How could the big bang theory be possible - I don't mean the show..?

The Big Bang is expansion of the universe and is still visibly in progress.

Since the universe is seen to be expanding today, theoretical cosmologists can make detailed predictions of the universe's past. The results of Big Bang predictions have been found to conform accurately and precisely to a variety of astronomical observations.

The reason that the universe is expanding is unknown.

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► The big bang may or may not be related to origin of the components of the universe. Although some suggestions have the start of the big bang as the start of the universe, there is no scientific requirement for or against an infinitely long past.

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The Big Bang theory came from a catholic priest. It is a theory (based on evidence and tested by observations) that describes the behavior of a universe where the energy content remains constant, and where the energy density decreases as space expands (same amount of energy, more space to spread it out).

The name Big Bang was given to the theory by a famous atheist who was also an astrophysicist (while Father Lemaitre was a mathematician). From the start, atheists have been against the priest's ideas. From what I can see, that has not changed.

Father Lemaitre thought that the initial energy came directly from God; however, as a university professor, he kept reminding his students that the theory is based on scientific principles; therefore, it should also work for people who do not believe in God.

The population is not decreasing.

Make sure that you don't confuse faith in a religion with faith in God. They are two completely distinct things.

<QUOTE>population is decreasing.</QUOTE>

Actually there are more humans alive today than ever before. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=h...

So how you came to the conclusion that the population is decreasing is anyone's guess.

<QUOTE>apparently they believe in "The Big Bang Theory"</QUOTE>

What's even more surprising, which you likely don't know, is that the theory was invented by a CATHOLIC PRIEST. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lemaitre

<QUOTE>what is the big bang theory anyway?</QUOTE>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P3iymn1yzc#t=3m07s

<QUOTE>how can it possibly make Sense?</QUOTE>

Nature doesn't care what makes sense to humans. It just happens that the Big Bang theory does a good job at explaining many of the observations of how the Universe looks like today and explaining how it came to be that way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang#Observationa...

<QUOTE>tell me what religion you are,</QUOTE>

Why should that matter? Does that make a difference on the correctness of answers?

Read this, kiddo: http://www.pibburns.com/augustin.htm

<QUOTE>how the big bang theory works</QUOTE>

It describes how a hot, rapidly expanding Universe can, using the laws of Physics known today, describe what you see in the Universe today.

<QUOTE>how it is at all possible to be true.</QUOTE>

Science doesn't tell you what's true, it tell you what's false. So while you can think of many other cosmogonies, at some point they've failed to explain adequately the WHOLE set of observations (just explaining one thing doesn't cut it).

I am from a hindu family of india but don't believe in god.

The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early

development of the Universe.According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in its present

continuously expanding state. According to the most recent measurements and observations,this original state existed approximately 13.7 billion years ago,which is considered the age of the Universe and the time the Big Bang occurred.

science and religion aren't mutually exclusive. the big bang couldn't just of happened out of nothing, i believe the big bang was a result of a series of events, and as there was nothing in our universe prior to the big bang, the event must of happened elsewhere, maybe in an alternate Universe. I like the idea that there is multiple universes each separated by a membranes (m-theory), and overtime gravity pulls these membranes together, and when two objects collide energy is released, and that energy is what we know as the big bang. Out of carnage comes creation.

The big bang theory is a scientific model that provides an explanation for the creation of the universe. Basically, it says that the universe initially formed about 13.7 billion years ago, and has been expanding and cooling ever since.

We aren't fully sure what caused it, although some scientific models to propose explanations. However, the evidence of the big bang model is very strong:

* Redshift of distant galaxies implies expanding space-time.

* The Cosmic Microwave Background fits perfectly with theoretical predictions from the big bang.

* The big bang theory predicts the ratio of hydrogen to helium in the universe (about 3:1), which is consistent with observations.

So in short, the evidence is there, and it fits with the theory, so it seems to be right. Not all the physical theory is in place yet, and there is still much to be done, but the evidence is extremely strong.

Incidentally, I'm agnostic.

For thousands of years, people have said that their god was behind what they didn't understand -- life, lightning, stars, earthquakes, the origin of life, the world or the universe, etc. Positing a god to supposedly answer a question solves nothing. It just adds an unwarranted level of complexity and stops you from asking more questions.

It used to be that science couldn't answer the question about the origin of the universe or of the Big Bang, but that didn't mean we should make up an answer (such as a god) and say that it was the cause. Within the last few decades science has discovered some good answers.

Quantum mechanics shows that "nothing," as a philosophical concept, does not exist. There is always a quantum field with random fluctuations.

There are many well-respected physicists, such as Stephen Hawking, Lawrence Krauss, Sean M. Carroll, Victor Stenger, Michio Kaku, Alan Guth, Alex Vilenkin, Robert A.J. Matthews, and Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, who have created scientific models where the Big Bang and thus the entire universe could arise from nothing but a quantum vacuum fluctuation in the quantum field -- via natural processes.

In relativity, gravity is negative energy, and matter and photons are positive energy. Because negative and positive energy seem to be equal in absolute total value, our observable universe appears balanced to the sum of zero. Our universe could thus have come into existence without violating conservation of mass and energy — with the matter of the universe condensing out of the positive energy as the universe cooled, and gravity created from the negative energy. When energy condenses into matter, equal parts of matter and antimatter are created — which annihilate each other to form energy. However there is a slight imbalance to the process, which results in matter dominating over antimatter.

I know that this doesn't make sense in our Newtonian experience, but it does in the realm of quantum mechanics and relativity. As Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman wrote, "The theory of quantum electrodynamics describes nature as absurd from the point of view of common sense. And it agrees fully with experiment. So I hope you can accept nature as she is — absurd."

"To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today."

— Isaac Asimov

"As far as I can see, such a theory [of the primeval atom] remains entirely outside any metaphysical or religious question. It leaves the materialist free to deny any transcendental Being… For the believer, it removes any attempt at familiarity with God."

— Georges Lemaître, Catholic priest who first proposed what became the Big Bang Theory

For more, watch the video at the 1st link - "A Universe From Nothing" by theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, read an interview with him (at the 2nd link), get his new book (at the 3rd link), or read an excerpt from his book (at the 4th link).

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The Big Bang theory (BB) is the concept and math that goes with the idea that the universe is expanding, and has been expanding ever since the beginning. It is NOT a theory of the beginning itself. It does NOT explain, or try to explain, how the universe was created. The BB covers only the time AFTER the creation, from after the first few instants of time. It is a scientific explanation of how energy turns into matter, what types of matter are created, and how the energy and matter spreads out in space and time. The BB is based on factually observations, not on faith or wishes.

It is the same theory for Buddhists, Muslims, Baha'i, Confucians, Hindus, Jews, Druids, Christians, and Wiccans. What religion I am has nothing to do with the BB. What I had for breakfast has nothing to do with the BB. What type of house I live in, what books I read, ... all of that personal stuff has nothing to do with the BB.

Its not, lets go back to what made the atom well most people ask, what made god, most people say well just because we cant comprehend it does not mean you cant believe it well they say, well same thing with the atom you answerer god is not a flesh nor dust or sinful he is a spirit it makes no sense to think a "atom" made "USE!!!" just think about it no "atom" will make a a structure so unthinkable that you cant sit there with the answare why are we here right now are we just a exparement or an axedent just put thought into it and you will come up with the right answare.

"How could the big bang theory be possible - I don't mean the show..?"

Because it accounts for, and is consistent with, the available evidence.

"I believe in God"

How splendid for you, and how irrelevant. The original author of what's now called big bang theory happened to be a Belgian priest and, remarkably or otherwise, happened to believe in a God.

"But apparently they believe in "The Big Bang Theory""

It's an evidence-based, tested theory, not a belief, and it says nothing at all about the existence or non-existence of any deities.

"what is the big bang theory anyway?"

The available evidence indicates this universe started out as an infinitely dense and tiny dot. About 13 to 14 billion years ago, for some reason or other or for no particular reason, that infinitely dense singularity began to expand, and the expansion is still continuing. The beginning of the expansion is jokily referred to as the big bang, although there was noting big about it at the time, and nor did anything go bang.

"And how can it possibly make Sense?"

Because it's consistent with and accounts for the available evidence.

In addition, reality doesn't need to make sense. If, for example, you peer into the weird realms of this universe at the quantum level, lots and lots of things are seen to be going on that, in human terms of sense, are ridiculous. Particles pop into and out of visible existence and behave in all sorts of ways that make no sort of human-based sense. Nevertheless, they behave as they behave regardless of human-based sense.

"and tell me what religion you are?"

My beliefs or non-belief is of no relevance to big bang theory. If I were a devout follower of the great sacred She-Goat, Nannydromeus, or a mendicant pantheistic pickpocket, or a druid serving in a missionary position for the Celtic pantheon... None of that would change the evidence.