This one's gonna be a doozy. My admiration goes to whomever has the patience to read this entire entry and actually comment on it. These are some of the typical things that go through my mind at random times. And people wonder why I have a hard time sleeping. ;o)
‘Euclid’s geometric point.’
‘…if it’s got no size, then it’s nothing. But it isn’t nothing. It’s a place. Only then I thought, it isn’t a place—it just has a place. If you see the difference. An atom can be in one place, one pure geometric point like you said, but then it can move. It can be somewhere else. So, you see, it not only has place, it has a past and a future. Yesterday it was there, today it’s here, and tomorrow over yonder.
…‘See, I start thinking, if this atom’s got no size, how can anybody tell where it is? It’s not giving off any light, because it’s got no fire in it to give off. …Just suppose this atom’s got no size, but it’s still got some kind of mind. Some kind of tiny little wit, just enough to know where it is. And the only power it has is to move somewhere else, and know where it is then.
‘…Say you got thousands of them just lying around, just going any which way. How can any of them tell where they are? Since all the others and moving any which way, nothing around it stays the same. But then suppose somebody comes along—and I’m thinking about God here—somebody who can show them a pattern. Show them some way to set still. Like he says—you, there, you’re the center, and all the rest of you, you just stay the same distance away from him all the time. Then what have you got?’
…‘A hollow sphere. A ball. But it’s still composed of nothing.’
‘But don’t you see? …(E)verything’s mostly empty. That anvil, it looks solid, don’t it? But I tell you it’s mostly empty. Just little bits of ironstuff, hanging a certain distance from each other, all patterned there. But most of the anvil is the empty space between. Don’t you see? Those bits are acting just like the atoms I’m talking about…’
‘You’re saying that what we see as solid objects are really nothing but illusion. Little nothings making tiny spheres that are put together to make your bits, and pieces made from bits, and the anvil made from pieces—‘
‘Only there’s a lot more steps in between, I reckon. Don’t you see, this explains everything? …
‘…The point is that everything is alive. That everything is made out of living atoms, all obeying the commands that God gave them….
‘…The atoms were nothing, just places that didn’t even know where they were. It’s God who put them all into places so he’d know where they were, and so they’d know where they were—and everything in the whole universe is made out of them.’
--Orson Scott Card
“Prentice Alvin”
“For by him all things were created: things on heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
--Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
Colossians 1:16-17 (emphasis added)
My thoughts on these things:
Everything we see is composed of atoms. Atoms are composed of neutrons, protons, and electrons. And protons and neutrons, which form the nuclei (centers) of atoms, contain smaller “particles” called quarks.
Keep in mind, my comprehension of this stuff is very limited. But from what I’ve read, it seems that scientists aren’t really sure exactly what quarks are; in fact, some might say that quarks don’t actually exist. They seem to be nothing more than particles of light.
To the Christian, this begs the question: If through Jesus, all things hold together, and quarks--particles of light--are the smallest particles of everything that exists, then quarks are……?
From a scientific standpoint, I know I’m oversimplifying. But the thought fascinates me. The power of God infuses everything that exists. Whether you believe in God or not, you carry his power around with you, inside the atoms that make up the cells that make up your entire body. Your physical body is held together by the power of his will.
And what if his will is materialized in a particle of light that science doesn’t know how to define?
Kind of gives a new meaning to the phrase “light of the world.”
7 comments:
Hi Courtney, I don' know how you found my website, but I'm glad you left a post. We are in Chemnitz for the summer doing research at the University, from Portland Oregon. We are studying Engineering and Physics. Funny you found us at this time, we are actually packing up to go home. Well actually travelling, we travel for almost 4 weeks before heading home. I hope you don't mind me responding via post instead of emailing. I'll leave another post addressing the original posting.
Thanks!!
Yep, that's a doozy of a post--can't say I understood the "blue" part...
But, hey, I made it through! I do appreciate your perspective, though I thought quark was a form of dairy product--somewhere between sour cream and cream cheese???
Bri
Having studied quantum physics AND attempting to avoiding sounding like a know-it-all jerk, I have some thoughts on this. The building blocks of the entire universe are made of electrons, neutrinos and quarks. There are also some even smaller elements that are speculated but unproven. One of the most popular is the idea of "strings" which has led to a String Theory. The idea behind this is that these strings are shaped like a rubber band, but are more like sewing thread. Nearly massless, but not a point. So thin it would be impossible to see them. These strings can both vibrate like a violin string or compress and contract like a slinky. The way it vibrates and moves controls the properties of the substance it makes up. For example, since the same building block makes air, water, and the chair you are sitting on, how are they so different? Because of the way the strings vibrate. Now this is of course oversimplified and highly debated since strings have not been seen. However, if you touch something that feels like Jello, smells like Jello, and tastes like Jello, it must be Jello, regardless if you see it or not!
So...if the entire universe is composed of strings, all vibrating like violins at different frequencies and such, what or who is controlling this symphony? Let me say, there is nothing random about the universe. Even though it seems like it, there is always an explanation. There is an explanation to why the sky is blue and why the stars are where they are. There are systems and patterns everywhere. The spirals of shells, pinecones, even the number of petals on a flower all follow the Fibonacci sequence. EVERYTHING is laid out in a perfet order. Whether or not we recognize it is our fault.
So this leds to my next point. How is there any doubt that our universe was not created by a supreme being, God? Everything is laid out way too perfectly. "If you can't explain something simply, you don't know enough about it." There is a perfectly easy and logical expaination for everything... and one day we will have the chance to ask Him.
Courtney I read it but it's too late for me to make form a complete sentence tonight so I'll spare you my vain attempt at a commentary. Oh wait, I just did form a complete sentence. There goes my excuse...
First of all, I’d like to say that it would be a whole lot more convenient if I could reply to these comments one at a time instead of en masse. Anyone know where I might find the Local Blogging Suggestion Box? ;o)
BUmeat……I’m glad you enjoyed reading…thanks for having the patience to do so! I know I tend to be long-winded, and I usually lose people’s attention. ;o) I know what you mean about thinking “inside the box”—I, too, have been guilty of that many more times than I’d like to admit. Discussing theories and philosophies like this is one of my favorite pastimes…but often it requires more effort than I’m willing to put into it. Life inside the box is definitely easier than life outside. ;o)
Bri……The ‘blue’ part is from a novel by Orson Scott Card. The novel itself is part of the “Tales of Alvin Maker” series, which I think you would really enjoy. I have the first book, “Seventh Son,” if you’d like to borrow it. The series is set in an alternate frontier America—a place that’s like the one described in our history books, but the people living in Card’s America have supernatural talents called “knacks,” which are often equated with illegal witchcraft. It makes fascinating reading, especially since there’s a lot of Christian philosophy behind it. (Card is a practicing Mormon, and it shows in his writings.)
You mentioned “Quark,” and now I’m hungry. ;o)
Joe……Well, now I’m really embarrassed, having blurted out my uneducated theories, never knowing that someone who has actually studied this stuff would be reading them. ;o) No, don’t worry, you don’t sound like a know-it-all. Not in the least! I really enjoy discussing things like this with people. It’s wonderful to share ideas and theories relating to science and belief in God, because if all the participants are honest in their discussion, they can’t help but arrive at the conclusion that honest science and honest belief in God never contradict each other. I’ve read so many publications by scientists who state that any scientist who is honest in his craft will come to the conclusion that God exists. I find it invigorating to meet someone who is studying science—especially in a faith-starved area such as Chemnitz!—who sees the pattern in the smallest particles of our world, acknowledging that the precise arrangement of those particles cannot logically be attributed to random chance or anything less than a supreme intelligence.
I’ve never heard of the Fibonacci sequence, but I do believe I’ve read something about the String Theory before. I can’t pretend to understand all of it…. This is the kind of thing that really makes me wish I were better at math and physics. If I had better comprehension of mathematics, I think I would have studied theories like that, along with quantum theory. I find it all incredibly fascinating! Science has always strengthened my faith, never weakened it.
Joe, I pray that you and your friends have safe travel and arrive home safely in Oregon as well. Feel free to drop by here anytime! I’d enjoy hearing more about String Theory and any other physics tidbits you’d like to share. I’ll continue to check your blog, too. Have a great weekend!
Shipwrecked……We might not know each other, but I promise, you can still trust me to speak out against evil atoms no matter where I find them. Should you and I ever live in proximity to each other, I propose that we found the Anti Evil Atoms Society (AEVAS), dedicated to the exposure and eradication of evil atomic wits everywhere.
Matt……Matt, oh Matt, what can I say? Well……I guess that’s all I can say. *big grin*
Interesting. so whatever "mass" is, it may have a kind of "feeling" to want a longer life and it has been shown by biologists that larger mass is related to its lifetime over 21 orders of magnitude for LIVING THINGS, i.e.bacteria to whales. So Planck sized particles strive to get bigger but die before attaining a living size, i.e Planck mass of ~10^-8 Kg is line of demarcation.
Hey, thanks for the comment! Not everybody takes the time to read outdated blog entries, so I appreciate it.
Not sure I completely understand what you mean--I'm interested in this kind of stuff, but my comprehension is rather limited.
Thanks for the thoughts, though. :o)
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