What to say when somebody asks about the big bang

[zak]

This is my first actual post that is not a greeting.

I'd like to start out by saying that I am only sixteen years old; I know that it may seem irrelevant but I figured I'd just say so.

I have many atheist friends but some are religious. And being in the nature of friends, they will ask me questions about atheism. I'd also just like to know this for myself, because I am not entirely sure.

What do I say when somebody asks me about the Big Bang theory?

Anything from what happened before it, how did it start, etc.

I am aware that there is never a clear answer for this. I just would like to know if any of you have any quick and easy explanations for it.

Even if I, when asked this, cannot explain what it is, I can just turn it back on them. Ask them about the origin of God.

I want to thank you in advance for any future responses to this.

Have a fantastic Sunday. :p

[chimp3]

Unless you are a physicist you are not required to defend the physicists arguments. You can explain why you think science is awesome and tell them the names of some good books to read.  If you have read the Bible and a few good science books you will have the upper hand because they likely have done neither.

[zak]

Unless you are a physicist you are not required to defend the physicists arguments. You can explain why you think science is awesome and tell them the names of some good books to read.  If you have read the Bible and a few good science books you will have the upper hand because they likely have done neither.

Oh okay, that makes sense.

I actually would like to read more of the bible in the future.

Thank you.

[Alex K]

As to what happened before (if anything) and how it started, the answer is "Nobody knows, but there are some hints and hypotheses". The validity of big bang cosmology comes from a plethora of observations confirming it. That we don't know everything about it or how exactly it got started doesn't negate that. It's not like "they" win and the science is invalid because there are still open questions. That's the whole point of science, there are always open questions at the fringes of understanding.
Even if we knew the physical mechanism how the big bang got started, you can always shoehorn your God in there, too. God is a useless hypothesis, but that doesn't mean science proves that there is no God.

[Whateverist]

Pointing out that reasonable people using reasonable methods don't already know everything about how everything came to be is never justification for declaring certitude by way of the supernatural.

[Alex K]

Exactly - As the reasonable one in a debate, you always fight an uphill battle because you're bound by logic and evidence, and can't just make shit up...

[zak]

All valid and helpful points, thank you.

And that is completely true, Alex.

Thank you.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

"Where did the stuff that 'banged' come from?"

"Same place your God came from."

[popeyespappy]

What do I say when somebody asks me about the Big Bang theory?

Tell them you don’t believe in the big bang. Tell them you believe the Big Bang theory as modified by inflation is the cosmological model that most cosmologists think offers the best explanation for the current observations. Tell them it isn’t the only possibility just the one that currently offers the best explanation for the evolution of the universe. Tell them that if/when more data becomes available to us that points to some other explanation the Big Bang theory can be modified or replaced with something that explains the observations more accurately.

As far as what caused the big bang tell them we don’t know, but there are other possibilities besides god.

[Aegon]

What to say when somebody asks about the big bang

Tell 'em there's gonna be a big bang in your bed tonight!!!!! Am I right!?!?