Question:
Answer:
We can say that the fruits of scientific investigation jibe with what the Bible fundamentally teaches about the origin of creation. The “Big Bang Theory” is consistent with the biblical passage in Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light.” In other words, the creation of the universe came forth in an instant, from the hand of a mighty creator, the Uncaused Cause.
Regarding the creation of man, the Church recognizes there could have been prehuman predecessors to Adam and Eve, as well as that God could have used the bodily materials of such humans to make the first man, who was uniquely created through the infusion of a rational soul. So it’s important not to conclude too much where Genesis is silent. That would include asserting as fact, as some Christians do, that the six days of creation are intended to be understood simply as six twenty-four-hour periods. The Church has never definitively taught that, and scientific evidence from recent centuries points to an older universe and Earth.
For more information, see our tract on “Adam, Eve, and Evolution” and this article on “The Importance of Reading Genesis Like a Scientist” by Stacy Transancos.