Genesis and the Big Bang

[Why Syzygy]

Transcript:
http://www.aish.com/societyWork/sciencenature/Age_of_the_Universe.asp

How long ago did the "beginning" occur? Was it, as the Bible might imply, 5700-plus years, or was it the 15 billions of years that's accepted by the scientific community?

The first thing we have to understand is the origin of the Biblical calendar. The Jewish year is figured by adding up the generations since Adam. Additionally, there are six days leading up to the creation to Adam. These six days are significant as well.

Now where do we make the zero point? On Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, upon blowing the shofar, the following sentence is said: "Hayom Harat Olam -- today is the birthday of the world."

Review:
http://www.geraldschroeder.com/gbb.html
Genesis and the Big Bang
Reviews
From Paul Adam Blanchard - Science Books & Films
Read this book. Read it with an open mind, or read it with skepticism, but read it. Above all, read it for thought, education, inspiration, and pleasure. You will be well rewarded. . . . I remain unconvinced {by the book}--but that is not the point. . . . (Schroeder's) tour of human knowledge, history, and culture is grand indeed, filled with scientific research at the forefront of knowledge, keen argument, and rich deposits of Jewish learning and wisdom.This book will not be the last of its type: these two great life currents--modern science and traditional religion--have yet to meet in the informed and skeptical mind. Schroeder's courageous work may mark a step toward that meeting.

Playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4AE661C971BFC8E8

Ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Schroeder

[laconicsax]

1. Thanks for this.

I needed a good laugh.

[InvisibleTouch]

2. The coolest metaphor I've heard for the Big Bang...

...and having nothing really to do with Genesis (sorry, a bit off-topic), is that it was the orgasm that birthed the Universe. :)

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Zaphod Beeblebrox - "the best bang since the Big One"

(quote from Eccentrica Gallumbits, the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon 6)

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Terry Pratchett used a line something like that in one of his novels.

[InvisibleTouch]

7. Ah, maybe that's where I heard it.

Not in the Hitchhiker books themselves (somehow I could never get through them, though I tried several times), but I did love the old TV series.

[Nihil]

10. "In the beginning there was nothing ... and it exploded."

:-)

[Richard D]

4. Quite interesting

Thanks.

[Random_Australian]

6. "After 3000 years of arguing, science has come to agree with the Torah."

I wonder why they picked the Torah over any other religious belief that has a beginning to the world?

It's intellectual laziness to say anything other than "After thousands of years of speculation and about 50 years of argument, science has come to it's own conclusions."

Also, their argument relies a lot on " 'There was evening and morning' is an exotic, bizarre, unusual way of describing time" as well.

In short, this would be suitable for casual conversation between people reconciling their beliefs, but it's not convincing on its own.

[Why Syzygy]

8. Well, he's Jewish.

And has this to say:

So the only data I use as far as Biblical commentary goes is ancient commentary. That means the text of the Bible itself (3300 years ago), the translation of the Torah into Aramaic by Onkelos (100 CE), the Talmud (redacted about the year 500 CE), and the three major Torah commentators. There are many, many commentators, but at the top of the mountain there are three, accepted by all: Rashi (11th century France), who brings the straight understanding of the text, Maimonides (12th century Egypt), who handles the philosophical concepts, and then Nachmanides (13th century Spain), the earliest of the Kabbalists.

This ancient commentary was finalized long before Hubbell was a gleam in his great-grandparent's eye. So there's no possibility of Hubbell or any other modern scientific data influencing these concepts.

edit: I am not at all certain that his intention is to sway skeptics. It may be more of a mission to educate the Believer community. Thanks for your POV.

[Random_Australian]

9. My point is that leaving out all the other religions science has 'agreed' with.

It's a common claim among the religious that their holy book is supported by science - had he said "After 3000 years, science has decided that there was a beginning. This is in accordance with quite a lot of religions" then it wouldn't be the automatic favouritism that it is.

Of course, the writer is Jewish and thus does automatically favour the Torah, as you pointed out. This doesn't make favouritism into anything else, though. And it's still not as objective or accurate as it could have been.

Then again, it's not like every word I've ever written has been well-put, so the writer will get benefit of the doubt for that.

[SarahJohn]

11. The wisdom in Genesis

goes way beyond the creation story. Every time I read it I find another slant, another nuance, another peek into the God/Man relationship.

[Meshuga]

12. What a bunch of bullshit

This is a poor attempt at Torah/Science reconciliation that makes the author look ridiculous. The author fails to mention other quotes by the very own sages he cites in order to support his little thesis. You take Rashi, for example, in his commentary on Genesis 1:1 he insists that Genesis does not set out to to give an account to creation. The version in which the Torah begins, he says, "tell us nothing about the chronological sequence of creation."

Anything scientific in the talmud, like debating the calendar (i.e, the movement of the moon and the stars) the talmud concluded that "the world of gentile sages are preferable to the world of the Jewish sages" (Peshachium 94b). "We follow the gentile sages because in matters of astronomy they are superior to us. Truth is truth no matter its origin."

The word "torah" means instructions and it is instruction guide for Jews to be Jewish. Trying to use it to explain anything or giving special intution to sages is just ridiculous.

This author implies these mystical wisdom to these great Jewish thinkers but by doing that he is only doing them a disservice in my opinion.

[cosmik debris]

13. "Truth is truth no matter its origin."

Thank you.