Thursday, August 28, 2008

When agnostic scientists finally acknowledged Divinity...


The (intelligent and orderly) design of the universe and its laws are such that this fact has not escaped the notice of even agnostics. Below, four quotes from agnostics regarding the design of the universe. Even to them, the apparent design of the universe has theological implications.

For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries. (Robert Jastrow)
“There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all....It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature's numbers to make the Universe....The impression of design is overwhelming.” (Paul Davies)
“As we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency - or, rather, Agency - must be involved. Is it possible that suddenly, without intending to, we have stumbled upon scientific proof of the existence of a Supreme Being? Was it God who stepped in and so providentially crafted the cosmos for our benefit?” (George Greenstein)
A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question. (Fred Hoyle)
Author & Astrophysicist :
Dr. Robert Jastrow, is the director of Mount Wilson Observatory and was founder and director for twenty years of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. He authored books which explore the universe; Red Giants & White Dwarfs, and Until the Sun Dies.
. .as to why science and theology don't have to be enemies. Dr. Jastrow, recognized as one of the world's foremost astronomers (and an acknowledged agnostic on religious matters) demonstrates with remarkable honesty that astronomy and theology may well have more to talk about than the fanatics in either field would like to admit. He does so in a manner which is non-threatening, non-controversial, and non-technical.

Originally published in 1978, this second edition includes an appendix presentation by Catholic and Jewish theologians. He concludes his book with this often quoted statement: "He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

Christian/Catholic websites:

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