Did the Big Bang really happen?

The debate took place on 26 September 2007 in Akademia Hall, Sofia.
The members of the panel were: Prof. Jim Al-Khalili (University of Surrey, UK), Prof. Leander Litov - Dept. of Nuclear Physics, Faculty of > Physics, Sofia University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valeri Golev - Chair of Astronomy, Faculty of Physics, Sofia University, Prof. Dsc. Angel Stefanov - Head of Philosophy of Science, Institute of Phylosophical Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
The debate was moderated by Boyko Vassilev (journalist, BNT)

Most scientists think that our universe was created fourteen billion years ago that marked the birth of space and time themselves. But are alternative views both from science and religion? And even if the Big Bang was real, what caused it? What was there before it? The following issues that the topic raises in science and in social life were discussed with Bulgarian and British scientists:

• What is the scientific evidence for the Big Bang? [there are three separate pieces of evidence: 1) the expansion of the Universe today means it must have been smaller in the past so if we ‘run the film backwards’ we arrive ultimately at a point in time 13.7 billion years ago when the whole Universe was just a point 2) the cosmic background radiation is the temperature of deep space. This is the ‘echo’ of the Big Bang. What is measured by astronomers fits exactly what the Big Bang theory predicted. 3) the abundances of the elements: the Big Bang theory predicts that our universe should be made up of about ¾ hydrogen and a ¼ helium, with just a little bit of all the other elements. This is exactly what we find.
• What caused the Big Bang in the first place? Was there a before?
• What are the current different theories about the origin of our universe (eg. String theory, brane theory, the multiverse)?
• How can scientists be so sure that what they measure is correct? After all, the Big Bang happened so long ago so how do we know that what we see today gives us a good picture?
• Where did the Big Bang happen? What was it like? How big is the whole universe and are there other universes?
• How do the different world religions deal with the idea of a Big Bang? Does it fit with religious teaching?
• How does science work to explain some of these ideas that many might think are beyond our rational enquiring minds?
• Does the Big Bang theory have any connection with ideas about creationism? Is there any conflict between the scientific view that our universe just happened and the religious belief in a divine creator who was ‘behind it all’?