Divine Principle's View on the Origin and Formation of the Universe

On Tuesday, October 21, 2014 Pope Francis announced that he is open to the idea of Evolution and Big Bang Theory, God did not wave a 'magic wand'. To read the article please click here.

It took centuries for Catholicism to consider that science played an important role during the process of creating the universe by God.

Here's what the Divine Principle says, and excerpts from the UNIFICATIONISTS: WHAT THEY THINK: A Glimpse at the Core Teachings of the Unification Church:

The Divine Principle reconciles this contradiction between religion and science by explaining that the seven days of creation in the Bible are symbolic. The days mentioned in Genesis 1 are not twenty-four-hour periods. Where can we find a supporting verse from the Bible? It is in 2 Peter 3:8: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Then, what does it mean when the Bible says that the earth was created in seven days? Those days represent the creation’s periods of time, which lasted thousands of years.

The Divine Principle says:

The process of creation recorded in the Bible bears some resemblance to the theory of the origin and formation of the universe as described by modern science. According to modern science, the universe began as expanding plasma. Out of the chaos and void of space, the heavenly bodies formed and gave light. As the molten earth cooled, volcanic eruptions filled the sky with a firmament of water. The land rose and the water fell as rain, creating the continents and oceans. Next, the lower plants and animals came into being. Then came fish, birds, mammals, and finally humankind, in that order. The age of the earth is calculated to be several billion years. Considering that the account of the creation of the universe recorded in the Bible thousands of years ago nearly coincides with the findings of modern scientific research, we are reassured that this biblical record must be a revelation from God.

The universe did not suddenly spring forth complete, without regard to the flow of time. In fact, its origin and development took an enormous length of time. Therefore, the biblical period of six days for the completion of the universe is not to be reckoned by the number of literal sunrises and sunsets. It symbolizes six ordered periods in the creation process. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, 40)

The Divine Principle explains that those six days of creation are not literal twenty-four-hour days. They consisted of thousands or even millions of years. In one of Reverend Moon’s speeches, he said that even for creating a single tiny flower, God invested His whole heart and time into it. Then, how much more did God invest His time and heart in creating the universe including humankind? We imagine it would be more than that. He did not create the universe by snapping his fingers or in the blink of His eyes. The entire creation itself has extreme value because God puts His whole heart and energy into creating. Every creature in the universe is very precious to God.