Other works – my essay on science and religion
For reference, this is an essay I wrote about 7 years ago, during one of my first undergraduate courses, a class on comparative literature. I can’t even remember what the prompt was, but the subject we were meant to discuss was “creation and life.” This is what 18 year old me wrote.
Creation: The Non-Exclusive Relationship between Science and Religion
A common observation I make regarding those who consider themselves religious is how many lack the understanding that their religious beliefs may be very similar to those of a person from a different religion. I am in no way trying to condemn or judge people with particular religious views, or make this a universal stereotype of religious people. I am simply noting that in my short eighteen years on this planet, I have encountered many people who are unable or unwilling to make connections to religions other their own. For example – and again, I am not trying to use this example to criticize or stereotype a certain group of people – I have been acquainted with some very strict Christian people from my hometown who would not be able to acknowledge any connections between their faith and Hinduism. Furthermore, I have known, or at least listened to, people who have never been able to acknowledge a connection between science and religion. It is often because they believe science conflicts with one or more aspects of their beliefs, and consequently they choose not to associate one with the other in any way.
Based on my observation alone, I think the belief that these subjects (whether it be religion and science or multiple religions) cannot coexist is rooted in either the lack of significant analysis or the inability to accept doubt concerning one’s beliefs. Both of these traits allow no room for rational thinking; Descartes claims that the basis of rational thinking is the process of doubt, deconstruction of an idea or argument, analysis and synthesis. If one cannot doubt their religious beliefs, then they can never rationally consider them, which I believe is a big problem. Therefore, in order to compensate for others’ lack of rational thinking, I will attempt to elucidate what I believe connects different religions and science on the subject of creation.
The Hindu and Christian texts (The Rig Veda and the Bible, respectively) have a remarkably similar story of how existence began. In both stories, the texts begin with describing a great darkness or void. It is unclear how long the darkness exists before any action takes place, but it is clear that it exists throughout space and covers everything. The following part of each story describes how the universe was given form by the original god (referred to as God in Genesis, but the Golden Embryo in the Rig Veda). The one major difference between the two gods is that the Christian God exists throughout the darkness, and, later in the Bible, is referred to the Alpha and Omega (beginning and end), implying that he exists without beginning or end; conversely, the Golden Embryo is born from the “waters of darkness”, marking a distinct beginning. Upon being born, the Golden Embryo separates the sky, the earth, and the sun.
The subsequent actions of the god mentioned in both stories include the creation of beasts and wild plants, all leading up to the creation of man. If we assume humans are living beings, and that the purpose of creation was to create living beings, then it can be posited that creation begins when there is potential for, or possibility of the existence of, living beings.
The creation stories in the Rig Veda and Genesis indicate that creation begins when the original god exists because the original god creates life. In other words, when the original god exists, living beings become a possibility, and subsequently, creation begins. In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, humanity is described as being molded by God: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Similarly, the Rig Veda describes the All-Maker (the original god) as humanity’s sculptor and smith, and claims that humans come from a “raw matter”. The Bible claims humans are made from something else, which is either referred to as clay, ash or dust. If humanity was formed of something else, it implies that we evolved by the original god’s hand. This theory was developed into scientific truth by religious men and women, perhaps most famously by Charles Darwin. Darwin says that there is a “struggle of existence” that has led us to become the human beings we are today, indicating that the process of evolution has existed across time.
When further evaluating creation in a scientific perspective, we can say it begins with the “Big Bang”, or rather in its “afterglow”. In an article by Elizabeth Howell written for space.com, the term “afterglow” refers to the time after the Big Bang occurs when photons (light) become visible due to the formation of neutral atoms. Without the synthesis of electrons and nuclei, creation could not have happened because all living things are made of atoms. Additionally, it allowed for photons to permeate through darkness, which is something that is essential to our existence. Without sunlight, living beings cannot survive; it is one of the first steps in Maslow’s hierarchy of basic needs, along with food, shelter, water and clothing. Therefore, when neutral atoms began to exist, and photons became visible, it allowed for the possibility of life, because it marked the beginning of the end of the chaos of the post-Big Bang “soup”.
In both religious scripture and science, creation starts when chaos and darkness are transformed into light. The Rig Veda states that before there was life, or even gods, darkness was covered by darkness; Genesis also says that in the beginning, earth was a “formless, chaotic mass”. When God declares, “let there be light,” it marks the end of chaos and the beginning of the first day of the creation period, in which humans are created on the second to last day. Similarly, in the Big Bang theory, the photons permeating the dark “soup” of electrons and nuclei marks the time when atomic structure began to exist, therefore making it possible for all objects and living things to exist. The presence of the All-Maker allowed man to be molded, just like the afterglow of the Big Bang led to the potential for man’s development.
The elements of the stories of creation from scientific and religious perspectives are incredibly similar. Each story’s beginning is a turning point (darkness turning into light), which leads to a process of the formation of the earth, plants, animals, and eventually humans. The only conflict that I see, and the one that most people argue about, is the timeline of this process. In Genesis, creation is a six-day process, but the scientific theory of evolution takes place over millions of years. However, if we accept that Genesis is a scale model of the evolutionary timeline and not a literal timeline, then the two stories become nearly indistinguishable. Because of the overwhelming similarities between the stories of creation in different religious texts and scientific theory of creation and evolution, I believe that they are not mutually exclusive, and I will continue to do so until new evidence or ideas can make me doubt again.