In Part II, I offered my understanding of, and reason for Creation. I also filled in how our human race fit into this grand design. It may be more accurately expressed, “How the grand design was tailored to fit us.” Yet, it seems that we are either improperly made or poorly installed parts in this wondrous system. Whales don't struggle with these issues, neither do axolotls (See images below). One look at this guy and you know that he'll fit in anywhere.
What I find most egregious about this centuries old feud for the heart, mind, and soul of mankind is how baseless much of it is on both sides.
Our solar system is nowhere near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. We are out in the boonies of our galaxy, nestled in an unassuming location between two notable spiral arms. Nothing seems to indicate that there is anything important here by our human conception. We'd expect to be up front and center where the Supreme Being presumably “should” have placed us. However, being a bit closer to that “prized galactic real estate” would kill us. The radiation levels near galactic center are far in excess of our capacity. The dead center is occupied by an inactive black hole that if it were active could gobble up our solar system like a snack. We are placed in what seems to be a very safe, quiet backwater, a lot like that undistinguished place called Galilee. This kind of overlooked corollary demonstrates to me that we have a much smarter God than we anticipate, appreciate, or even dare to imagine.
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”, rings as true today as when it was first written. When we look at the empirical data, we have a most (fasten your seat-belts, please) anthropocentric Universe. (Both cosmologists and animal rights activists just found a new common enemy in me. Ah harmony!)
Consider, what this Universe offers us, it meets our every human need from simple matter (which is far from simple) to awesome wonder (quantum levels of complexity beyond the “simple” stuff.) Here we sit perched atop the Animal Kingdom, not by a slim margin but head and shoulders above our nearest intellectual rival. (Animal rights activists hate me even more and evolutionary biologist are now signed on), I feel perfectly capable of pointing out to my loyal opposition that humans are the only species capable of taking offense at my comments. Prove me wrong, but until then…
Q.E.D.
Rather than working with science, many of the cloth have turned against science. Many of the lab coat have turned against a God of seeming irrationality and increasingly scant probability. That is our reaction. We are divided by our beliefs. Partisanship is the glue which divides Theists and Atheists, Catholics and Protestants, Creationists and Evolutionists, Blacks and Whites, Republicans and Democrats, Capitalists and Communists, Monists and Dualists, Christians and Jews, us and all. This is a very poor reaction.
While we may disagree on God or an afterlife, we can surely agree that we will all pass through the great equalizer, the final harmonizer we call death. Maybe we should just "Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."* Along the way we might recall that Jesus often evoked quarrelsome reactions from His disciples by providing the right answer to their wrong question.
* The origin of the quote, "Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle" is a matter of great controversy attributed from another alumni of Alexandria, Philo of Alexandria, or maybe it was Plato, or John Watson, or Ian MacLaren which is John Watson's real name?
"Oh, bother!" ~ Winnie the Pooh (for sure!)
You may also realize that he is part of the whimsical Provision of God discussed in Part l.
Not so long ago, Christendom erroneously placed the Earth at the center of the solar system not by the testimony of Scripture, but by compiled human error and an assumption about what Scripture “should” (by human understanding) imply.
How did such a bizarre twist of reason come to be de facto Doctrine?
In the late second century, a pagan astronomer named Ptolemy of Alexandria formulated the geocentric system which placed the the earth at the center of the solar system with the sun and all other planets orbiting around us. Ptolemy's error remained “scientific” fact and was later adopted as Christian dogma which lasted into the Age of Reason. It made sense to the now powerful Christian hierarchy that God's Creation would place us at the center. The Faithful who dared question Church authority on such matters were at risk of being declared heretics and punished accordingly. It took until 1992 for the Catholic Church to own up to its mistreatment of Galileo who promoted a heliocentric solar system which placed the sun at the center.
Throughout Church history there have been countless martyrs of science who have paid a heavy price for standing on their God given reason in opposition to Church doctrines. As a result, today there are many in the field of science who hold a grudge.
On the other side of this implied duality, many within the Body of Christ feel that science has demoted humanity from divinely created beings to mere chemical accidents. Scientists who support this worldview will claim that the ekklesia have it all wrong. In fact, it’s been a promotion for humanity from fortuitous chemical accident to quick-witted, mostly hairless descendant of apes. This has not brought solace to those who put their trust in God, and they hold a grudge, as well.
On the other side of this implied duality, many within the Body of Christ feel that science has demoted humanity from divinely created beings to mere chemical accidents. Scientists who support this worldview will claim that the ekklesia have it all wrong. In fact, it’s been a promotion for humanity from fortuitous chemical accident to quick-witted, mostly hairless descendant of apes. This has not brought solace to those who put their trust in God, and they hold a grudge, as well.
More's the pity, in my opinion.
What I find most egregious about this centuries old feud for the heart, mind, and soul of mankind is how baseless much of it is on both sides.
Scientists under the erroneous instruction of Christian theologians who misinterpreted the first few chapters of Genesis became a smoldering hot spot between these two factions. (Remember that fear and faction do not exist independently.) Genesis was never intended to be a scientific textbook for the Creation. Much of it is allegory as the Jews, who wrote it, understand. Somehow in the original schism between Jews and Christians this minor fact, which turned into major factions, was overlooked.The problems that we struggle with most as individuals, communities, and denominations are the ones we cause ourselves.
I look for harmony where there is discord between science and Scripture. For instance, the Flood story recorded in Genesis 6 correlates nicely with what anthropology calls the "population bottleneck", a time when humans nearly disappeared from the planet. Both worldviews support a near extinction event in our recent past. If we insist that it must include a man named Noah on a boat with all non-marine creatures on-board, then we have ample fodder for discord. But, if we allow the Flood to be allegory of an anthropologically supported event, which I believe it is, it resonates in both heart and mind. A “perfect pitch” I find to be exclusively reserved for God. Here is the common ground we as people of faith, reason, and reasonable faith should be seeking and taking with each other. Instead, religion and reason continue as adversaries both believing it's either one or the other.
I look for harmony where there is discord between science and Scripture. For instance, the Flood story recorded in Genesis 6 correlates nicely with what anthropology calls the "population bottleneck", a time when humans nearly disappeared from the planet. Both worldviews support a near extinction event in our recent past. If we insist that it must include a man named Noah on a boat with all non-marine creatures on-board, then we have ample fodder for discord. But, if we allow the Flood to be allegory of an anthropologically supported event, which I believe it is, it resonates in both heart and mind. A “perfect pitch” I find to be exclusively reserved for God. Here is the common ground we as people of faith, reason, and reasonable faith should be seeking and taking with each other. Instead, religion and reason continue as adversaries both believing it's either one or the other.
While today in the year 2016 (or 5776 by the Hebrew calendar) we, with few holdouts, accept that the earth is not the center of the solar system. It isn’t even a very significant planet when compared to many of our local neighbors. The Earth has only one moon, no rings, no giant spots, or other immediately distinguishing features. One might say our pale blue dot of a planet is somewhat boring at first glance, but God is a Creator who focuses on content over superficial appearance. This may explain why He humbled Himself to come as a man from the rural backwater of Galilee to walk with us, His precious Creation, even when we refused to walk with Him.
Our solar system is nowhere near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. We are out in the boonies of our galaxy, nestled in an unassuming location between two notable spiral arms. Nothing seems to indicate that there is anything important here by our human conception. We'd expect to be up front and center where the Supreme Being presumably “should” have placed us. However, being a bit closer to that “prized galactic real estate” would kill us. The radiation levels near galactic center are far in excess of our capacity. The dead center is occupied by an inactive black hole that if it were active could gobble up our solar system like a snack. We are placed in what seems to be a very safe, quiet backwater, a lot like that undistinguished place called Galilee. This kind of overlooked corollary demonstrates to me that we have a much smarter God than we anticipate, appreciate, or even dare to imagine.
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”, rings as true today as when it was first written. When we look at the empirical data, we have a most (fasten your seat-belts, please) anthropocentric Universe. (Both cosmologists and animal rights activists just found a new common enemy in me. Ah harmony!)
Consider, what this Universe offers us, it meets our every human need from simple matter (which is far from simple) to awesome wonder (quantum levels of complexity beyond the “simple” stuff.) Here we sit perched atop the Animal Kingdom, not by a slim margin but head and shoulders above our nearest intellectual rival. (Animal rights activists hate me even more and evolutionary biologist are now signed on), I feel perfectly capable of pointing out to my loyal opposition that humans are the only species capable of taking offense at my comments. Prove me wrong, but until then…
Q.E.D.
Rather than working with science, many of the cloth have turned against science. Many of the lab coat have turned against a God of seeming irrationality and increasingly scant probability. That is our reaction. We are divided by our beliefs. Partisanship is the glue which divides Theists and Atheists, Catholics and Protestants, Creationists and Evolutionists, Blacks and Whites, Republicans and Democrats, Capitalists and Communists, Monists and Dualists, Christians and Jews, us and all. This is a very poor reaction.
While we may disagree on God or an afterlife, we can surely agree that we will all pass through the great equalizer, the final harmonizer we call death. Maybe we should just "Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."* Along the way we might recall that Jesus often evoked quarrelsome reactions from His disciples by providing the right answer to their wrong question.
"Oh, bother!" ~ Winnie the Pooh (for sure!)
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