Hello, Again (Part Deux)

So, I find interpretations and applied meanings of the natural sciences to be inspiring. Facts can be transformed into meaning. Consider this quote from the late Carl Sagan, "The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but in the way those atoms are all arranged." The atoms of your body are arranged to make you, well, you! But notice that Sagan used the word "beauty". That is a word that elicits joy and awe from its hearers. How many scientists do you know who convert evidence into poetry? I wonder how many of these people are laughed at by their peers.

Here's another quote from Sagan that inspires me, "The cosmos is also within us; we're made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." Sagan is adding meaning to the scientific discovery that the atoms of elements on the periodic chart are forged in the core of stars and in supernovae. This includes the atoms of elements found in the Earth and in our bodies. To look up in the sky on a clear, starry night and contemplate that we are gazing at a family portrait is expansive to the human spirit. Some think about the immensity of the universe and are held in awe.

There's a reason we feel this way-- we are connected to the cosmos! To put this in Biblical terms, "Forever, O Lord, Your Word is firmly set in the heavens!" (Psalm 119:89) This is thrilling to me!!

Try this sometime: go to Starbucks and tell someone that God's Word is firmly set in the heavens. Most likely, he/she will have no idea what you are talking about (or, at best, will picture a Bible hovering somewhere in outer space) and will probably want you to leave them alone. Then tell someone that we are all connected atomically to the stars in the sky and you'll probably have a listening ear. Please don't hear me saying that it will always be this way. There will be exceptions.

So, here's my proposal: Convert the language of the natural sciences into poetry and metaphor using Biblical images and convert Biblical images into the findings of the natural sciences. It will be quite an endeavor, so I would like to leave an example to start the conversation. I think we'll find that the core doctrines of our Christian faith are more glorious and expansive that what we first thought!

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1). Let's work with that and see what we come up with. It will not do to merely paraphrase these words into "God is my Guide, I have everything I need." Althought it's true that God is our Guide, and we have everything we need, this phraseology is too stiff and not very thoughtful either.

First we must consider what reality we are pointing to when we say, "The Lord". I would say that we are pointing to the Ultimate Reality, transcendent and immanent. There is no one and no-thing greater. All reality on every level is dependent on Ultimate Reality for its being and life. There also seems to be an emergently creative trajectory that is embedded in reality on all levels, from the quantum to the galactic and beyond.

With this understanding, let's convert the well-known Biblical phrase into something that grabs attention. Here goes:

The Ultimate Reality that confronts me every day creatively supports my being and life. I can live with complete trust in whatever comes my way.

I know, I know!! It's really wordy, and might even be completely wrong. But I'm quite confident that this could speak in our day and age. Keep in mind that this is all First Article stuff, and we're just dealing with the tip of a huge iceberg!

My next entry will deal with Jesus (or, Jesus dealing with my next entry!).

"Many's the man grounded by greed, leaning on power and land. Show me the one lost in the stars; show me a principled man!"-- Steve Taylor, Christian Lyricist and Musician, from his song A Principled Man