Catholic Thoughts

Questions:
 
1. Doesn't the Big Bang theory explain the way the world was created apart from a Creator?
2. New School in Rome Examines the Cutting Edge in Ethics (by John M. Kunz)
3. Christianity and Culture Authentic in Dialogue: Beyond Relativism and Ethnocentrism (by S.M. Michael, S.V.D.)

1. No, because even if the Big Bang theory is true, it does not explain where the matter came from that caused the Big Bang. And even if you hold, as some scientists do, that before the Big Bang that started our universe there were an infinite number of Big Bangs and Big Collapses (or earlier universes) exploding and collapsing, you still have a problem. Where did the stuff these Big Bangs and Big Collapses were made of come from? Also, why is the universe the kind of place where there are such occurrences, when it does not have to be? Where did the whole thing come from, anyway? Since the universe doesn't explain its own existence, the explanation for it must be somewhere else; actually in Someone else, the One who is self-existing: God (Is 45:11-12).
 
Note: You will sometimes hear people say that there is a conflict between science and religion, between reason and faith. These people believe that science has debunked or disproved religious beliefs and replaced them with the real truth. The Big Bang Theory is one example of this mentality, and people often argue that it disproves God's creation of the universe. But as we said above, it does nothing of the sort. Science and religion are not opposed to each other, if their proper roles are correctly understood. Science, which takes its conclusions from data collected by observation and measurement, is very good at answering how questions, but it is not equipped to answer the why questions. For example, it cannot tell us why we are here or what the purpose of life is.
 
Source: http://www.ascensionpress.com

2. April 10, 2003 / ROME
Medicine, biology, law, philosophy and theology are the pillars of the new academic discipline called bioethics. Study in the field is deemed essential in a society that increasingly wrestles with moral issues related to biomedical technology.
 
Only in its second year of existence, the school of bioethics current enrollment has already exceeded 300 students. They come from all over the world: Austria, Canada, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Romania, Slovakia, South America and the United States. They wrestle with the moral issues related to biomedical technology.
 
For more information on this topic, visit:http://www.catholic.net/teaching_the_faith/template_channel.phtml?channel_id=14
 
3.  The last few centuries of world history have seen many changes, cultural and social upheavals on a global level. On the one hand we have witnessed the height of colonialism but also the spirit of nationalism and freedom movements which eventually paved the way for widespread Communist revolutionary activities and the emergence of the nation state, especially in the 1940s in Asia. Today these nation states are strengthening and consolidating their identity through the activities of cultural, religious and ideological (often Communist) oriented groups. Christianity is most often associated with the West from whose dominance they want to disentangle themselves. Christian mission in Asia today has to work in the midst of cultural, religious, and political opposition, if not hostilities; moreover the Zeitgeist, the intellectual, and philosophical climate of the present day, is opposed to any form of cultural hegemony and favours a doctrine of value relativism. Many developing countries obtained independence in the years following the Second World War and today they increasingly want to assert themselves and do not want to be told what to do or to have anything foreign imposed on them. We witness cultural and religious revivalism in Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism in Asia as a means to counteract the influence of Christianity and Western economic and cultural dominance. Christian evangelization in Asia is looked upon with suspicion and Christian missionaries have often been accused of undermining and destroying the local cultural heritage. It is against such odds that the Indian Church is called upon to tell the Christian story, to strengthen her people morally and refresh them spiritually. Dialogue will be an integral part of her mission work.
 
For more information on this topic, click on the site below:
 
http://www.sedos.org/english/michael_2.htm

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