Cosmology and faith

Abstract

The Big Bang theory of modern cosmology points to the universe expanding from a highly compact initial state some 13.8 billion years ago, and evolving into the vast cosmos we see today. The theory raises two issues of potential interest to theology. First, what do we make of the idea that the universe had a beginning in time? Does it point to the need for God as creator, and if so, is God redundant if the beginning can be avoided as some cosmologists, such as Stephen Hawking, have suggested it can be? Then, secondly, the so-called ‘Anthropic Principle’, first formulated by Brandon Carter in 1974, points to the fact that what we can observe ‘must be restricted by the conditions necessary for our presence as observers’. Whilst seemingly tautological, the Anthropic Principle nevertheless raises some fundamental questions. Why are the laws of nature so special (‘fine-tuned’) in the first place so as to produce a universe with intelligent creatures like us (anthrōpoi) in it, who can observe it and discover those laws? Can the existence of a multiverse, a vast or infinite collection of universes, explain the specialness of this universe? This talk will explore whether and how, in the light of the discoveries of modern cosmology, we can still speak of a divine mind behind the creation.