Beyond the Big Bang: Quantum Cosmologies and God [Paperback]

Willem B. Drees (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1990

Is belief in God a reasonable option in the light of modern cosmology? Or have religious beliefs been ruled out by science? Or should we rethink the connection between these two human enterprises - perhaps even considering them as unrelated? Some writers have contended that the Big Bang can be identified with the biblical Creation, while others claim that cosmology, in Carl Sagan's words, leaves "nothing for a creator to do". Willem Drees subjects the arguments of both sides to a careful scrutiny. He begins by reviewing and critcizing the religious responses to the theory of the Big Bang, showing that attempts by theologians to "appropriate" this scientific theory neglect many difficulties. He proceeds to an examination of various quantum cosmologies in relation to the Beginning, the anthropic principles, the search for complete theories, and conceptions of contingency and necessity. Dr Drees argues that cosmology offers no certainty in religious matters, and challenges the view that theology and science are engaged in a common quest to understand reality. On the other hand, he rejects the suggestion that they are unrelated. Not all scientific and theological arguments are compatible, yet science and theology have different functions. Science describes and explains, while theology is prophetic, seeking transformation towards justice and perfection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Open Court Publishing Company (April 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812691180
• ISBN-13: 978-0812691184
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A CHALLENGING WORK ON THE RELATION BETWEEN COSMOLOGY, SCIENCE AND RELIGION, June 25, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond the Big Bang: Quantum Cosmologies and God (Paperback)

Willem Drees (born 1954) has doctoral degrees in theoretical physics, theology, and philosophy. In 2009 he assumed the editorship of Zygon, Journal of Religion & Science.

In this 1990 book, Drees states in the Preface, "This book criticizes the religious abuse of science; it also criticizes the simple dismissal of religious questions, as if science would unambiguously supply all the answers.... I therefore develop an outline of a theology which takes science seriously, but does not restrict itself to the quest for a fit with the results of science. I hold that an adequate theology should deal with experiences of imperfection and justice, and hence has to maintain a 'prophetic' dimension, a judgment of disparity between the way things are and the way they should be. This brings me closer to the dominant position among Protestant theologians on the European continent.... I seek a theological position in critical coherence with science."

He argues against priest and historian of science Stanley Jaki (e.g., Road of Science and the Ways to God), saying "this way of presenting the case for God does not work. Cosmology is more ambivalent about the beginning, contingency, and time than Jaki claims. Jaki uses God where the scientific explanation stumbles upon something apparently unexplainable." (pg. 19)

He rejects "young-earth Creationism" on the grounds that "I think that belief in God as deserving worship is inconsistent with the idea that God fools us by creating a 'developed' universe which is deliberately faked to appear older than it really is." (pg. 21) He concludes that "Genesis is not a cosmological book." (pg. 254)

He states, "Cosmology supports neither contingency nor necessity ... both are meaningful in the context of a well-defined scientific theory or philosophical system." (pg. 98) "If theology were merely another kind of science, or an intelligible and consistent fiction, there would be no reason to bother with it." (pg. 184)

5 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book! Please read it, April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond the Big Bang: Quantum Cosmologies and God (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book! Everyone must read it urgently. We Know that the Portuguese Language Translation of this work is quite already in Portugal under the Title: Para Além do Big Bang