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Daniel Matt: Cosmology and Judaism

The theory of the Big Bang serves as the scientific creation story of our culture. What does it have to do with God? Can it help us discover a spiritual dimension in our lives? In answering these questions, Dr Matt draws on the insights of Kabbalah (the Jewish mystical tradition) as well as contemporary cosmology. He suggest several parallels, e.g., between what physicists call "broken symmetry" and what Kabbalah calls "the breaking of the vessels." He emphasizes that his purpose is not to demonstrate that medieval kabbalists knew what cosmologists are now discovering. Rather, in juxtaposing these two distinct approaches - scientific and spiritual - he experiments with seeing each in light of the other.

Spirituality and science are two tools of understanding that should not be confused; each is valid in its domain. Occasionally, though, scientific and spiritual insights resonate. By sensing these resonances, our understanding deepens.

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Daniel Matt: Cosmology and Judaism

 

God and Creation: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Perspectives on Big Bang Cosmology - Index
Introductory Remarks
An Introduction to Big Bang Cosmology
Alnoor Dhanani: Cosmology and Islam
Bill Stoeger: Cosmology and Christianity
Panel Discussion and Q&A
Celebrating CTNS's 30th Anniversary

Source:

Presented at the 'God and Creation' conference celebrating CTNS' 30th year.

See also:

Physics and Cosmology
History
The Relation of Science & Religion
Purpose and Design
Was the Universe Designed?
Did the Universe Have a Beginning?
The Argument From Design
Cosmos and Creator
Books on Science and Religion