Who is God? Part 3
Building on the reflections on the opening lines of the Apostles Creed found in Catholic Questions 1 & 2, what of God as ‘creator of heaven and earth’? With this question, we wander into the potential minefield that is the confluence of the scientific revolution, the impact of Darwinism, and the confusion wrought by Christian fundamentalism. Elsewhere we will discuss how Catholics read and understand Scripture, and what we mean when we say that the Scriptures reveal truth. Here we attempt to address the question: what do we mean when we say that God created heaven and earth?
First of all, the Catholic Church acknowledges that it is for science to determine when and, to a certain degree, how life came into being. A reading of St Augustine’s [354-430 AD] Commentary on the book of Genesis provides an early indication of the Church’s conviction on this point.
However, keep in mind that scientific theories on how everything came into existence have developed over the years. For example, until relatively recently, the dominant scientific theory was that the universe has always existed. Some scientists still consider this to be the case. However, it has always been the Catholic conviction that the universe and everything in it had a beginning, figuratively depicted in the opening chapters of the book of Genesis. Interestingly, the more scientists are able to delve into the origins of the universe the more overwhelming is the evidence that there was a time when the universe was not…and that there was a ‘moment’ when it came into existence. Science and faith are not always as antithetical as some would like to believe.
The best of these scientific theories leave open the possibility of the existence of God. Copernicus, Galileo, Newton and Darwin all believed in the existence of God. It was Einstein who famously said that there is no scientific basis for saying God does not exist. Science may rightly attempt to explain the mechanics governing the existence of the universe, and of life on this planet, but it cannot analyse the One who is behind it all. Science pertains to the universe and everything in it. Faith relates to the One who is behind and beyond the universe, and for whom scientific principles do not apply. With three notable exceptions (sin, evil and death), everything that exists does so because God wants it to, and because it borrows its existence from God. In this sense, God may be said to be the creator and origin of all.