Can Science Locate God Amongst The Heavens?

There are some scientists who believe that instead of looking for God among ancient text, that humanity might be better served by seeking him out amongst the stars.

(New Scientist Space) [S]ome physicists believe there is another way to pick up a divine message that will leave traditionalists rolling their eyes to the heavens. Forget scripture, they say, try looking out to space instead.

Impossible? Not necessarily, according to physicists Stephen Hsu and Anthony Zee. No one knows why our universe came into existence. But Hsu and Zee argue that if some superior being or beings did intentionally create it, they might have left an elaborate signature in the cosmic microwave background, the relic radiation of the big bang.

Despite the fact that God could have left a message in the heavens, doing so would seem very illogical, at least to me. After all, wouldn't it be easier for a divine being to simply enlighten men with visions of himself than wait for Earthlings to develop the technology to hear his voice?

God And Space, And The Human Race

Update: Incorporated sources within post.

(Update Two: Published On Blog Critics)

Space. The Final Frontier. The endless void filled with worlds, wonders and the great unknown that can not be completely measured except in our own imagination. It is in this final arena that humanity will mature, leaving its Earthen cradle behind and exploring the Solar playground that surrounds them.

Conquering their new environment will not be an easy task for humanity, much less exploring its breadth. But before the human race leaves the homeworld to settle on other worlds, they will have to deal with one element that has always guided and divided our species--the concept of a Universal God.

Faith has always guided humanity throughout the centuries, whether one holds to the concept of God's existence, or one rejects that in favor of nothing at all. Religion affects billions of people on planet Earth, and to the dismay of some atheists, science has not reduced the plausibility of God's existence but has rather increased it.

Debate on our origins is already raging in American classrooms across the nation, with teachers preparing themselves to counter student arguments in class. Even in Vietnam, many citizens seem eager to view scientific evidence supporting a Universal Deity, despite the governments official policy against faith via torture.

Faith holds a very distinct role in many people's lives, and it would be silly to expect a venture into the cosmos to persuade the masses to abandon their beliefs of God (as well as the text that surrounds him). Rather than unifying humanity in a common belief system, space may encourage the spread of various beliefs throughout the galaxy as denominations claim worlds or regions as their "promise land."

Although space will probably increase the fervor amongst the religious, it will also pose new problems for them as well. Importing certain foods (such as meats, wines and bread) may be difficult around the holidays, especially if your planet is unable to support or grow the necessary items. And what if your religion demands that you pray towards a certain city on Earth? This would be difficult to achieve on a daily basis in micro gravity, let alone on a world millions or billions of kilometers away from our homeworld.

Just as much as political parties currently shape a nations path, faith will play a future role in shaping space culture. God will be just a controversial now as he will be in the future (if not more), with the only difference being millions more (if not billions) simply added to the debate.

For those hoping that humanities plunge into the great unknown would resolve world issues and unify our race under a "purely scientific" banner (like Star Trek) should probably take note--religion is here to stay and will probably be around for the next million years.

Bible Being Taught In Public Schools

This news will probably not make many supporters of "evolution only" advocates happy, but it will open up students towards another perspective.

(Christian Post) The long-dormant idea of teaching public school students about the literary and historic importance of the Bible is getting a fresh look this year from state legislatures and local school boards--though with political bickering and questions about what should be included.

The buzz results mostly from "The Bible and Its Influence," a glossy high school textbook with substantial interfaith and academic endorsements. It's available for the coming school year, and some 800 high schools are currently considering the course.

This curriculum is being published by the Bible Literacy Project of Front Royal, Va. and they are even launching a teachers addition next month. Teaching students about the bible will probably expose children to the debate over evolution and theology (which will benefit all) and help them decide on which world view to embrace.

And if any organizations feel threatened by the new curriculum and threaten legal action, the Washington's Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is supplying lawyers free of charge (although the American Center for Law and Justice probably would help out as well).

Vatican Opposes Intelligent Design?

(Published on Blogger News)

Although not from the Pope's lips, a newspaper from the Vatican has published an article claiming that Intelligent Design is not science.

(OrlandoSentinel.com) "This isn't how science is done," [Fiorenzo Facchini, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Bologna] wrote. "If the model proposed by Darwin is deemed insufficient, one should look for another, but it's not correct from a methodological point of view to take oneself away from the scientific field pretending to do science."

Intelligent design "doesn't belong to science and the pretext that it be taught as a scientific theory alongside Darwin's explanation is unjustified," he wrote.

Although seen as a way to promote theology, intelligent design (also known as ID) may not have a scientific basis to stand upon. Despite being a perfect way to bring theists together politically, ID is a dangerous philosophy to endorse since it is harder to prove than say, the theory of Creation.

The theory of ID, although interesting lacks observable evidence, and may come across as nothing more than a philosophical point of view. Even the Raelians, (which may appear strange to many individuals) have a belief system that is at least testable.

Evolution does have its own scientific blunders as the gaps in the fossil record has yet to be resolved. But evolution is testable, as is creationism, as both have "specifics" to evaluate against the theories, making them at least observable to historians and scientists alike.

Update: Added extra paragraph.