Astrophysics and religion

Abstract

In the first few chapters of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, creation is described as something that happened well before our time. Astrophysics reports on the other hand that stars and planets are still forming today according to natural laws, calling the concept of divine creation into question. Religious ideas cannot be derived from scientific results. The editors of this volume asked me to explain how religion and cosmology relate for me as an astrophysicist—not how they should relate as suggested in many previous books, but how they relate for me in my personal perspective as a person who happens to be a scientist. Astrophysics and religion start from different observations, measurements, and experiences, but they intersect for me, for example when I become aware of the amazing efficacy of the universe to form stars or when I realize that all that has formed will decay. Connections between science and life experience become obvious at such meeting points. Metaphors provide the language for such participatory experiences, and bridge astrophysics and religion. From my perspective, the universe is not just a cold and mostly inhabitable space. It is a generous temporary gift necessary for life, providing nourishment, energy, and development. Another view of reality opens when I see the universe as a gracious creation that continues both today and in the future.