Creation is remarkable! The little I understand about the current science of the cosmos, the great numbers of galaxies, the expansion of space, the enormity of it all, and at the opposite end of the scale the peculiarities of quantum physics and the extremely small, not to men-tion the intriguing speculations of other dimensions and multi-verses, leaves me stretching my imagination to the limit in order to even begin forming a concept of the nature of reality.
So I was disappointed when I read Carolyn Porco’s statement: “All the atoms of our bodies will be blown into space in the disin-tegration of the Solar System, to live on forever as mass or ener-gy. That’s what we should be teaching our children, not fairy ta-les about angels and seeing grandma in heaven.”
Dr. Porco is no dummy. She is an American planetary scientist who explores the outer solar system. She has worked on the Voy-ager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the 1980s. She led the imaging science team on the Cassini mission in orbit around Saturn. She is an accomplished scientist.
Still, I disagree with her. I believe that my personhood, the unique me, is more than a fortuitous combination of matter and energy. There is a “me” that is not reducible to the sum of my matter and energy. Whatever that additional part is called “spirit.” I cannot prove the existence of this “spirit.” But I know that even if I am deluded and there is no such thing as spirit, my life now is still better for me because of my belief in the existence of spirit. Therefore, it makes evident good sense to me to believe this. I am better for it in any case.
I also believe that one day the issue will be resolved, and we will all know if Carolyn Porco is correct (in which case we won’t know since there won’t be anything to know), or if I am correct (in which case we will not so much know as be known). This stance is to take the leap beyond cosmology (which in itself is pretty mind-boggling) to eschatology (which is not science, but faith-based). Eschatology relates all that ever was, or is, or will be, to an end that gives it all, not only existence, but beyond that, meaning and purpose. For us Christians, that organizing principal of eschatology is Jesus Christ Himself. As we reading in St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, wheth-er thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.
I am willing to bet on this by being a person of faith. And some-day we will all know for sure.
God bless,
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