The Four Big Bangs

As I said in my last Blog, I live outside of LA. I drive those LA freeways for a couple of hours each day, getting to and from my day job. On my way home I listen to my favorite radio, 99.5 KKLA. If you live in Southern California and you listen to Christian Radio you have most likely heard Frank Pastore, the host of the afternoon drive home show on KKLA. Frank is recognized as one of the leading Christian Radio Talk Show Hosts in the US.

Anyway, on my drive home last Tuesday Frank was talking about a new video he recently made with Prager University. It was called "The Four Big Bangs". In one of my first blogs, Universal Options Part 2, I talked about the Big Bang. This was the Creation of the Physical Universe. Frank expands on this and says there are really four "Big Bangs" you will need to understand and believe, either from a secular view or from a Christian view, in order to comprehend the world around you. I think he is right on in his analysis.

Frank outlines these four bangs: Cosmological, Biological, Anthropological and Psychological. I will present here my understanding of what he said with a few my own thoughts added in. You need to go to "The Four Big Bangs" to hear it straight from Frank.

Cosmological Big Bang: This is the "Something from Nothing", the Big Bang as we know it from Science. It exploded about 16 billion years ago but only yielded matter and energy, only created a handful of the elements we know today. It takes billions of years of burning in the nuclear furnaces of billions of suns to produce the elements we now know. This first Big Bang does not address the origin of life.

Biological Big Bang: This is the conversion of inorganic compounds to organic lifeforms. It adds simple biology, chemistry and physics to the mix. We still have just simple life forms at this point. We can not identify the huge differences between bacteria, plants and animals, nor between man and animal. Complex life forms do not exist yet. As Frank says, Man has progressed a long way into understanding things like DNA and the human genome but we have no clue how to make life from "dead stuff".


Anthropological Big Bang: This is the Darwinian question, how do we get from lower life to human life? Where is the missing link? We have much questionable evidence but still no concrete scientific proof of this theory in spite of almost two hundred years of study since Darwin proposed it. Evolution is accepted as fact by many scientists but with an ever increasing bank of knowledge and discovery bringing it to question, a growing number of scientists are turning to other theories including that of Intelligent Design.

Psychological Big Bang (self-awareness): This is the transition from the mechanical brain of simple life to the complexities of man's self-reflective mind. It is the question of morality and meaning, man's search for significance and purpose. Other animals have no appreciation for what is true, good and beautiful. How do you get to the mind of a human from that of any lower life form? Even the lowest life forms have central nervous systems but none besides the human mind can contemplate or create. How do you account for free will and introspection, humankind's existential drive to ask why? This is not even considered in evolutionary theory.

No evidence of any gradual growth or development of any of these exists. You need a big bang for each one. You need faith in four "somethings from nothings" or faith in a creator God who is behind it all.

As Frank closes his video he asks "When someone asks if you believe in the Big Bang, ask them which one?"

The Wizard of Ozone

I live on the Eastern rim of the LA basin. For my long distance readers, that's Los Angeles, the City of Angels, in California on the West Coast of the US. 34^o N, 118^o W. LA has a lot to offer, both good and bad. There are the mountains, the beaches, Disneyland and Hollywood. There are also a lot of freeways and way too many cars. One of the bad things in LA is the smog. Smog is formed from the emissions of cars and trucks, and by the reaction of light with some of the by-products of hydrocarbon combustion from internal combustion engines.

Now in LA, in California, we like to think of ourselves as "Green". We have electric cars, I owned one myself, and hybrids. We have bike paths and bagel shops. We have buses and light rail and solar panels. "Eco", for ecological, is found in many a business or product name. But we also have some of the worst smog in California if not the Nation.

LA Smog - Ben Amstutz

The name smog comes from "smoky fog", coined back in the early 1900's to describe the haze that was found then, and still is, in many large industrialized cities. Photochemical smog is created when the emissions from vehicles and industrial plants, the Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and the volatile organic compounds (VOC), are exposed to light and Oxygen, producing particulate matter and ground level Ozone. These components of smog can inflame breathing passages, cause shortness of breath, pain when inhaling deeply, wheezing, and cough. They also can cause eye and nose irritation and dry out the protective membranes of the nose and throat. Hospital admissions and respiratory deaths often increase during periods when smog levels are high.

Ozone, O₃, is a major component of smog. It is highly irritating and unstable, producing tissue damage in the lungs and respiratory track. It plays a significant role in the damaging effects of smog to those living in areas with high smog levels. It contributes to increased asthma, emphysema and other lung diseases. This is Ozone near the Earth's surface or "Tropospheric Ozone".

Ozone is not all bad, however. Stratospheric Ozone, better known as the Ozone Layer, which is found near the top of the atmosphere, protects the earth from 97% plus of the UV radiation coming from the Sun.
Ozone Cycle

In the Stratosphere, Ozone is important for protecting life. It is being diminished by chlorofluorocarbons and other chemicals that are used on Earth but when they are released into the atmosphere, they migrate to the Stratosphere and break down the Ozone Layer. Ozone has been measured to be decreasing by about 4% per decade. This results in increased UV exposure, sunburns and skin cancers among other hazardous effects. Holes in the Ozone Layer have appeared over the poles and cause considerable concern for environmentalists. Many of the "green" changes being promoted today in manufacturing are to help eliminate Ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere. All of this is not a done deal, however, as many groups dispute the findings and the consequences as part of the natural process of variation that happens in nature. Much like "Global Warming", Ozone depletion is being debated as to its cause and effects.

Getting back to ground level Ozone, there is much less debate about is effects. Besides its health consequences, there is evidence that Ozone can cause a significant reduction in agricultural yields because it interferes with photosynthesis and stunts overall growth of some plant species. It also damages rubber polymers, such as tires, resulting in cracks that weaken the integrity of the product, potentially leading to failure.

Ozone can be used as a disinfectant and purifier for water and has been used to reduce the chlorine demand in pools and municipal water systems. It also is used in Industry for its ability to oxidize and to break Carbon-Carbon bonds in hydrocarbons. Many hospitals use large ozone generators to decontaminate operating rooms between surgeries. The rooms are cleaned and then sealed airtight before being filled with Ozone, which effectively kills or neutralizes all remaining bacteria. It even is being studied for possible medical use in a number of illnesses, but with limited benefit so far.

For all of its negative press, Ozone has many beneficial uses and ultimately decomposes back into pure Oxygen, O₂, when its job is done. Much like the real Wizard of OZ, it's true identity is only seen when you look behind the curtain (of smog)!

The Ties That Bind - Chemical Bonds

Do you remember Tinkertoys? They were made out of wood and had a spool with holes into which you could insert sticks to make almost anything. In fact, the set was designed and patented to enable the construction of 45-45-90 degree right triangles based on the Pythagorean theorem (The sum of the squares of the sides of a triangle equals the square of the hypotenuse: a² + b² = c²). This design allowed for the construction of some very complex machines, including a tic-tac-toe playing computer and a robot. Elements can be combined together much like Tinkertoys, based on how full their outer electron shells are, their polarity and ionic states, and Hydrogen's affinity for them. They can create one to many bonds, with each other or with other elements, following specific rules. Just as in the case with Tinkertoys where you had to use specific colored sticks to build a certain shape, with the formation of compounds or molecules from several atoms, you have to use elements that fit the rules to connect to one another. Each element will only bond with certain other elements and only under certain conditions. Even with the rules for combining elements together, the possibilities are endless. As we mentioned last time, just considering biological compounds, over ten million different molecules have already been classified.

Elements form bonds with other elements at the atomic level. These bonds exist in three main types - ionic, covalent and hydrogen. Other types of bonds do occur but these three will be our focus.

Hydrogen bonds are not really chemical bonds but more of a weak attraction between hydrogen and another element in a compound that helps to link molecules together loosely or in the case of large molecules like proteins, helps to define their structure. Typically, in living systems, such bonds form between Hydrogen and Oxygen or Nitrogen. Each of the elements in the bond must also be covalently bonded to another atom. Water forms Hydrogen bonds extensively between the Hydrogen of one molecule and the Oxygen of another. Due to the nature of these bonds Water (H₂O) is a liquid at room temperature and has a much higher boiling point than that of the other Group 16 Hydride, Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S), that does not form Hydrogen bonds and is a gas at room temperature.

Ionic bonds are generally between two atoms of opposite polarity, like Na⁺ and Cl^-. Ionic bonds are not a bond between two specific atoms of opposite charge but are a bond between a positively charged atom or ion with a group of negatively charged ions surrounding it. Thus, in the case of NaCl or Salt, the molecule will form a lattice of positively charged Na⁺ ions (gray) surrounded by negatively charged Cl^- ions (green) that are themselves surrounded by positively charged NA⁺ ions. A cubic structure will be the result. Typically the ionic bond is broken when the molecule is dissolved in water or other polar solvent and the molecules of the solvent surround the electrically charged atoms.

Covalent bonds are true bonds where the unpaired electrons are fully shared between the two atoms. These bonds are between two specific atoms of the bonding elements. These are generally the strongest type of bonds. An example would be the double bonds between Carbon and each atom of Oxygen in Carbon Dioxide or CO₂ (O=C=O).

A molecule can have either Ionic bonds as in Salt (NaCl) or covalent bonds as in Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) or both as in Sodium Cyanide (NaCN) where the Na⁺ is bonded to the CN^- with an ionic bond and the Carbon is bonded to the Nitrogen with three covalent bonds. Only molecules with covalent bonds and containing Hydrogen can be Hydrogen bond donors. Hydrogen bond acceptors also have covalent bonds but do not have to contain Hydrogen.

Using these three types of bonds, God has created a vast array of biological molecules from just a handful of elements. The DNA molecule contains just Carbon, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Phosphorus and yet it contains all of the information necessary to produce life as we know it. Could this (DNA) have happened randomly? With its intricate design and elegant function, I think not.

God's Favorite Elements

If God has any favorite elements, they must be Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen. These four elements make up the majority of all Biological compounds. Without them, life on this planet as we know it could not exist. Due to the bonding possibilities between and among these elements, literally millions of organic compounds are possible.

Carbon is the backbone of all organic compounds. It forms the main structure of the molecule with Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen and occasionally other elements replacing Carbon or bonding to it at key points in the molecular structure. A carbon skeleton is the basis of all amino acids and nucleotides, the building blocks of proteins and of DNA/RNA respectively. The "R" in the image here represents a different side chain specific to each amino acid. There are 22 "standard" amino acids used in human proteins, of which eight are "essential" and can not be synthesized in the body so must be taken in as a food.

Carbon forms strong bonds with itself so it can form long chain compounds. Carbon forms more compounds than any other element, with almost ten million organic compounds described to date, plus an almost unlimited number of compounds that are theoretically possible.

Carbon also has some unique properties at the elemental level. It is the fourth most abundant element in the Universe, and is comparatively unreactive under normal conditions. It forms a number of allotropes most notably diamond, one of the hardest substances known and highly abrasive, and graphite, one of the softest substances and a very good lubricant. It can also form nanotubes, an area of intense research currently with significant possibilities in many areas. Carbon typically forms four bonds, filling up its 2p orbital.

Hydrogen is the filler of the open bonds with Carbon, any bond not linked to Oxygen, Nitrogen or other element in the compound will generally be linked to a Hydrogen atom. Thus a molecule made up of a Carbon chain with only Hydrogen atoms for any open bonds is called a Hydrocarbon. Examples of these would be many oils and fats as well as the main components of gasoline and natural gas. Gasoline is a mixture of mostly long chain Hydrocarbons. The Octane rating of a gasoline is partially based on the amount of Octane (a long chain Hydrocarbon containing eight Carbon atoms) found in the gasoline. Hydrogen also forms relatively weak bonds with other atoms in other molecules or even within the same molecule, helping to give specific shapes to long chain molecules like proteins.

Oxygen generally forms the acidic group in the organic compound. It typically is part of an -OH or -COOH group that can release a Hydrogen ion (H⁺). As a C=O group (double bond) found in the amino acid, it can also function as one side of the weak Hydrogen bonds, bonding with a Hydrogen in another molecule or another part of the molecular chain.

Nitrogen makes up the amino group of the amino acid (-NH₂) that is a weak base (as in Ammonia NH₃). This gives the Amino Acids both basic and acidic properties that allow for the many possible bonds and reactions seen in different proteins.

Besides being the chief components of organic compounds, these four elements are found all around us as inorganic compounds. Examples of some simple molecules in everyday life that contain these elements are: Nitrogen as N₂, Oxygen as O₂, Carbon Dioxide - CO₂, Water - H₂O, Methane - CH₄ (natural gas) and Ammonia - NH₃.

"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done. Gen 1:31-2:3 (NIV)".

The Biblical Metals

"This is the requirement of the law that the LORD gave Moses: Gold, Silver, Bronze (Copper and Tin), Iron, Tin, Lead and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. Numbers 31:21-23 (NIV)”. These are the metals of the Bible. They were used, among other things, to build and decorate the Temple.

Gold and Silver were for ornaments and signified riches and treasure, Gold being the more valuable metal. They were also used to create sacred vessels, to cover and decorate the Ark of the Covenant and to cast idols.

Bronze, an alloy of Copper and Tin, was also used ornamentally but, because of its greater strength, was used where Gold or Silver could not, such as in weapons and the structural bases of the Tabernacle. It was also used in larger pieces, such as the altar and the bronze basin for washing.


Copper, Silver and Gold are in Group 11 of the periodic table, and they have one 4s electron on top of a filled 3d electron shell. This single electron contributes to the high ductility, electrical conductivity and color of these elements. Gold is one of the least reactive metals and is extremely corrosion resistant. It also is the most malleable of all metals and can be made into a sheet thin enough to see through, being used on the sun visors of astronaut space suits. The names of these three metals are used to describe a color matching their appearance.

Iron was used when strength was needed. “Strong as Iron -- for Iron breaks and smashes everything... Daniel 2:40b (NIV)”. It is also very abundant on Earth and is used extensively today in the making of steel.

Lead, a very soft metal, was generally found in the dross, or impurities, floating on the top of melted Silver. "Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. Ezekiel 22:18 (NIV)” It could also be used as a tablet for writing. It is used as a shield from X-Rays and causes Lead poisoning as it is a neurotoxin.

God used the metals Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron throughout the Bible to show strength, power and glory. He also used Gold and Silver to show purity and how He will refine us through the trials of our lives, much like the Refiner’s fire, to bring us closer to Him. “This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like Silver and test them like Gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, The LORD is our God.’ Zechariah 13:9 (NIV)”.