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InstructionOk274 t1_j79msms wrote

FYI the Big Bang theory first appeared in a paper by Georges LeMaitre. A catholic priest AND theoretical physicist.

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MsGorteck t1_j79rdb0 wrote

Interesting. When did he put forth this theory and what was the Pope's reaction?

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InstructionOk274 t1_j79ucj7 wrote

Sometime in the late 1920’s, and I’m not sure if the pope at that time even knew about the theory. Frontier science by necessity moves slowly, most of the time.

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Butsu t1_j79vkbw wrote

It was, in fact, hugely popular with catholics when it came to public light. The popular theory before expansion was steady state, which posited an eternal essentially unchanging universe. Many religious institutions were early advocates for the big bang because it looks much more like an act of creation than any theory that came before.

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Waksss t1_j79y7h8 wrote

Pius XII who was pope from 1939-58 was pretty positive about it.

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