[kosta50]

It was the most theological statement ever made by modern science

But it wasn't the only possible statement.

Only God can create space/time ex nihilo

Well, with God anything is possible, including that the universe was created as is. God doesn't need space/time to create. Besides, a periodic (oscilating) universe would keep re-creacting itself in a perpetuum mobile fashion without any need of God. Each repetition would be the 'beginning.'

[Alamo-Girl]

Well, with God anything is possible, including that the universe was created as is. God doesn't need space/time to create. Besides, a periodic (oscilating) universe would keep re-creacting itself in a perpetuum mobile fashion without any need of God. Each repetition would be the 'beginning.'

Again, I must strongly disagree. The cyclic models, hesitating, ekpyrotic, brane collision, multi-verse, multi-world, imaginary time --- all of them --- require space/time for physical causation because in the absence of time, events cannot occur and in the absence of space, things cannot exist.

Truly the scientists burn the midnight oil looking for any way they can to obviate God.

The only cosmology which could say God was unnecessary was the "steady state" model which so many clung to with all their might until those pesky CMB measurements in the 60's blew it right out of the water.