‘Big Bang Theory’ and the Myth of the Modern Atheist| National Catholic Register

COMMENTARY: The character of Sheldon Cooper presents disbelief in God as the inevitable product of intelligence and scientific progress, but history — and even modern science itself — tell a very different story.

Fictional characters from popular culture come in all shapes and sizes, and carry messages that are both good and bad. Popular Hollywood television shows have introduced a number of well-known personalities, with one such example being Dr. Sheldon Cooper from the long-running comedy series The Big Bang Theory and its spin-off series Young Sheldon.

Although Sheldon’s character may (or may not) be entertaining, the message that he repeatedly conveys is that belief in God is an old-fashioned idea, implying that “truth” is revealed through knowledge gained through scientific discovery.

But knowledge and wisdom are two very different concepts, and the idea of making a free-will determination to reject God is not by any means a modern idea — regardless of how you might choose to define the term “modern.” A quick review of world history will clarify that disbelief in God has little to do with human beings evolving, increasing their knowledge (scientific or otherwise), or in Sheldon’s case, being inherently brilliant.

The Illusion of a Modern Thinker

The character of Dr. Sheldon Cooper is a theoretical physicist and an outspoken practicing atheist who sees faith in God as illogical. He is portrayed by the show and its writers as a modern thinker who, despite his being raised by a religious family in a conservative community, has come to disbelieve in the existence of God as a result of his quest for scientific knowledge.

Sheldon’s character is described as having been raised in a devout Baptist family in East Texas. As a child prodigy, he turns to atheism as a result of information he has gained through his scientific studies, including a PhD earned from a prestigious university (which he obtained at an impressively young age). One of the statements he is known to repeat is that he only believes in what can be “proven through science.” Consequently, he views religious beliefs (particularly belief in God) as intellectually inferior, and in some cases “stupid.”

Because Sheldon does not believe in God, he considers the concept of creationism to be a “fairy tale.” But throughout the series, Sheldon fails to provide any scientific proof of the non-existence of God that would serve to support his position. Instead, he rejects God outright for not providing mankind with mathematical proof of his existence.

Despite his gained knowledge and his high level of intelligence, the implication that Sheldon is in any way, shape or form a “modern thinker” is a mere illusion.

Rejection of God Is Not a Modern Idea

Sheldon repeatedly implies that people who attend church, read the Bible, and believe in God are backwards and old-fashioned. But his rejection of God is not a “new” or “modern” thought. In fact, the type of thinking displayed by Sheldon’s “enlightened” character can be found to exist at many times and in many places throughout world history. Examples include:

• The French Revolution (1789-1799)
• In 1848, with the publication of Karl Marx’s and Friedrich Engels’ Communist Manifesto
• The anti-clerical government of Mexico in the 1920s
• The anti-clerical European governments of Portugal (1910-1926) and Spain (1931-1936)

But the idea of human beings rejecting God is even older, and in fact, is as old as the Bible. Examples of people rejecting God are documented as far back as the Book of Genesis, including the time just before the Great Flood, and in early times after the Flood in the cities of Sodom and Nineveh.

Therefore, it should be easy to appreciate that rejection of God is not at all a modern concept. Moreover, it is not just an “old” concept, but an ancient one.

Science Points to God

The writers in naming the show after the theory of the “Big Bang” were most likely simply intending to reference a well-known modern concept of scientific thought that can be used to explain the universe. However, they may not have given much thought to the implications of this particular idea.

The theory of the Big Bang, positing that the universe has an absolute beginning, was devised in 1927 by a mathematical physicist, Father Georges Lemaître, who was also a Belgian Catholic priest. Prior to its introduction, many prominent thinkers (including Albert Einstein) believed that the universe had existed forever and did not have an absolute beginning. In a profound way, the theory of the “Big Bang” fundamentally changed the thinking of the scientific community regarding the origin of the universe, at the same time bringing it more in line with the teachings of the Church.

Many years before this discovery, science had revealed to mankind that the earth revolves around the sun as a correction to earlier thought. The discovery was published in 1543 by Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer and a devout Catholic (which he remained throughout his entire life). This important scientific discovery taught man a profound and godly lesson that he is not the center of the universe, but rather merely part of it.

Unbeknownst to Sheldon, mankind’s history reveals that scientific progress is actually a movement toward Catholic truth, and not away from it.

Knowledge versus Wisdom

The scientific knowledge gained by Sheldon’s character over time leads him to believe that he has all of the answers and is superior to his peers. But despite his inherent curiosity in all matters, Sheldon never claims to have engaged in any serious search for God, nor does he engage in any effort to gain wisdom from reading the Bible. In fact, at some point he merely chooses to assume that God does not exist based on the fact that the Almighty has not provided him (or the world) with scientific proof of his existence. What Sheldon’s character ultimately demonstrates is that attending church services with your parents as a child and half-listening or seeking ways to critique the homilies does not constitute a serious search for knowledge or wisdom.

If, in addition to his quest for scientific knowledge, Sheldon’s character were to have made a genuine effort to gain knowledge of the Bible and obtain true wisdom — “a spiritual gift which enables one to know the existence, purpose and plan of God” — he would have realized and been aware that his disbelief in God has nothing to do with the evolution of human thought or with scientific discovery — and everything to do with arrogance and pride.

True Wisdom

Sheldon’s character is presented as a modern, progressive thinker and a genius, who has applied complex scientific ideas to reach a conclusion that there is no God.

But wisdom is more than just knowledge — scientific, Biblical, or otherwise — and the rejection of God is not a modern idea as history repeatedly demonstrates. The purpose of seeking wisdom is to obtain “understanding” (Proverbs 4:7), with the first stage of attempting to gain it being a belief in the existence of God (Proverbs 9:10). Seeking only to obtain knowledge — as opposed to wisdom — will not bring one closer to God, and can be dangerous as it leads to the deadly sin of pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). However, if we are ultimately able to obtain true wisdom, it will serve to please our soul (Proverbs 2:6-11).

Over the course of human history, progress in the area of scientific study is consistent with the Church and the existence of God. Thus, our goal should be a search for both knowledge and wisdom.

As Sheldon’s character demonstrates, seeking only knowledge can lead to a rejection of God, while seeking both knowledge and wisdom can bring us closer to him.