Cosmic questions

Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-319) and index.

Cosmic questions : an introduction / by Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams -- Part I.: Did the universe have a beginning? -- The cultural, historical, and scientific background -- Athens and/or Jerusalem : cosmology and/or creation / by Jaroslav Pelikan -- Scientific cosmology meets Western theology : a historical perspective / by Owen Gingerich -- The Big Bang as scientific fact / by S.M. Faber-- A recipe for primordial soup / by Edward (Rocky) Kolb -- Before the beginning : a debate -- Eternal inflation / by Alan H. Guth -- Inflation and the beginning of the universe / by Neil Turok -- Does it matter religiously? -- The idea of a "beginningless" world-process : perspectives from the Hindu tradition / by Anindita N. Balslev -- Did God create our universe? : theological reflections on the Big Bang, inflation, and quantum cosmologies / by Robert John Russell -- Cosmic evolution and design -- The meaning of "design" / by John Leslie -- Cosmology, life, and the anthropic principle / by John D. Barrow -- The argument from design : what is at stake theologically? / by Anna Case -- Is the universe designed? -- A universe with no designer / by Steven Weinberg -- Understanding the universe / by John Polkinghorne -- An exchange between Steven Weinberg and John Polkinghorne -- Religious reflections on design -- Is the universe designed? : yes and no / by David Ray Griffin -- Cosmic design from a Buddhist perspective / by Trinh Xuan Thuan -- What did the mystic say to the hot dog ve.