PCBEEUSA - Freedom on the Web

A young man in Kansas recovers so remarkably that people are calling it a miracle.  The Vatican is investigating.  If they determine that his recovery is indeed miraculous, he will become elevated to sainthood.  http://www.kansas.com/196/story/861812.html

Huh?

I’m not questioning the miracle of his recovery, but sainthood?  I wonder what criteria the Catholic Church uses to determine a miracle?

I remember the first time I saw the move “The Ten Commandments.”  The scene where the Red Sea parts and the people are walking between gigantic walls of water.  Years later, I read that when the Bible speaks of a wall of water (Exodus 14:22, NIV, for example), the term “wall” did not have the same meaning it does now.  Apparently a “wall” back then could be any barrier.  One theory has it that there was a sand bar in the middle of the sea, and weather and water conditions were such that the sand bar was uncovered long enough for the Isrealites to cross.  The “wall of water” was the flat water on each side of the exposed sandbar.

Ok, I wasn’t there, maybe Mr. DeMille got it right.  But, if the sandbar theory is true, does that mean it was not a miracle?  I think if that happened now, especially with such perfect timing, I would be impressed!  The miracle could be the timing, or the fact that the sandbar existed, in exactly the right place, at all.  Some believers don’t like to hear that.  For some, a miracle has to be stunning, unbelievable, mind-blowing.  In short, like real life special effects.

Yes, I am a man of science, but a lot of things go way beyond science.  Some of the most amazing miracles are things we simply take for granted.  Even if you accept the theory of evolution, it’s kind of hard to believe that something as complex and amazing as the human body is the result of random events.  If you think that the Universe started out with a “Big Bang,” then, Who lit the fuse?

Yes, amazing things happen, but miracles happen every day, with the birth of a child, the rising of the sun, the simple fact that this planet is in exactly the perfect position from the sun to support life.

Want to see a true miracle?

Look in the mirror.

I am a Christian. I say that without apology. Hopefully that does not offend anyone, but that’s just the way it is.

I am also a technologist. I believe in technology, I use technology every day and I have actually created my share.

I might also be considered something of a scientist. I spend a lot of time watching educational TV and the Science Channel. I am most interested in the Universe and the secrets that are slowy being unraveled.

Many people would think there was a conflict here. I once knew an elderly gentileman who was a very faithful member of the church I attended. He seemd to be a quiet, sort of simple man, although he was clearly well off financially. I learned later that he had once been a research scientist. Our pastor described him to me as being “brilliant.” I asked the man what kind research he had done, and his response was simply, “I don’t do any of that anymore.” He had clearly become a faithful believer and had left his life of science behind.

I had a great respect for this man. And, partly, because of his response, I wrestled with the dissonance of science and technology on one side and my faith on the other.

It took an 11-year old girl to straighten me out.

A few years ago, one of my daughter’s elementary school teachers asked me to talk to her class about science fiction and science. I wore my Starfleet uniform, and talked about Star Trek versus real science. The kids loved it. More teachers requested that I present to thier classes. A friend who taught at a school in a different town invited me to her class. Halfway through my presentation, I noticed that there were a number of teachers standing outside of the door listening.

I had become something of a star.

Then it happened.

I was really rolling, talking to a class of 4th graders. The teacher was even more enraptured that the kids were. The kids were wide-eyed. I was getting to them. They seemed to be understanding. Then this little girl raised her hand.

“Excuse me, sir, do you believe in God?”

She caught me a bit off guard, but I gave her my pat answer, “Of course I do!”

“Then how can you believe in all that science stuff, too?”

To this day, I am amazed at the answer that came to me. This was a public school, so I asked the teacher if it was okay to address the student’s question. I think she was dying to hear my answer also, so she told me to go ahead.

I drew two boxes on the black board. In one I wrote “science book” and the other I wrote “The Bible.”

The science book, I said, tells us what and how. The Bible tells us Who and why. We need both books. The teacher was a little stunned. The child simply found the answer satisfactory. I was dumbfounded. I did not know where that gem of wisdom came from.

It did not come from me.

I read of a neurophysiologist who once said that the more he studied the human brain, the more he believed in God. When I watch the science programs where people like Dr. Stephen Hawking try to explain the source and substance of the universe, and finally admit that they really have no idea, this where I see God.

You can believe in Adam and Eve, or you can believe in the Big Bang. If it started with Adam and Eve, then God made them from the dust after creating the Universe in 6 days. If you believe there was a Big Bang, then it must have been God who lit the fuse.

Speaking of creation, I can actually thank Carl Reiner for helping me with the 6-day creation thing. In his movie, “Oh, God!” John Denver’s character told “God” played by George Burns, that he did not believe that everything was created in 6 days, to which “God” replied, “Do you know how long a day is for me? When I woke up this morning, Sigmund Freud was still in medical school.”

This joke had profound meaning for me. The Bible says everything was done in 6 days. Being typical, self-centered creatures, we assume 6 24-hour days. How long would a day be for One who is infinite? Years? Centuries? Eons?

Starting to make a little sense, isn’t it?