Month: October 2008

How has Astronomy impacted me?

 

Out of the many discoveries that have impacted both astronomy and my life, I will speak of two. The first of the two discoveries, being very recent in the annals of time, is the discovery of the expanding nature of the universe. The second discovery is simple and yet significant in the fact that the planet’s in our solar system circle around the sun in a consistent and measurable fashion.

The expanding nature of the universe was discovered back in 1913 by Vesto Melvin Slipher (Jastrow, 1992), although it is sometimes erroneously attributed to Edwin Hubble (Vesto Slipher, 2008). Since that initial discovery, scientists, philosophers and theologians have continued to wrestle with trying to understand the implications of this discovery.

One primary implication of the expanding universe has been referred to as the “Big Bang” theory. The Big Bang theory has fed into countless current understandings of the past, current and future state of the universe, thus providing great positive impacts to the world of astronomy and science itself.

Additionally, from a philosophical and theological perspective, this theory has continued to spur on interdisciplinary discussions within the sciences on answering the Primordial Existential Question “Why is there something, rather than nothing” (Sean, 2007).

The fact resting in the theory of the Big Bang that the observable universe had a beginning, has brought additional weight to philosophical and theological discussions that have been being discussed since the early history of Philosophy both by secular and religious philosophers: the idea that with a beginning, there must be some form of “Prime (or first) Mover” to set all things into motion.

The Scientific method is a means by which natural phenomena is observed, theories are put forth to explain the observations and tests are then performed to confirm or bring required modifications to the theories. While the discussions around the expanding universe still continue on, and there are many things yet to learn, what the Big Bang has brought to the table is the fact that there are some questions that can only be answered succinctly through the means of scientific observations and research, and there are other questions that will never be answerable through science, even with unlimited time and money (Jastrow, 1992).

In my earliest years, I thought science had the answer to everything, and in my middle years, I thought religion had the answer to everything, but now, I am coming to understand that a full picture of the questions of existence can only be grasped through the combined efforts of science and religion (Sir William Bragg, F.R.S. (1862-1942), 1962).

Next, coming closer to home to discuss the second discovery; I believe that the simple understandings gained from the planetary rotations have provided significant benefit to both astronomy and my personal life.

From an Astronomy perspective the observations completed by Copernicus, Tycho, Kepler and Galileo, lead to a series of laws (Kepler’s and Newtons) that can now be used to describe and predict observations of Astronomical proportions (including theories about galaxies and stars that are far out of our reach by billions of light years). These descriptions and observations continue to expound on our understanding of the multiverse in which we live.

From a personal perspective, I must say that eating food is quite a significant part of my daily routine (I must eat to live). The consistent movement of the earth around the sun helped us to develop a consistent measurement of time. With this consistent measurement of time farmers can known when to plant and when to harvest their crops so as to produce the necessary foods for me to consume! Thus, I eat, because the earth travels in a consistent manner around the sun, and we know that, because we have observed and tested it through the means of Astronomy.

 

References

Jastrow, R. (1992). God and the Astronomers. United States: Readers Library, Inc.

Sean. (2007, August 10). Why is there something, rather than nothing? Retrieved October 19, 2008, from Cosmic Variance: http://cosmicvariance.com/2007/08/30/why-is-there-something-rather-than-nothing/

Sir William Bragg, F.R.S. (1862-1942). (1962). Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London
, 17 (2), 169-182.

Vesto Slipher. (2008, October 10). Retrieved October 19, 2008, from WikiPedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesto_Slipher

 

What I spent most of my summer doing…

 

I completed it last week on 10.11.2008. We ended up making the siding and door match the house. Amanda wanted to just throw up a lean-to-shack; but I didn’t want to have something so ugly sitting outside behind my house. I ended up putting in solar lights into the chicken house too – so they have light at night (hoping that once they start laying the light will keep them laying all winter).

 

 

We ended up getting one rooster in our shipment of chickens! Rooster! I thought it was just a well-endowed hen!

Why do people believe in Astrology?

In the first century A.D. the Philosopher and Theologian St. Augustine said “… you have made us for yourself [God], and our heart is restless until it rests in you (Augustine, 1998).

Back in the 1500 to 1600 hundreds the child prodigy, mathematician, physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal (Blaise Pascal, 2008) said “Man tries unsuccessfully to fill this void with everything that surrounds him, seeking in absent things the help he cannot find in those that are present, but all are incapable of it. This infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite, immutable object, that is to say, God himself (Pascal, 2008).”

The great apologist and linguist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter to Mr. Vanauken in the 1950’s in which he said; “If you are really a product of a materialistic universe, how is it you don’t feel at home there? Do fish complain of the sea for being wet? Or if they did, would that fact itself not strongly suggest that they had not always been, or w[oul]d. [sic] not always be, purely aquatic creatures (Lewis, 2007)?”

As recently as 2007, the neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg has identified areas of the brain that he believes may be hard-wired for responding to religious activities (Gajilan, 2007).

I believe the continued interest in Astrology, despite its lack of scientific basis is a manifestation for a desire to know and understand and seek something to fill a void that we all have as humans. We want to know where we come from, why we’re here, and where we are going. I believe that the interest in astrology provides at least the positive benefit of keeping people open minded, understanding that not everything can be simplified to a mathematical equation (e.g. how does one describe love with numbers), I think the negative impact of Astrology is how much money people actually spend on it; and how much some people actually schedule their lives around it – in that respect, I believe that people would be much better releasing themselves from a belief that has no evidential basis.

 

 

 

References

Augustine, S. (1998). Confessions. New York: Oxford University Press.

Blaise Pascal. (2008, October 14). Retrieved October 14, 2008, from WikiPedia.Org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_pascal

Gajilan, A. C. (2007, April 5). Are humans hard-wired for faith? Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Cnn.Com: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/04/neurotheology/

Lewis, C. (2007). The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Pascal, B. (2008). Pensees and Other Writings (Oxford World’s Classics). New York: Oxford University Press Inc.

 

One of my Short Stories

 

©2004 Jediah Logiodice

 

There he was, laying in his bed, a frail little boy of only 3. It’s amazing how circumstances sometimes require a child to grow quicker than their years.

And here he was – my little boy – all grown up at 3 years old.

He understood the whole meaning of his life – which doctors speculated would last only a few more weeks.

Every time I saw him I longed to take him in my arms and hold him forever.

I’ve never been able to shake the pain, the thought that I failed him.

I remember how I used to hold him at night and whisper in his ear that nothing bad would ever happen to him as long as I was around, that I would always protect him.

But you can’t protect them from everything, you know, no matter how I had tried; I could not keep death from coming to his little life.

How much I felt I had failed him.

It’s hard to keep your faith in God when you go through trials like this.

I remember the day we sat together, I stared as his precious little face, soft and serene, and Andrew looked up at me and said, “Papa, I’ll give Jesus a hug and tell him that you love him still.”

The tears rushed from my eyes, and I collapsed on his bed beside him and held him as close to my face as I could. I laid there weeping uncontrollably, and he ran his hands over my head and whispered – “Shhh –its ok, papa, its ok.”

Sometimes he seemed all grown up.

On the day Andrew left, I had one last glimpse of the simple inner beauty that God had bestowed upon him.

It had been hours, we had sat there, together, holding his fragile little hand.

He had slowly turned his head toward me and inquired, “Papa, where is the sweet by and by”?

“What do you mean, Andrew”, I asked?

“You know, like in the song, it says ‘In the sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore'”.

“Oh”, I said, once again welling up, “that means in a little while we’ll meet in heaven”.

“Oh” was all he said. He was silent for a long time afterwards.

But those last words he said to me before he ebbed away was; “Papa – I’ll see you by and by”.

That was almost 15 years ago.

It’s funny how some memories remain so vivid.

I can remember everything about that day. What I ate for breakfast, what I wore, even down to the color of Andrew’s socks.

Time slips on, but memories like that never fade.

Even to this day, when I think of my little boy, I lose yet again another part of me – leaving me feeling just a little bit more cold and empty inside.

But, the time did come when I could talk to Jesus again, and I got down on my knees buried my head in my hands, and through silent tears I said, “Jesus, Andrew was right, I do still love you, but please give him a hug for me, and tell him that I miss him awfully.”

 

The Weight of Gold…

 

I am stuck inside a mud pit with

    A pocket full of gold.

This story of my wayward step

    Is one that should be told.

  
 

One day while walking on the edge

    I thought that I would try,

To soil my sole, to take a step

    and yet keep clean and dry

  
 

And ‘lo perhaps if I should fall

    Or something worse unfold

The remedy was right with me

    My pocket full of gold.

  
 

I walked out deep, I felt no fear,

    As you can clearly see

The safety net, that you can get

    With gold so plentily

  
 

But now I stand up to my knees

    And sinking very fast

There’s something that I could not see

    But late, at last, I grasp

  
 

And with a frown, my head goes down

    Below the mirky foam

The weight to bear of gold so fair

    Has crushed me like a stone.

 
 

 
 

© 2007 Jediah Logiodice

 

(Sometimes having financial security can be a blessing – but sometimes it can be a curse)

“The world is my country, and science is my religion.” —Christiaan Huygens, 17th century astronomer.

 

I found the quote by Christiaan Huygens very interesting. I’ve recently finished reading a few books written by qualified and well known scientists in the field of astronomy, physics and biology discussing how these fields of science can and do work together with religion to build a single cohesive worldview.

The quote especially reminds me of the most recent book that I am nearing the end of. The book is written by Frank Tipler, who is a Mathematical Physicist at Tulane University, and is titled The Physics of Christianity. Tipler also views science as a form of religion and states “… since His [God’s] laws [of science] are His direct creation, studying His natural laws is as pious an act as studying the Bible (Tipler, 2007).”

Indeed if there is a God, and He created all things, than the study of His creation (science) is as much of an act of trying to understand Him as opening up a bible and reading His word.

There is so much hidden in the recesses of space and time and the multiverse waiting to be found. This information has and will continue to help describe our origins and will help us understand our meaning and purpose.

 

References

Tipler, F. J. (2007). The Physics of Christianity. New York: Doubleday.