Why I Believe
This Amateur Astronomer's Perspective
The study of Astronomy stirs the soul and helps us understand the truth - that the universe was created by God, and that He is still creating it today.
Foundations
The science documented within these images, and within the technological capability that delivers this presentation, is 'true'; in that it (Science) is tangible and easily recognizable. That is, we can experience its presence, immediately and personally, by detection through our senses and our ability to reason. Faith, on the other hand, is not as tangible, and requires effort beyond our senses to personally experience its presence.
The two 'Truths' of Science and Faith - one being a matter of human intellect, the other a matter of the human heart - are both self-evident; and, they are also completely compatible. Together, they confirm the reality, authority and wonder of God. They also fully answer the question, "Where did all this come from?" ...along with the inevitable follow-up, "Where did I come from?"
Represented thru the public commentary of the late Carl Sagan, and reinforced by his present-day contemporary Neil deGrasse Tyson, Scientists have hypothesized for years that the very atoms contained in our own bodies were created by the atomic process of fusion occurring deep inside the central cores of stars. But while that is an awesome and wonderful theory and revelation, it still does not wholly explain the true essence of who we are... Living spirits; self-aware; and created by Yaweh (YAH - wey) our Living God.
Almost 500 years ago, a Polish renaissance polymath named Nicolaus Copernicus, a devout leader in the Roman Catholic Church, used mathematics to propose that the universe does not revolve around the Earth. In so doing, he significantly changed the scientific approach of modern Astronomy. Similarly, Sir Isaac Newton used mathematics to describe gravity, a physical law that perfectly models the ongoing interaction of the universe. …hence, modern Physics was born. More recently, Nikola Tesla used mathematics to demonstrate an early 20th century understanding of electricity that was so deep, we are still trying to reconstruct his ideas to more fully understand them nearly 120 years later. Obviously, there are many, MANY other people of Science who have made significant contributions to our modern understanding of the universe. ...and that understanding is certainly tangible, real, and 'true'.
The True Nature of Each
Yes, Science and Faith differ in many ways; but, there is one that is very significant...
Built into the very nature of Science is the presumption that 'Truth' can and will be changed, modified or completely abandoned. Any 'Truth' of Science only stands so long as it survives scrutiny under the tenets of 'The Scientific Method'. Once a 'Truth' is determined to be false or incomplete, it is immediately discarded; 'thrown-out with the bath water' (so to speak); and replaced with a new 'Truth'. Many of us struggle today with the speed at which this process, driven by scientific doctrine, is occurring in our culture.
Standing in stark contrast, the precepts of Faith are steadfast, and unchanging. It is the nature of Faith to seek 'Truth' in the revelations God has made through the testimonials and eye-witness accounts of the Profits, and of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, and through the Holy Spirit who resides in the heart(s) of those who believe. Faith provides a strong, stable and unchanging foundation, apart from the culture, and providing firm footing during times of rapid change and uncertainty.
The Fight Between Science and Faith
Science, by its own definition, is solely focused on the study of cause and effect within nature as it exists around us. Science has never had, and so long as it continues to adhere so fervently to the Scientific Method, will never have anything to say about supernatural, spiritual matters. For this reason, Science is limited, because it is NOT designed to explore things beyond nature.
There are those who use the differences between Science and Faith to create an ideological narrative designed to separate intellect from emotion; driving a wedge between the two to favor one (Science) over the other (Faith). Their purpose is to create a culture of faithlessness. To ascribe to such a one-sided understanding is to create an unnatural state in the human spirit. ...a hole (if you will) in the human psyche where there is no joy, no hope, and no love. Given such a state of mind, there is no will to share wealth or knowledge in the interest of helping the common man. Only pervasive greed; ...to grab and horde all of nature that can be grabbed, ...before there is nothing left to grab any more.
Science has become such a pervasive and powerful influencer in our culture today, that it almost completely drowns-out the influence of Faith. To be perfectly honest, Faith lacks the 'tangible personal experience' that Science has. But with that said, Science also leaves a very large void in the human heart. It simply cannot explain things like companionship, the value of relationships among humans, the motivation to serve and care for others in brotherly love, or where our sense of moral right and wrong comes from. Faith continues to, and always will be relevant and meaningful.
Overcoming the Narrative
Appx 2300 years ago, Aristotle wrote his Law of Non-Contradiction; essentially stating that if two unrelated and separate truths exist, both applying to the same subject; they must both be equal, and true. This principle is foundational today in philosophy, mathematics, and even legal reasoning.
Just because we do not (yet) possess the capability to see and understand how Faith and Science can both be TRUE, does NOT mean either of them is not true. It only means we lack the understanding of how they can both be true. Our preconceived notion that only one is true, being the one we can tangibly sense or mathematically 'prove', is in itself false. ...Or said another way, just because we cannot detect a thing with our senses, or intellectually conclude it by scientific reasoning, does NOT mean it doesn't exist. Rather, it means we are limiting ourselves to 'understanding' only that which we can sense or reason.
Since Science excludes the supernatural, then to make statements like, “…faith is not based on facts, and is just a bunch of opinions" falls outside the purview of Science, and is an expression of opinion about Faith; not something derived from Science itself.
Similarly, Christians must confront the unpleasant possibility that their passion to suppress Science is based ultimately on a lack of faith. To quote John Paul II in his writing about evolution (...and referring to Aristotle's principle...), “Truth cannot contradict Truth.”; ..."If you believe in the Truth of God, you will not fear what Science discovers. ...nor will you mistake today’s Science as the last, final and only Truth."
Multiple Approaches to Knowledge; One God
So long as teachings are not amoral or counter to faith (e.g. - belief in astrology), Christians are called to engage in, and learn from all disciplines of human knowledge; including the social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and all their constituent studies. This approach toward learning affirms and moves us forward toward one (1) single, core and fundamental 'Truth' comprised of all schools of thought, and leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of who God is, how God brought everything into existence, and where God is leading us in our lives. As outlined by Professor of Science John Lennox of Oxford University (...an openly professing Christian), ..."one can easily reason that the disciplines of Science and the revelations of the Christian Faith both derive from the same God. ...He (God) is the Master Scientist."
Within the scale of time humans have inhabited the Earth, the hypotheses and discoveries of Aristotle, Copernicus, Newton and Tesla were made only a brief moment ago. Similarly, the entirety of human existence upon the Earth is only a few short moments in the timeline of the universe. As we contemplate the awesome enormity of the cosmological space-time continuum, and see the perfect organization of physical laws that govern its ongoing motion, we begin to get a glimpse of what God has been doing throughout the whole process. We are only just now beginning to understand how awesome God truly is. Through both Faith and Science, He is revealing Himself to us more and more each day.
God is Timeless
The span of a single human lifetime is but a very quick blink in God's timeline of the universe. Scripture is full of examples, factually documented through eye-witness accounts and historical records found outside the Scriptures, showing large spans of time between God's actions - often lasting for hundreds of years; and spanning dozens of generations. Simply put, God lives in a completely different dimension of space & time than we do. To us, He is truly timeless. We have absolutely no right to demand He reveal himself to us in a way that we can tangibly experience. ...because, 1) He has already done so a multiplicity of times through people He chose to represent Him (see the 'Nature of Faith' above); ...and because, 2) He has already demonstrated His plan to reveal Himself. As we move forward through time, He will do so according to His way, and in His time; not ours.
Today's culture is especially quick to speculate about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and to do so with no proof whatsoever. After all, it HAS TO exist, right? ...because 'probability' dictates it to be so. In the billions of galaxies that Science has proven to exist across the universe, each containing hundreds of trillions of stars, and likely with (as we are learning today) at least as many planets, ...all goes to support that probability, right? But 'probability' is a mathematical, 'intellectual' principle. As outlined above, it is only our finite, incomplete way of looking at God's creation. We have already been given direct proof that a timeless, living, supernatural being exists, who has already been in direct contact with us. These 'Truths' are hypocritically unbelievable to those who only 'believe' in probability. But for those of us who understand the larger perspective... we believe: God is perfectly True. ...and He knows and understands the very essence of who we are - our spiritual (and prideful) nature. He certainly has the power and ability to create other beings across the universe. If and when He is ready for us to meet them, He will provide us (or them) with the means to do so.
Our Relationship with Him
God has done a miraculous thing; one very amazing part of which is, He lovingly gave His creation to us to see, dream about and explore. ...and He did so with only one very simple stipulation; ...that we love Him and love each other with our whole heart, mind and spirit. Not only is His creation awesome, but the fact He gave us the "tools" with which to look up and see its beauty; ...to wonder, dream, question, analyze, envision, reach-out to explore, ...and yes, to understand; ...these capabilities are just as awesome. No other animal on Earth has been given these gifts. It's almost as if, ...He wants us to KNOW Him - not by using only our senses or intellect (...He transcends those anyway...) - but by using our hearts to comprehend and experience His true nature. When we read His Word, understand His love for us, fully encounter His creation, and recognize His awesomeness, we give ourselves an opportunity to know Him.
The choice is ours... We can follow the crowd and limit ourselves by putting our Science and our intellect (i.e. - our pride) ahead of Him. ...Or, we can choose to recognize the obvious - that He is here with us; and He loves us.
The Invitation
If you haven't already done so, find that dusty old Bible that you haven't cracked open in years, and read the Creation story in the book of Genesis ...Gen 1:1 thru 2:3. The written record of that story is believed to date back to appx 500 B.C. - a time when some of the earliest writings in all of human history were written. ...but even beyond that, it reveals an understanding of His creation passed-down through generations, and dating back to a time very, VERY long before that. As you read, think about the logical sequence of events presented there, how that sequence flows in congruence with our modern scientific understanding, and how the whole story can so easily be seen as describing the 'big bang'. It's truly amazing that people from that long ago developed (...or perhaps were they 'given'?) an understanding of Creation so advanced.
Then, at the very first nighttime opportunity you have, come outside with me and look up! The sheer wonderment and joy you will encounter there are meant for you and me.
- Jim Chase
Foundations
The science documented within these images, and within the technological capability that delivers this presentation, is 'true'; in that it (Science) is tangible and easily recognizable. That is, we can experience its presence, immediately and personally, by detection through our senses and our ability to reason. Faith, on the other hand, is not as tangible, and requires effort beyond our senses to personally experience its presence.
The two 'Truths' of Science and Faith - one being a matter of human intellect, the other a matter of the human heart - are both self-evident; and, they are also completely compatible. Together, they confirm the reality, authority and wonder of God. They also fully answer the question, "Where did all this come from?" ...along with the inevitable follow-up, "Where did I come from?"
Represented thru the public commentary of the late Carl Sagan, and reinforced by his present-day contemporary Neil deGrasse Tyson, Scientists have hypothesized for years that the very atoms contained in our own bodies were created by the atomic process of fusion occurring deep inside the central cores of stars. But while that is an awesome and wonderful theory and revelation, it still does not wholly explain the true essence of who we are... Living spirits; self-aware; and created by Yaweh (YAH - wey) our Living God.
Almost 500 years ago, a Polish renaissance polymath named Nicolaus Copernicus, a devout leader in the Roman Catholic Church, used mathematics to propose that the universe does not revolve around the Earth. In so doing, he significantly changed the scientific approach of modern Astronomy. Similarly, Sir Isaac Newton used mathematics to describe gravity, a physical law that perfectly models the ongoing interaction of the universe. …hence, modern Physics was born. More recently, Nikola Tesla used mathematics to demonstrate an early 20th century understanding of electricity that was so deep, we are still trying to reconstruct his ideas to more fully understand them nearly 120 years later. Obviously, there are many, MANY other people of Science who have made significant contributions to our modern understanding of the universe. ...and that understanding is certainly tangible, real, and 'true'.
The True Nature of Each
Yes, Science and Faith differ in many ways; but, there is one that is very significant...
Built into the very nature of Science is the presumption that 'Truth' can and will be changed, modified or completely abandoned. Any 'Truth' of Science only stands so long as it survives scrutiny under the tenets of 'The Scientific Method'. Once a 'Truth' is determined to be false or incomplete, it is immediately discarded; 'thrown-out with the bath water' (so to speak); and replaced with a new 'Truth'. Many of us struggle today with the speed at which this process, driven by scientific doctrine, is occurring in our culture.
Standing in stark contrast, the precepts of Faith are steadfast, and unchanging. It is the nature of Faith to seek 'Truth' in the revelations God has made through the testimonials and eye-witness accounts of the Profits, and of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, and through the Holy Spirit who resides in the heart(s) of those who believe. Faith provides a strong, stable and unchanging foundation, apart from the culture, and providing firm footing during times of rapid change and uncertainty.
The Fight Between Science and Faith
Science, by its own definition, is solely focused on the study of cause and effect within nature as it exists around us. Science has never had, and so long as it continues to adhere so fervently to the Scientific Method, will never have anything to say about supernatural, spiritual matters. For this reason, Science is limited, because it is NOT designed to explore things beyond nature.
There are those who use the differences between Science and Faith to create an ideological narrative designed to separate intellect from emotion; driving a wedge between the two to favor one (Science) over the other (Faith). Their purpose is to create a culture of faithlessness. To ascribe to such a one-sided understanding is to create an unnatural state in the human spirit. ...a hole (if you will) in the human psyche where there is no joy, no hope, and no love. Given such a state of mind, there is no will to share wealth or knowledge in the interest of helping the common man. Only pervasive greed; ...to grab and horde all of nature that can be grabbed, ...before there is nothing left to grab any more.
Science has become such a pervasive and powerful influencer in our culture today, that it almost completely drowns-out the influence of Faith. To be perfectly honest, Faith lacks the 'tangible personal experience' that Science has. But with that said, Science also leaves a very large void in the human heart. It simply cannot explain things like companionship, the value of relationships among humans, the motivation to serve and care for others in brotherly love, or where our sense of moral right and wrong comes from. Faith continues to, and always will be relevant and meaningful.
Overcoming the Narrative
Appx 2300 years ago, Aristotle wrote his Law of Non-Contradiction; essentially stating that if two unrelated and separate truths exist, both applying to the same subject; they must both be equal, and true. This principle is foundational today in philosophy, mathematics, and even legal reasoning.
Just because we do not (yet) possess the capability to see and understand how Faith and Science can both be TRUE, does NOT mean either of them is not true. It only means we lack the understanding of how they can both be true. Our preconceived notion that only one is true, being the one we can tangibly sense or mathematically 'prove', is in itself false. ...Or said another way, just because we cannot detect a thing with our senses, or intellectually conclude it by scientific reasoning, does NOT mean it doesn't exist. Rather, it means we are limiting ourselves to 'understanding' only that which we can sense or reason.
Since Science excludes the supernatural, then to make statements like, “…faith is not based on facts, and is just a bunch of opinions" falls outside the purview of Science, and is an expression of opinion about Faith; not something derived from Science itself.
Similarly, Christians must confront the unpleasant possibility that their passion to suppress Science is based ultimately on a lack of faith. To quote John Paul II in his writing about evolution (...and referring to Aristotle's principle...), “Truth cannot contradict Truth.”; ..."If you believe in the Truth of God, you will not fear what Science discovers. ...nor will you mistake today’s Science as the last, final and only Truth."
Multiple Approaches to Knowledge; One God
So long as teachings are not amoral or counter to faith (e.g. - belief in astrology), Christians are called to engage in, and learn from all disciplines of human knowledge; including the social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and all their constituent studies. This approach toward learning affirms and moves us forward toward one (1) single, core and fundamental 'Truth' comprised of all schools of thought, and leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of who God is, how God brought everything into existence, and where God is leading us in our lives. As outlined by Professor of Science John Lennox of Oxford University (...an openly professing Christian), ..."one can easily reason that the disciplines of Science and the revelations of the Christian Faith both derive from the same God. ...He (God) is the Master Scientist."
Within the scale of time humans have inhabited the Earth, the hypotheses and discoveries of Aristotle, Copernicus, Newton and Tesla were made only a brief moment ago. Similarly, the entirety of human existence upon the Earth is only a few short moments in the timeline of the universe. As we contemplate the awesome enormity of the cosmological space-time continuum, and see the perfect organization of physical laws that govern its ongoing motion, we begin to get a glimpse of what God has been doing throughout the whole process. We are only just now beginning to understand how awesome God truly is. Through both Faith and Science, He is revealing Himself to us more and more each day.
God is Timeless
The span of a single human lifetime is but a very quick blink in God's timeline of the universe. Scripture is full of examples, factually documented through eye-witness accounts and historical records found outside the Scriptures, showing large spans of time between God's actions - often lasting for hundreds of years; and spanning dozens of generations. Simply put, God lives in a completely different dimension of space & time than we do. To us, He is truly timeless. We have absolutely no right to demand He reveal himself to us in a way that we can tangibly experience. ...because, 1) He has already done so a multiplicity of times through people He chose to represent Him (see the 'Nature of Faith' above); ...and because, 2) He has already demonstrated His plan to reveal Himself. As we move forward through time, He will do so according to His way, and in His time; not ours.
Today's culture is especially quick to speculate about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and to do so with no proof whatsoever. After all, it HAS TO exist, right? ...because 'probability' dictates it to be so. In the billions of galaxies that Science has proven to exist across the universe, each containing hundreds of trillions of stars, and likely with (as we are learning today) at least as many planets, ...all goes to support that probability, right? But 'probability' is a mathematical, 'intellectual' principle. As outlined above, it is only our finite, incomplete way of looking at God's creation. We have already been given direct proof that a timeless, living, supernatural being exists, who has already been in direct contact with us. These 'Truths' are hypocritically unbelievable to those who only 'believe' in probability. But for those of us who understand the larger perspective... we believe: God is perfectly True. ...and He knows and understands the very essence of who we are - our spiritual (and prideful) nature. He certainly has the power and ability to create other beings across the universe. If and when He is ready for us to meet them, He will provide us (or them) with the means to do so.
Our Relationship with Him
God has done a miraculous thing; one very amazing part of which is, He lovingly gave His creation to us to see, dream about and explore. ...and He did so with only one very simple stipulation; ...that we love Him and love each other with our whole heart, mind and spirit. Not only is His creation awesome, but the fact He gave us the "tools" with which to look up and see its beauty; ...to wonder, dream, question, analyze, envision, reach-out to explore, ...and yes, to understand; ...these capabilities are just as awesome. No other animal on Earth has been given these gifts. It's almost as if, ...He wants us to KNOW Him - not by using only our senses or intellect (...He transcends those anyway...) - but by using our hearts to comprehend and experience His true nature. When we read His Word, understand His love for us, fully encounter His creation, and recognize His awesomeness, we give ourselves an opportunity to know Him.
The choice is ours... We can follow the crowd and limit ourselves by putting our Science and our intellect (i.e. - our pride) ahead of Him. ...Or, we can choose to recognize the obvious - that He is here with us; and He loves us.
The Invitation
If you haven't already done so, find that dusty old Bible that you haven't cracked open in years, and read the Creation story in the book of Genesis ...Gen 1:1 thru 2:3. The written record of that story is believed to date back to appx 500 B.C. - a time when some of the earliest writings in all of human history were written. ...but even beyond that, it reveals an understanding of His creation passed-down through generations, and dating back to a time very, VERY long before that. As you read, think about the logical sequence of events presented there, how that sequence flows in congruence with our modern scientific understanding, and how the whole story can so easily be seen as describing the 'big bang'. It's truly amazing that people from that long ago developed (...or perhaps were they 'given'?) an understanding of Creation so advanced.
Then, at the very first nighttime opportunity you have, come outside with me and look up! The sheer wonderment and joy you will encounter there are meant for you and me.
- Jim Chase
