The Big Bang was an act of God, with divine will bringing the universe into being, Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of Catholics at the Vatican.
Benedict has worked to integrate modern scientific theories into religious teaching, saying that God is responsible for evolution and that the Bible story of the world's creation in six days is an allegory.
Benedict has worked to integrate modern scientific theories into religious teaching, saying that God is responsible for evolution and that the Bible story of the world's creation in six days is an allegory.
Reaction to Benedict's comments have been mixed. An MSNBC poll showed 40.7 percent of respondents agreeing that "there is no God and the Big Bang was probably responsible for all creation." Nearly 30 percent responded, "I agree with the pope. If there was a Big Bang, it was God's work."
PZ Myers, an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Morris, was unimpressed by Benedict's scientific qualifications to discuss the Big Bang. "The Pope has announced that God was the cause behind the Big Bang, which is nice," Myers wrote on his blog. "Unfortunately, he hasn't shown any data, nor has he published in any of the physics journals."
PZ Myers, an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Morris, was unimpressed by Benedict's scientific qualifications to discuss the Big Bang. "The Pope has announced that God was the cause behind the Big Bang, which is nice," Myers wrote on his blog. "Unfortunately, he hasn't shown any data, nor has he published in any of the physics journals."
