I'm reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, the author of another somewhat popular book you may have heard of. Something about a certain CODE. There was a monologue in this book by a priest addressing the world of science. I found it interesting and provacative; it made me wonder about the author, since he write characters that passionately and articulately debate many sides of controversial issues. See what you think:
"Humanity cries out for meaning. And believe me, we do cry out. We see UFO’s, engage in channeling, spirit contact, out-of-body experiences, mindquests—all these eccentric ideas have a scientific veneer, but they are the desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology….all the while, the church is proclaimed ignorant. But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightening, or the man who does not respect its awesome power? The Church is reaching out to you. And yet the more we reach, the more you push us away. Show me proof there is God, you say. I say use your telescopes to look to the heavens and tell me how there could not be a God! You proclaim that even the slightest change in the force of gravity or the weight of an atom would have rendered our universe a lifeless mist rather than our magnificent sea of heavenly bodies, and yet you fail to see God’s hand in this? Is it really so much easier to believe that we simply chose the right card from a deck of billions? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greater than us?"
5 comments:
That is exactly the reason I am so fascinated with science and space. The more I learn about how amazing our world is, the more I am able to see how amazing our God is.
In response to his last question, it does seem that people use science to claim that God is not important. It's a convenient excuse to calm their conscience and live however they want.
I'm interested in the comment deleted by the author. I just want to say that I know I may have some friends reading the blog who disagree with Brad and me, and that's OK! Feel free to post your thoughts anyway.
So, I'm the one who deleted their comment. I was attempting to say something witty about Christians who would easily dismiss all of Dan Brown's writing/ideas because they disagree with his message in The DaVinci Code. I feel that his comments on Faith vs. Science in Angels and Demons were very insightful and well-written. Perhaps more impactful than similar comments in many "Christian" books about the subject.
I realized after I wrote my original comment that it sounded like I was disagreeing with you and Brad, when I think we are actually on the same page.
SPOILER ALERT! IF you are planning to read Angels and Demons, STOP reading my comment. I do agree, Jim, that the debate was really well written in the book and thought provoking. It is a little humorous that the character that I quoted in this blog turns out to be a little bit of a nutjob! I'm glad it was you that posted and removed. :)
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