe a literal interpretation of the bible and it would be pretty narrow-sighted for me to believe that. I argue to gain perspective on others ideas.

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    • Dad
      12 years ago

      I've been a BIG debater of religion Vs reality myself on many sites for a long time.
      My point was that if I could help any 'child' out there reading then it would be all worth it.
      But after years of this I've grown tired of it too, my biggest concern was that very strongly minded religious people were not allowing their children to read my comments anyway!

      By the way, regarding atheists debating about the obviously impossible literal truth of the bible.
      Since the bible must be interpreted (and there are MANY variations of these) then quite obviously a child should never be given the bible. Geez, a child may actually believe it to be literal, that would be bad.

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      • mizeka
        12 years ago

        Another atheist who bases his facts on things he heard on TV or read online...

        If you ever teach someone about big bang theory, at least remember to say that it's a THEORY and none of it has been actually proven.

        Same thing with evolution...

        You should read some ACTUAL scientific literature. And no, children's school books are not scientific literature.

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        • flutterhigh
          12 years ago

          First of all, everyone's information comes from fallible sources, because there is no such thing as an infallible one, barring god (the absolute infallibility of whom is the reason for my disinterest). That something was derived from television or the internet does not automatically make it any less credible than information from literature or other people.

          Secondly, you need to read up on the definition of "scientific theory". Try google, it works wonders. Or considering your aversion to completely legitimate information, read a book! Just don't patronize if you don't know any better. A theory is falsifiable body of principles based on phenomena that make relevant predictions of the phenomena and its relationships. That's it.

          There is an abundance of proof for the Big Bang theory, and if you're trying to argue that it isn't indisputable, then that's absurd, because nothing in science is indisputable. That doesn't make it less valid. In fact, the power of the scientific method comes from the fact that no matter how much proof there is for a particular theory, one piece of solid conflicting evidence can dissolve the entire thing. Scientists actually work very hard to disprove all theories, and so far the Big Bang has held up. The theory that the Earth EXISTS is not indisputable. But the Big Bang theory, just like the theory that the Earth exists, is widely accepted among the scientific community. For the following reasons:

          Based on elongating wavelengths of light emitted from distant masses, it follows that all planetary bodies are moving away from the Earth. Either the Earth is the ugliest planet in the universe, or the universe is expanding. To extend this trend backwards in time, combined with the structure of the universe, it was once much more compact than it is currently. To use a contrasting method, instead of seeing how much evidence there is to support the Big Bang, we can see how predictions of the theory correspond to real phenomena. Someone above mentioned microwave radiation, which, among other fundamental particles found throughout the universe which match the predictions of cosmic composition provided by the Big Bang, lends significant support to the theory.

          Don't even get me started on evolution.

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          • ImmaculateLucifer
            12 years ago

            I was trying to say this earlier but I didn't know how.

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  • Dad
    12 years ago

    Regarding "the Big Bang THEORY is not proven"

    Evolution is not stated as a mere theory, in the sense of who knows?
    Evolution is stated as an extremely most likely and absolute best possibility of the theory of the big bang.

    In other words, since it is the most intelligent theory of our modern understanding. Through lifetimes of scientists proving EVERYTHING up to a few seconds after the big bang. It is therefore taught in all schools, whereas 'religion' theory, has been FULLY thrown out of ALL public schools as ridiculous and least likely scenario.

    I hope that helps others when they see the words theory of evolution, its our BEST educated answer, and has been this way for decades now, in our modern society.

    One more point about this.
    The 'theory' of religion regarding Christianity, began in very backward days in the Middle East (people forget that Jerusalem was in the Middle East in the hot desert) and it has NEVER been proven or questioned (by religious people) since.

    That on its own should tell you how pathetic religion is.

    Religious Ridiculous.

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  • SoccerStud88
    12 years ago

    god created the universe. big bang happens. earth happens. evolution happens. everyone wins.

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    • EpicPanda
      12 years ago

      Finally someone who thinks the same way as me.Except I believe that God created animals(monkeys) and then evolution.

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  • Jujudog
    7 years ago

    What's that? I didn't hear the question

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  • Crudhouse
    12 years ago

    Trying to apply science to find the meaning of life is like taking a placebo to cure a headache. Science freaks to me are the same as Jesus freaks

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  • RaNdOmPoPcOrNdUdE
    12 years ago

    im a 10 girl and have an IQ same as stephen hawking (in space)

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  • scapetown.VA
    12 years ago

    people can be like that. I dont know why but people will almost always aromatically do stuff like this. its very irritating.

    also its very refreshing to find someone who realizes that no creation theory is PROVEN. people on both sides of the argument are so pigheaded it makes me very angry that people will flat out ignore facts or good, relevant points people make

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  • Rhuarc
    12 years ago

    I only go so far when I argue religion because in the end you will be your faith and I will be mine. Hopefully acting cordial and being kind will show you or someone that my way might be a good thing for you to try and maybe you will believe what I believe.

    Then again you might not but at least then you will see that there are good people who follow specific creeds.

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  • howaminotmyself
    12 years ago

    I heard a theory recently that stated the ability to believe in religion is a part of evolution itself. As humans, our brains are capable of much thought. They decend into spirals of unanswerable questions. To believe and have faith is how we deal with these questions and our brains have created a god concept to stop the spirals and allow us to exist in peace with our own brain. I don't know how much I agree with this idea, but it does make me think.

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    • flutterhigh
      12 years ago

      Absolutely. Our brains work on abstract assumptions about the world - patterns, categories, and systems all help us to make sense of phenomena, but these same assumptions lead to mistakes. It's like when you draw a cube - in reality, it's a two dimensional array of intersecting lines, but your mind works in the third dimension, so it makes sense of it by seeing a cube. We talk about the sun "setting" and "rising" though we now know that that's inaccurate. Further, we anthropomorphize the sun as a powerful being, because all we know is how to be human. It's only common sense to extend that to other moving things. But common sense is flawed.

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  • graphic_nature
    12 years ago

    You really don't have to prove your lack of belief.

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