Science is constantly expanding and revising its teachings in light of new knowledge. A good example is the Big Bang theory. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was thought that the universe had “no beginning and no end” (63). Thanks to advances in astronomy, scientists now agree that the universe began at a single moment about 14 billion years ago in what has been dubbed the Big Bang. Collins cannot help seeing the Big Bang as confirmation of theological beliefs about God’s creation of the universe.

Studies of the subsequent expansion of the universe after the Big Bang—including the formation of elements, galaxies, stars, planets, and ultimately humans—have made clear how improbable the end result is, and how our very existence depends on precise conditions that could not have deviated even slightly without making life as we know it today impossible. The term Anthropic Principle has been coined to express the idea that the universe is “uniquely tuned to give rise to humans” (74). In addition, the development of quantum mechanics and the Uncertainty Principle (see Part 2 Analysis and Terms) put an end to a determinist model of the universe, in which everything is tied to precise physical laws.