The Big Bang theory describes how the universe came into existence and has been developing for approximately 13.8 billion years. On the other side, religious accounts, such as the Christian story found in Genesis and the Hindu cycles of creation, add a spiritual component. Such perspectives supplement these scientific interpretations and encourage reflective thought regarding our place in the cosmos.
The Big Bang Theory is the leading scientific explanation. The universe came into being around 13.8 billion years ago as an extremely dense, hot point, or singularity, which started expanding rapidly, thus initiating space and time. This expansion led to the creation of subatomic particles, then atoms, and eventually stars and galaxies as gravity shaped matter.
About 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe had cooled to the point that light could travel freely, leading to what is called the cosmic microwave background radiation, the faint afterglow of this early light that scientists observe as evidence for the Big Bang. In the 20th century, astronomers found that the universe is still expanding, likely driven by an unknown force called dark energy, which remains one of the biggest scientific mysteries today.
Religious perspectives explain the 'why' of the universe's creation, attributing it to a willful act of a divine force. In Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, God is considered to be the creator, creating the universe with a will. Take for instance the book of Genesis, where God created the universe in six days, each action fully packed with meaning.
The Quran, on its part, also talks of a Creator who fashioned the heavens and the earth from a "joined entity," understood by some to be symbolic of creation from a single origin. Hinduism presents a cyclic view, where the universe undergoes repeated cycles of creation, preservation, and destruction, driven by the cosmic forces of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer).
Buddhism regards the universe as timeless and interconnected, emphasizing cycles without a clear beginning or end. For many, science and religion are not opposed but complementary. Where science explains how the universe developed through observable evidence, religion offers purpose, in the form of a sacred order or connection.
In conjunction, these perspectives give a fuller understanding of the universe: science reveals its physical structure and origins, while religion invites a deeper contemplation of purpose and meaning in existence.