Astronomy Vantage Points

As a science educator one of my favorite subjects was astronomy. It was easy to generate student awe and respect for the natural world by teaching the divine wonders of our cosmic home. The faith/science connection was not difficult to establish.

Astronomy is primarily an observational science. In my classroom there were many activities involving observations of celestial objects such as the Sun, the Moon, planets, and stars. Astronomical knowledge can be acquired with systematic activities in the classroom, or at home. These activities proved challenging and enjoyable. Most students were fascinated by “homework assignments” involving study of celestial objects in the darkened sky. Some assignments involved telescopes; others were naked eye observations. There were many other instructional resources for astronomy instruction, such as outdoor evening and early morning star watches, films, museum and planetarium visits.

Instructional platforms for astronomy students take place from Planet Earth. Our view of the universe occurs from an Earth-bound perspective. Scripture passages such as Psalm 8 and 19 describe the glory of the cosmos while Psalm 147:4 and Isaiah 40:26 exult in the number and names of stars.

In modern times we have discovered ways to expand our viewing platform. Modern technology has enabled us to view distant objects using space vehicles as our viewing platform to gaze back upon our home planet. In 1968 and 1969 US astronauts first orbited and walked on the surface of Earth’s Moon. Four Artemis II astronauts looped around our lunar companion and looked back on the complete sphere of Planet Earth. According to space program statistics, only 10 humans have looked back at Planet Earth IN PERSON to view its complete sphere—six Apollo astronauts who are still living and four astronauts from the recent Artemis II flight. Hundreds of others have seen a portion of our planet from a high elevation airliner or from a space vehicle such as the International Space Station (ISS) in Low Earth Orbit. Millions of Earth residents have enjoyed photographs or television broadcasts showing our planet in its entirety.

Below is a link to a post from 2021: https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2021/04/mankinds-planet-earth-perspective.html  (This link relates to our current post.)  

We close with a discussion of a popular astronomer. This well-known science popularizer was active on the faculty at Cornell University at Ithaca, NY. Professional astronomer Carl E. Sagan (1934-1996) produced the science documentary Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. It was a popular program with the American public and became one of the most watched shows on public television four decades ago. Sagan offered substantial scientific truth about astronomy and the cosmos. In short, Sagan described Genesis 1:1-2—the production of order from chaos—from a secular perspective, but not from a theological perspective. 

  

Sagan did not believe the Big Bang event was a manifestation of God’s creative power. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) is a proclamation that God created everything that exists, including space, time, matter, and energy. The famous astronomer, instead, uttered a famous statement based on his naturalistic worldview: “The cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be.” He does not mention GOD as the Creator of “all that is or was or ever will be.” Scripture includes few details about the creation process. In our wisdom, we may desire many details. 

I have spoken with two Christian friends who had personal contact with Carl Sagan. Hugh Ross, founder of Reasons to Believe, once took a college course with Sagan.  My maternal cousin, also a professor at Cornell, spoke with him on at least one occasion. He offered to guide me to Professor Sagan’s burial venue at Lake View Cemetery in Ithaca, NY. There was nothing mystical about our visit to the modest gravestone. But it gave us an opportunity to ponder eternal thoughts…..    

   

           

    

Reality Check

 In Acts 17:28 we find a well known statement about God and our relationship with Him. This passage records the Apostle Paul’s exchange with the men of Athens. “…for ‘In him we live and move and have our being;’ as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ He observed that the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers seemed to be “very religious” because they had erected an altar with the inscription “To the unknown god.” The Apostle decided to capitalize on their quest for god by instructing them concerning the True God. 

 On this occasion he preached at the Areopagus, a forum where the Athenians met to discuss important issues of the day. Greek philosophers had recognized pagan gods for several centuries. Their culture embraced belief in many gods. Paul made reference to the startling statement: In him we live and move and have our being. He pointed out that some of their own “poets” had uttered similar statements. Their poets (philosophers) were not referring to the True God—the Creator of All Things. Instead, the poets referred to ideas generated in their own minds. Paul responded with a powerful apologetic for the God of Creation—the Lord of heaven and earth—and Jesus Christ, God’s Son, whom God had raised from the dead!

We quote the statement In Him we live and move and have our being frequently in  devotional discussions with friends and in personal prayers. It is a statement permeated with theological as well as scientific reality.

IN HiIM WE LIVE: God is the originator of life on our planet. Not only did he create the original life. He also sustains the life of all creatures from moment to moment.

IN HIM WE MOVE: God supplies living creatures with ability to move physically, using energy. (Remember that God is the Creator of all things, including time, space, matter, and energy.)

IN HIM WE HAVE OUR BEING: We define this phrase as consciousness. The topic has been the subject matter for many of our past blogs.

The passage from Acts 17:28 emphasizes primarily the concept of life. Another passage, Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (God created time, space, matter, and energy.) Scripture has countless other passages affirming the reality of God, the Creator. The two passages in Acts and Romans serve as a starting point in the study of God’s reality.

In our study of life (Acts 17:28) there is a strong linkage to the Christian worldview. God is the Creator of all life. Likewise, in our study of creation (Rom. 1:20) the same linkage exists. God is the Creator of All Things—matter, energy, time, and space.

The Apostle Paul utilized his persuasive gifts to reveal divine truth to the Athenians. He posed contrasts between the Athenians view of reality and the Christian view of reality. Many Greek poets/philosophers believed in mythical gods composed of gold, silver, or stone to reveal truth concerning God. Paul skillfully explained the reality of the True God in whom “…we live and move and have our being.”

 

 

Meyer's Mission

 Stephen C. Meyer is a gifted conference speaker and author of several faith- strengthening volumes including Signature in the Cell, Darwin’s Doubt, and The Return of the God Hypothesis. His directorship of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in Seattle, WA has afforded him opportunity to be one of the top promoters of Intelligent Design (ID). He has appeared several times on the JAS Show TV series with Dr. John Ankerberg. Meyer possesses a strong Christian worldview and is a talented apologist for the relationship of science and faith.         

Recently I watched Meyer’s 30-minute introductory greeting at a science/faith conference in Dallas, Texas in 2023. Meyer referenced a statement uttered by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn concerning Russia in 1983. The Nobel prize winner stated that “men had forgotten God.”

Meyer decried the culture crisis in effect today in which there has been a 10% drop in God belief in the past decade according to a Gallup poll. The drop in belief is particularly alarming among Gen Z young people influenced by their instructors at liberal universities and social influencers such as “new atheists.” Meyer claims many young people suffer from cognitive dissonance, a term indicating profound uncertainty concerning ultimate reality. Gen Zers demonstrate cognitive dissonance when they attempt to balance conflicting beliefs.

The New Atheists came to prominence in the first decade of this century. Meyer has a ministry explaining the issues faced by Christians of all ages confronted by relentless promotion of evolutionary, materialist, and naturalistic world views. Our traditional culture has been intensely challenged for the past several decades.

New Theists are beginning to react more forcefully to New Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett. New Theists deserve our prayer support including Stephen Meyer, Hugh Ross, Alvin Plantinga, Lee Strobel, and John Lennox. These lists are by no means complete. We recommend our readers study arguments from theists as well as atheists/agnostics. There are multiple outlets offering recordings of Stephen Meyer, Hugh Ross, and other theistic scientists participating in debates and discussions with doubters and skeptics. Many theistic scientists are skillful apologists for the science/faith interface.

Meyer cites three important topics where naturalistic scientists have “forgotten God:”

There was a beginning to our universe;  Our coherent universe is fine-tuned to an unimaginable degree;  Digital codes exist which account for the presence of LIFE. Scientists have made many discoveries in these fields which affirm God-belief. Meyer’s last three books affirm each truth in a powerful way. We thank God for such gifted apologists for faith-affirming science.

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 8:11a ESV )  

 

     

Sight and Sound

Vision and hearing have been recognized as two of five traditional senses. In modern times many other bodily senses have been identified. The number of senses depends on how they are defined and perceived. Most people agree that vision and hearing are the two most important bodily senses.

In the previous post we discussed ubiquitous electrical charges in the human body. Our eleven body systems could not function without electrical charges in the form of ions—charged electric particles—pulsing through our neural pathways. The human body’s nervous system possesses organs such as the eye and the ear. These organs send visual and auditory messages to the brain concerning conditions in our environment. Our brain interprets the meaning of these electrical signals. In turn, these interpretations impact our consciousness. We may call it the “consciousness cascade.”

Vision and hearing are recognized as the primary senses by which humans become aware of their environment. The human eye is a marvelous organ for perception of different colors and shapes. The eye is a transducer capable of converting light energy to a different form of energy: electrical energy. All transducers convert one form of energy to a different form.  

In the human eye light from our environment passes through the transparent cornea, aqueous humor, lens, and vitreous humor on its way to the retina, the tissue upon which light ultimately falls after entering the eye. The retina is comparable to a screen in a movie theater. Light sensitive cells in our retina receive light energy and transfer information through neural pathways to the brain in the form of ions, molecules or atoms possessing electrical charges. Pulses of electrical charge travel through the optic nerve on their way to the brain. The human brain interprets the meaning of the electrical charges. In this way, the brain actually “sees.”

The human ear is also a transducer. When sound is produced by a musical instrument the air molecules are set in motion to produce successive compressions and rarefactions. When these compressions travel away from the instrument at 1100 ft/sec along with regions of less dense molecules (rarefactions), the eardrum vibrates in step with the frequency of the compressions. Vibrations generated by the impact of compression waves pass through three tiny bones and into the fluid-filled cochlea. Tiny hair cells in the cochlea detect the motion and convert the motion energy to a different form of energy—electrical energy which flows to the brain through the auditory nerve. Again, the brain actually “hears.” The brain is a translator and interpreter. Our ear, the transducer, has completed its task!

We recalled a statement by Charles Darwin, originator of the naturalistic theory of evolution. His famous 1859 tome The Origin of Species contained a startling proposal: “The theory seems absurd in the highest degree to believe natural selection could form a complex organ like the eye.” Later he reversed himself, claiming that naturalistic evolution was “perfectly feasible.” Naturalistic evolutionists are ideologically committed to the evolutionary paradigm.

We close with passages from the two Old Testament Books of Wisdom: “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” Proverbs 20:12 (ESV). David, the psalmist writes, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” Psalm 139:14 (ESV). The organs of our body provide some of the best evidence of God’s creative work.         

      

     

Electric Consciousness

Human consciousness is defined as the ability to be self-aware, to think, analyze, desire, create, recall, and decide. In short, we are aware of our own existence and the existence of others. Human consciousness could not exist without electrical charges in our body’s nervous system.

In my former science classroom I was fond of reminding my students of a scientific fact: “All matter is electrical in nature.” The chairs and tables the students used, the equipment students needed for experiments in the science lab—even their classmates’ bodies—were composed of trillions of atoms and molecules containing protons and electrons. Protons possess a positive electrical charge; electrons possess a negative electrical charge. Student classrooms and their human occupants could not exist without attractive electrical charges holding matter together! 

Several experiments illustrated the presence of electricity in the human body: (1) Static electricity generated on cold, dry days from scuffing shoes on a carpet caused small electrical shocks when students touched one another; (2) A student favorite experiment was an electrostatic generator capable of producing small electric sparks or hair standing on end when class members touched the generator’s metal sphere;  (3) Inflated rubber balloons adhered to classmates’ bodies after they rubbed the balloons on their clothing. Static electricity experiments work not only on the human body, but also on ALL matter composed of protons and electrons.

The nervous system is one of eleven body systems. Our nervous system is the body’s communication network composed of many neural pathways through which electrical charges pass. Neural pathways are composed of a chain of many neurons (individual nerve cells) which communicate digital electrical messages to and from the brain. In 2017 Dr. Ben Carson expressed wonder about the human brain, the command center of the human nervous system and the “seat of human consciousness.” Dr. Ben Carson is a famous neurologist who performed complex brain surgeries, even on young people. Dr. Carson cites the existence of “billions and billions of neurons” (individual neural cells) which produce the brain’s unlimited potential. Carson was referring to the brain’s potential to produce human consciousness. 

Our assertion that “All matter is electrical in nature” also relates to the presence of electrical charges pulsing through our bodies’ neural pathways. These electrical charges are not electrons. Instead, they occur in the form of ions — charged particles  possessing either a surplus or a deficiency of electrons. The ions flow across cell membranes, producing a pulse of charge reversals along the neural pathway.  

Famous consciousness guru David Chalmers states, “Consciousness is the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe.” Chalmers writes voluminously about the “hard problem of human consciousness.” Below we link a post discussing Chalmers’ concept of human consciousness: 

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2015/11/hard-problem-of-consciousness.html

Behavioral scientists such as David Chalmers are skilled at identifying the effect of consciousness rather than the cause of human consciousness. One reason consciousness is a “hard problem” relates to the impossibility of explaining consciousness in naturalistic terms. We are unable to explain consciousness phenomena in terms of electrical charges or natural laws. Professional scientists are also at a loss to explain a naturalistic origin for life itself. There are many opportunities to explain our physical and spiritual existence in terms of the acts of the supernatural, divine Creator of All Things. Consciousness, therefore, is a divine miracle.

Colossians 1:16-17: For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (ESV)

   

 

   

   

E. T.: Natural or Supernatural?

In the past few months we have watched many news broadcasts dealing with the UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon) issue.  Are UAPs natural or supernatural?  The current periodic release of previously classified information by the US government has not satisfied the curiosity of many US citizens concerning the true nature of UAPs. Our appetite for information about UFOs intensified when Steven Spielberg’s E.T. fantasy movie was released in 1982. Before and since that date, public interest in UAPs has waxed and waned periodically.

A wealth of government information exists for the period from 1947 to date. Each individual is free to pass judgement on the effectiveness of information the US government reveals to the public. We sympathize with government officials’ efforts to explain the nature of UAPs. The truth about UAPs is difficult to grasp. How may unusual visual appearances and their strange capabilities be explained? The UAP issue is challenging, fascinating, and mysterious.

The study of UAPs suggests many questions related to their existence. The terms natural and supernatural emerge during discussions. Are UAPs natural, governed by laws of nature established by God for the operation of our created universe? Or are they manifestations of the supernatural? In everyday life, humanity is governed by familiar laws of nature, such as the law of gravitation, the laws of motion, and the finite speed of light (the latter is an example of a fundamental universal physical constant). There are many laws of nature and many physical constants. Supernatural events occur beyond or in addition to natural events which we experience hundreds of times daily. Many phenomena are attributable to unusual light reflections, weather phenomena, flocks of birds, or other out of the ordinary events. But a small percentage of sightings have no natural explanation. They acquire the moniker UAP—unidentified anomalous phenomena.

Humanity desires explanations for both natural and supernatural phenomena. Many scientists and non-scientists attempt to describe the actions of UAPs as natural events. They do not believe UAPs are supernatural phenomena. Many citizens would feel more comfortable if their questions about the means of UAP propulsion, motion, and visibility were explained by ordinary natural causes. A small percentage of UAP sightings, however, have no natural explanation.

Several years ago we generated ten consecutive posts on the subject of UAPs. Here is a link to the first post: https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2019/11/of-this-world.html  By clicking NEWER POST (bottom left), readers may access the remaining posts in the order they appeared. We recommend these ten past posts for further commentary on this important topic.

In the ten posts referenced above, you may find additional information on UAPs:  

(1) Are they real or figments of our imagination?  (2) History and definition of terms 

(3) Our personal explanation of UAPs  (4) Discussion of the occult and paranormal

(5) Multiple dimensions  (6) Dualism  (7) Personal experiences  

(8) Recommendations for further reading…

As we composed this post we recalled news media coverage of a UAP at Chicago O’Hare Airport on 11/07/2006. At the time, the incident was reported on network media, but not in great detail. In the two decades since, television media have periodically retold details of the startling anomalous phenomenon witnessed by twelve credible professional United Airlines employees for several minutes. The dark gray, metallic, saucer-like vehicle hovered over Gate C-17 before it suddenly zoomed upward toward the low hanging cloud cover and punched a hole in the clouds before it vanished. 

In the years since UFOs were more commonly observed by US citizens after WW II, many government authorities have trivialized public sightings and reports of UFOs and UAPs. They have cast doubt on eyewitness accounts, explaining them as “weather events” or faulty human visual perspectives. For this reason, many people do not report what they observe out of fear they would be ostracized.

In terms of government responses, we have read statements from US Vice-president JD Vance. He believes UAPs are manifestations of “demons” or “spiritual forces.” He also stated that he views the UAP phenomena through a “theological lens.” Using the same imagery, he further states he views the phenomenon through “lens of faith rather than fear.”

Our Christian faith supplies comfort for us in these days of uncertainty: “For In him we live, and  move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)