Religious Education Update: September 2, 2007
A Creation Story
"In the beginning, there was nothing. It was a 'nothing' so profound, it defies human comprehension... Space did not exist; time did not flow. We cannot speak of what happened before the Big Bang, because time itself did not exist. Before space was created, nothing could exist, because there was nowhere for it to exist.
From nothing, a tiny speck of brilliant light appeared. It was almost infinitely hot. Inside this fireball was all of space. With the creation of space came the birth of time. The energy in the fireball was so concentrated that matter spontaneously began to appear: a distant ancestor of the matter that would later become building blocks of stars, planets and galaxies." Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest in The Big Bang.
A Different Creation Story
" In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." King James Bible
In the Big Bang creation story, the lightest elements (hydrogen, helium and lithium) were created in the first seconds of the universe. Heavier elements were formed by nuclear fusion in the depths of giant stars. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, was formed near the beginning of time. Our earth was created out of the dust of ancient supernovas. Our galaxy is just a small part of the known universe. Scientists estimate that there are 100 billion galaxies in the universe, and our sun is one of billions of stars in the Milky Way.
In the Biblical story, God focuses on our earth. The heavens seem to be created for the benefit of earthly creatures, particularly the people that God created several days later. In either creation story, the final result is our amazing universe. For me, one of the most important differences is the role of our planet in the story. Is the planet Earth the reason for all creation, or just a tiny part of an incomprehensibly large whole?
Some of our children will be studying plants today, older ones will learn about the Big Bang Theory and our expanding universe. Both groups will consider the wonder of creation, that great gift that we all share.
Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education
"In the beginning, there was nothing. It was a 'nothing' so profound, it defies human comprehension... Space did not exist; time did not flow. We cannot speak of what happened before the Big Bang, because time itself did not exist. Before space was created, nothing could exist, because there was nowhere for it to exist.
From nothing, a tiny speck of brilliant light appeared. It was almost infinitely hot. Inside this fireball was all of space. With the creation of space came the birth of time. The energy in the fireball was so concentrated that matter spontaneously began to appear: a distant ancestor of the matter that would later become building blocks of stars, planets and galaxies." Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest in The Big Bang.
A Different Creation Story
" In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." King James Bible
In the Big Bang creation story, the lightest elements (hydrogen, helium and lithium) were created in the first seconds of the universe. Heavier elements were formed by nuclear fusion in the depths of giant stars. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, was formed near the beginning of time. Our earth was created out of the dust of ancient supernovas. Our galaxy is just a small part of the known universe. Scientists estimate that there are 100 billion galaxies in the universe, and our sun is one of billions of stars in the Milky Way.
In the Biblical story, God focuses on our earth. The heavens seem to be created for the benefit of earthly creatures, particularly the people that God created several days later. In either creation story, the final result is our amazing universe. For me, one of the most important differences is the role of our planet in the story. Is the planet Earth the reason for all creation, or just a tiny part of an incomprehensibly large whole?
Some of our children will be studying plants today, older ones will learn about the Big Bang Theory and our expanding universe. Both groups will consider the wonder of creation, that great gift that we all share.
Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education
posted by Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma @ 6:25 AM
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