Why are some religious people afraid of the big bang?

The reasons are varied. I suppose you’d have to ask each religious person that is afraid of it though I can’t say many are.

Not sure why he doesn’t however, I have known several people like him. For example, a gal I knew was forbidden by her parents to read science fiction or fantasy books or watch science fiction or fantasy films because her parents believed such material would corrupt their daughter and allow her to become a host for Satan (evil child I was, I slipped a copy of The Golden Compass in her backpack which she ended up loving, she’s still a very devout Christian btw).

They take the Bible literally. God created the heavens and the earth in six days, etc.

i agree with jaytkay – thats at heart the issue. basically its that evolution/creationism + literal interpretations of the bible dont mix. however, it is interesting to note that what is being taken literally by these types of christians is usually the english interpretation of the canonical bible as opposed to it in its original language be it hebrew, aramaic, coptic, latin or greek. a lot is lost in translation in any event.

My guess is that some people develop these sorts of belief in their childhood and never outgrow them. In fact they cling to them despite any other proofs or arguments. I still don’t understand it but I would really like to. Personally, the more I read the Bible or apologist arguments, the less I believe and the more I am repelled.

I guess my reaction is the same as people rubber-necking at a car accident.

Unfortunately, I have no answer to the question but will watch the answers and gain a little understanding of people that are completely alien.

My guess is that some people develop theses sorts of belief in their childhood and never outgrow them. In fact they cling to them dispite any other proofs or arguments. I still don’t understand it but I would really like to. Personally, the more I read the Bible or apologist arguments, the less I believe and the more I am repelled.

I guess my reaction is the same as people rubber-necking at a car accident.

Unfortunately, I have no answer to the question but will watch the answers and gain a little understanding of people that are completely alien.

It does not fit into the little box they have neatly labelled God.
I make this statement because I once owned such a box.

I think he can’t allow himself to “deal” with the idea of the big bang, because if it were true, everything that he has ever held dear in his life, his faith, his family, his thoughts, will all be deemed false. That would be pretty scary.

@earthduzt on the other hand, if this particular person you worked with invited you to church or offered to share a recording of a seminar from his church, would you openly accept the offer? Or if he started a conversation about a documentary about something related to his religion, would you be opened to it or complain that he was Bible thumping or shut him down with how he is wrong? It his beliefs. Why is that so hard to accept.

I am a Baptist who believes in the Big Bang. BFD.

@bkcunningham I for one would accept the invitation. I’m an atheist but am curious why intelligent, knowledgeable people accept as fact, theories from others that are less learned and more gullible.

@bkcunningham I would and I have, I may not believe in it for I have my own beliefs and I also may find some of it ridiculous but I would still listen and just see how they view things. In fact I watch documentaries about religion as well, the more I watch them or read about them the more I am pushed away from them honestly.

one of my favorite quotes is…

“Enjoy the fantasy, the fun, the stories
But make sure that there’s a clear sharp line
Drawn on the floor
To do otherwise is to embrace madness”

James Randi

that is how I feel about religions

its unfortunate though that children really have no choice as to how they are raised + are duly susceptible to the ideologies + behaviors of their ‘parents’ be it intolerance, violence, abuse, cultish behavior, etc. once these ideas + practices have been ingrained within the mind they can be terribly hard to shake + to do so is indeed ‘earth-shattering’ as it does shake the very metaphysical fundamentals which they have been taught. similar arguments exist within the scientific community itself so religion is not a solo player here. as an example the work in relativity, quantum mechanics + derivatives is a huge shift for the classicists or newtonians. the more i watch documentaries + informational media, the more i see the treatment of children at the heart of the problem. just my 2 cents.

Maybe he simply foresaw an awkward conversation and decided not to have it.

This is its own form of cowardice, of course.

I am a theist, but I am not a Christian. I believe quite fully in the Big Bang.

And, yes, I have my own theist-based idea as to how it happened.

Maybe it isn’t fear of the theory, just something that he doesn’t believe and chooses not to discuss. Either way, the only sure way to know is to ask him.

They’ve been in conflict forever. The big bang theory says everything was basiclally scientifically created, meanwhile religion states that god made everything. Naturally they don’t get along. Completely opposing views. Unless you and your boss can survive what could be a quite heated arguement, yeah, leave it alone.

It threatens the tiny, dark, never-changing cocoon they in which they have enclosed themselves: religious fundamentalism. There’s no real world outside—it’s all an illusion created by Satan. Must…shut…eyes…tighter…

On the plus side, it makes the world VERY simple and understandable, even to their child-like minds.

I am not sure why a believing religious person would shy away from the theory of the Big Big since it takes more faith to believe that we and everything we see (and can not see) came from an infinitessimal (can’t be seen by the human eye and has a value approaching zero) particle that spontaneously exploded/expanded and created the vast yet finite universe.
There is a gaping hole in that theory. The question should be, where did that spec/particle come from. Almost no one addresses that question. Its simply a given that something blew up but the questions of where that spec came from is never posed. What were the conditions prior to the BB.
In any case I agree with the another comment in this discussion “just ask him”. You should do it in a respectful manner not just because he is your boss but it is how we should treat each other in general. As rational people we can and should frequently engage in helpful discussion especially when opposing views exsist. Hope this was helpful