  The model of the Big Bang is an integral part of the national curriculum for
England. Previous work (e.g. Baxter 1989) has shown that pupils often come into
education with many and varied prior misconceptions emanating from both
internal and external sources. Whilst virtually all of these misconceptions can
be remedied, there will remain (by its very nature) the obstacle of ex-nihilo,
as characterised by the question `how do you get something from nothing?' There
are two origins of this obstacle: conceptual (i.e. knowledge-based) and
cultural (e.g. deeply held religious viewpoints). The article shows how the
citizenship section of the national curriculum, coming `online' in England from
September 2002, presents a new opportunity for exploiting these.
