Faith and Science; Our Universe as a Coffee Table Book.

   I'm probably asking for trouble with this title since people are willing to fight to the death for such words but I couldn't resist sticking my head out of my foxhole to see which way the slings and arrows are aimed. I was inspired by the apparent increase in "fundamental atheism" on the web which seems as eager to convert the innocent as anyone who steps in dogma and can't get it off their shoe.  Since Christianity is their biggest target I'll weigh in with this; "If you aren't practicing unconditional love you aren't practicing Christianity". The keyword here is "practice" of course and I forgive you in advance for not getting it right. Apparently we're not expected to achieve such a perfect state, in fact, some can't even acknowledge the concept. But I digress, what has this got to do with science?

   Aside from religion or spirituality (defined separately), the debaters of the existence of God often hinge arguments on the challenge for empirical evidence. In other words, "prove it!" With both camps locked in schoolyard level verbal combat we dispose of the only metric which offers any practical conclusion. Where's the love? Certainly I can argue about the chemistry, the biology, and the behavioral measurements of "love" but I have yet to gather some in a bottle for the shelf in my lab. In fact, this elusive material is often offered on the black-market in many forms but its not the real stuff. Unlike hate (the anti-love) which is less elusive and available in many flavors, pure love is undeniably magical and wonderful. Not to be confused with crushes, infatuations, a sweet tooth or ones product preferences. I'm talking about that stuff that connects your spirit to the whole of mankind then makes you invincible on another plane of existence. If you don't know what I'm talking about your on the wrong side of the debate! 

 

  Here's the math for those of you who are sure there's a need for a vent fan in my lab. If you stack up all the knowledge of mankind and then stack up all the stuff we don't know about the universe (or other universes)...which stack is bigger? My point is that if you realize we don't know squat then welcome to reality. Anyone who uses a lack of evidence as the basis of their argument is working a thin hypothesis. So Atheists have no evidence that there is no God, they just believe it. That's faith.  

  Those who believe in God (like me) often try to rationalize ideas and events using bad scientific arguments. C'mon folks, don't do that! Good science is like baking a cake. You write down whatever works well and after almost everybody tries it and gets the same results the consensus is that we have discovered truth.  Obviously the faith of Atheism has not rendered the same conclusions as other faiths despite their conviction. So with Atheism as another form of religion and belief in God being bantered about like a bad hypothesis, what's a spiritual person to do?

   Keep the faith baby! If you believe in something or not that's up to you. God forbid I interfere with your free will. But would it be so bad if we offered love, modeled love, encouraged love, and didn't demand love? The message itself is evidence to me of something greater than myself. So, with that said, I'm gonna wrap this up with the following cut-and-paste from a blog response I wrote using sandwiches as a model. Just remember, science is all about using patterns to predict stuff. We observe to understand.

Link to original post or read it here...

  Empirical evidence is summed up nicely in the famous quote ”I think, therefore I am.” By reading about pink unicorns on this page, they have become part of my thinking (and yours). It is arguable that they exist (conceptually) or we would not be able to discuss them!

  While antagonists present their arguments about the definition of reality, I will stick to my half of the debate until some practical thought enters my mind such as “I want a sandwich.” Sir Winston Churchill said “A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” With that in mind I think I will gauge fundamental atheists as to their ability to interfere with my enjoyment of sandwiches. 

Here are the threats as I understand them:
  1. They may try to convert me to their way of thinking which would take my focus away from enjoying my sandwich.
  2. They may confuse my spirituality with religion and think I want to convert them to my way of thinking whereby their paranoid defense distracts me from enjoying my sandwich.
  3. They may have flashbacks to a traumatic childhood food-fight when they see me enjoying my sandwich and preemptively attack me before I can hit them with my sandwich.
  4. They may be jealous of my relationship with such a wonderful sandwich and feel I am ignoring them leading them to behave in self centered desparation to get my attention.

  I must admit that as an admirer of the sandwich, I believe the ideal situation would be if we could both share my sandwich. I am more inclined to do so if they would not whine about the quality of the sandwich or fuss about how my sandwich has caused them so much anguish. It gives me sustenance, so eat or go away.

  Yes, I know people have been murdered for a sandwich before and I know sandwiches are not for everyone. But sandwiches are responsible for fueling some of the greatest minds in history. Many lay quietly in lunch-boxes till just the right moment when people need something to keep them going. Our civilization is better off with sandwiches than without.

  While empirical evidence supporting the role of sandwiches in furthering civilization is admittedly lacking, I nonetheless must offer this datum: I like sandwiches. Now, before you look around at all the foolish smiles of happy people biting into sandwiches and determine it’s a cult or perhaps the sandwiches are drugged. Don’t forget that sometimes people are simply hungry.

  As for fanatics; there is obviously something they are hungering for. I am reminded of another famous quote, “If someone is seeking the truth - follow them. If they find the truth - run.”

  Here’s my version… “I think I am, therefor I eat. I think you are, therefor I share. If you like - let’s run and seek sandwiches together!”

  Oh, and one last thing…it IS child abuse to deprive a child of sustenance. That does NOT mean you should shove sandwiches in their faces. It means you should teach them to make their own sandwiches. The ability to appreciate a good sandwich will lead to them smiling and thriving long after you and I are gone.

Thanks for letting me share, what do you think? - Mr. Science