How was our earth created? How were you and I created? Better yet, how was the universe itself created? These are all questions where it is difficult to find a definite answer. People tend to take two very opposite sides, either saying that time is the solution for everything, or accepting the idea of a greater creator who set everything the way it is for a reason. John Bilello analyzes these two completely opposing views in his book entitled Bible and Science — Design vs. Chance.
The author is a scientist as well as an active Bible student. He currently works as the Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, and devotes his time to studying the Bible thoughtfully, searching for the many deeper insights. By possessing a strong foothold in both scientific and religious fields, he has composed his book comparing and contrasting the evidence and ideas of scientific and creationistic views concerning the creation of the universe and its inhabitants.
When was the universe put in place?
One of the big questions of our time is when, and how, the universe was put in place. Of course there is no clear evidence as to how the original “dark abyss” (from which all things arose) came about in the first place; there are only many unconfirmed theories. This book goes into detail as to how both science and the Bible can relate to this dilemma, tying some loose ends together and clarifying many misunderstandings.
The author, as a fellow believer, sides with the idea of creation by a Creator, and goes into the many fallacies included in the scientific theories opposing the idea of creation by a divine maker. Bilello points out the misconception that the universe has always existed. He proves his point with Hubble’s observation of the spectrum of distant galaxies appearing in a reddish color, showing that these other galaxies are moving away from the earth. Thus it may be concluded that the universe is still expanding away from its original creation. The color red might seem irrelevant to the status of the universe, but the “Doppler Shift”, that Hubble noticed, is much like the Doppler Effect with sound waves. If a light is moving toward you, then the light wave appears blue. If a light is moving away from you, then the light wave appears red. Taking away this conclusion — the “always has been” universe — nullifies the easy answer that scientists like to use when discussing the universe’s beginning.
This book rejects the answer of an infinite universe. The author moves to establish the idea of the universe being created according to the Book of Genesis, with the creation of the earth in seven days. This reference to the Bible is not all about “alakazam and bam” — and the earth is created! It just so happens, the first chapter of Genesis holds evidence alluding to our earth’s past. Even in the second line of the Bible, the book shows proof of our past:
“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Gen 1:2, NIV). This verse refers to earth’s early birth stages. We can look at our neighboring planets, Venus and Mars, to see the vacancy and the complete canopy of clouds, that some could interpret as the Spirit of God, which covers the planets.
The Genesis account also states:
“Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water” (Gen 1:6, NIV).
This verse can easily be matched up with the theory that the great landmass, called “Pangaea” by some scientists, separated into different continents, thus creating different bodies of water.
How did life come into being?
Another Bible-assuring point of creation, demonstrated by the author, deals with intelligent design and the creation of human beings. He begins by asking readers how the first living cell came about. Science’s answer to the question is the Primal Soup Model, which in theory states that lightning struck water, causing amino acids and other chemicals to bind and create the first “living” cell. But Bilello points out that, even if a cell was created, the question remains: How did it “learn” to differentiate into more cells, and even begin to form the complex DNA that makes up all life forms.
Scientists have tried to recreate the conditions of the Primal Soup Model to see what would happen. But beginning in 1953, scientists such as Miller and Urey of the University of Chicago — even given the ideal conditions of a spark and the right chemical compounds — have not been able to create a single cell. Even in today’s high-tech world, we are not able to produce a living cell as the theory proposes. The only other possible explanation of this model is “time and chance”. And even in the case of chance, the author figures the odds of putting together human DNA at random, and the probability is a number eons beyond a billion! One in a million is a big enough chance as it is!
Where did humans come from?
The next main question is: Where did man come from? It is hard to believe that humans could have “evolved” from such beasts as the apes. The Bible student turns to Genesis to show the creation of man:
“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen 2:7).
It only seems legitimate that, once we die, our bodies turn back into the dust of the earth. The author supports his argument by explaining that the human body is made up of the same minerals as the earth. My personal favorite food for thought is the notion that, even down to the smallest atom of the body, the tiniest fractional change probably would not allow us to survive.
The constant theme of a perfect balance is shown again and again in this book. The author puts our ability to survive in perspective, making it hard to believe that it is all because of chance that we have made it this far. An example of this perfect balance is the exact positioning of the earth. Our neighboring planets, Venus and Mars, are uninhabited. Venus is too close to the sun, and Mars is too far away, to be able to sustain our precious human life. Our earth is perfectly placed so that we receive the sunlight and have the gravitational forces necessary for our survival. It is hard to believe that our earth and our lives are only sustainable under ideal conditions, and that this is all the product of time and chance.
Conclusion
As for me, this collection of essays has strengthened my faith and helped me to understand many things about the creation of the universe in general. The book discusses a hard subject, but the author makes it an easy read for everyone, by keeping it conversational, and providing footnotes for all the complicated scientific theories and ideas that he presents. John Bilello doesn’t just present the scientific ideas explaining creation; he entwines them with God, explaining that God created the world and the physical laws of science that came with it.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One