Abstract:
The research presented in this paper is meant to present several differing schools of thought about the origin of the universe and what that origin might suggest about God's existence. Not only will this research paper discuss implications related to the Big Bang and God's existence, but it will also link naturalist responses to theistic viewpoints of the Big Bang and other possible origins of the universe including some philosophical rather than strictly scientific theories. The end of this paper will consider some philosophical perspective and lead to my own findings on the matter. Covering multiple viewpoints allows for fairly presented material and allows the reader to come to a well-informed conclusion about the possibility of the existence of God based on the evidence. Notable scientists from both sides will be cited. The most important expression of this paper is to smooth the apparent jagged-edge between scientific and theistic viewpoints while also highlighting my own thoughts on the matter. George Smoot, an astronomer for the University of California at Berkeley and project leader of the COBE satellite is an example of a scientist who sees congruence between these viewpoints. Professor Smooth said of recent cosmological discoveries, "What we have found is evidence for the birth of the universe. It's like looking at God."
