God and the Moon
I recently finished Carlo Revelli’s “Seven Brief Lessons on Physics” (http://www.sevenbrieflessons.com/), a gift from my sister. It’s been awhile since I’ve delved very deep into physics, and it is a bit of a mind blowing read. One thing I learned is that we now believe there are trillions of galaxies, and not just the 100 billion that I had last heard. Trillions of galaxies. Galaxies average over 100 billion stars, so that’s hundreds of billions of trillions of stars. A certain percentage of those are G class stars like our Sun, and a certain percentage of those have a rocky planet the appropriate distance from the star that it could support life. So the number of rocky planets that may be able support life is amazingly high. Not “common” as far as planets go, but you know, in the billions of trillions range.
On the one hand, I find this exciting - we might have friends out there! (Maybe little slimy amoeba friends, but still.) On the other hand, I now have to further adjust my ideas about Earth and just how special is it, and frankly, how special are we? In the face of a vast universe, it’s easy to not feel special at all. But as Christian, I believe and have had religious experiences that suggest to me that we are all very special, even given our smallish size in relation to the greater cosmos.
Ack - now I’m mixing science and religion! Quite so - it is my lot in life, and I’m confused why we can’t find more common ground here. One of the great puzzles for me in our modern age is this unnecessary battle between “science” and “religion” that some people want to wage, as if they are utterly incompatible. To me they are both part of the larger truth. I reject the extremes. Hardline rationalists want to only believe in what they can absolutely know concretely through controlled observation. The scientific method is paramount, as proven by the many gifts it has provided mankind. All other approaches are “superstitious” and “wishful thinking”. Hardline religious fundamentalists want to only believe in the scripture they can hold in their hand. They revolt against an atheistic model that abandons time-tested values of ages past, and seems to lead to a life of morality-free, selfish pleasure seeking that threatens the stability and longevity of a healthy community. All non-fundamental approaches are “sacrilegious” and frighteningly “unwise”.
If we are charitable, we recognize that both of these views seek to find an absolute foundation for truth. They do not tolerate “gray zones” or “squishy” areas of thought. There can be many other motives at play, but this is a strong element of both views, and it is not an irrational goal.
My objection to both approaches is how much information both sides must ignore in order to defend what I consider their extreme positions. Truth may be clean for God, but we see through a glass darkly; I think for us Truth is messy. That does not make it less true. We must have courage in the face of this, and learn to tolerate the discomfort of not understanding everything. I believe this leads to a more complete, albeit more complex, understanding of reality.
And so I wish rationalists would not ignore miracles when they occur, outliers though they may be, nor fundamentalists ignore basic and obvious observations of nature that we lump under the label “science” but that any boy scout or girl scout can readily confirm. I also wish both sides would lighten up a little on this “you’re either with us entirely or you are the enemy” mentality. I am not advocating the compromise of Truth (with a capital “T”). I advocate the full embrace of Truth in all its complexity, as best we are able, and with some humility as we go.
For an interesting example, let’s consider the Moon. The Moon is just over 2,100 miles across and orbits at an average distance of 239,000 miles. It orbits in such a way that we only ever see one side of it. Its gravity is responsible for creating tides on the Earth. These facts regarding the Moon’s orientation toward Earth, its impact on tides, and its distance from us create some interesting side effects.
Orientation: That we only ever see one side of the moon can give the sense that somehow in the heavens, things are more constant and less temperamental than life on Earth sometimes feels. We now know of course that the heavens are filled with great collisions and amazing changes of every kind, but these happen over such long stretches of time compared to our lives, they do still feel “constant” in relation to us. For me the constant orientation of the moon (from a given latitude) is somehow a source of reassurance. That may sound silly, but it is my experience. And I wonder, why should we be so lucky that the Moon would be oriented this way?
Tides: Tides play an important role in maintaining life on the planet. The gravitational pull exerted by the moon helps to stabilize our weather conditions overall, giving life a better chance. It also helps to spread the heat more evenly around the planet via the ocean currents. There are even some who postulate that life on the planet may not have evolved if we did not have tides. The rise and fall of the water over the rocks creates an interesting biology lab where the evaporation process might have allowed early prototype nucleic acid solutions to concentrate during low tide, and then have additional material added during high tide. Tides are certainly special in maintaining life on the planet now, and may have been important to getting life going in the first place - and our Moon is to thank.
Distance: The Moon is slowly drifting away. But at our present time within the life of the universe, the distance of the moon is such that we are able to witness total Solar eclipses. It is amazing to me that we would be alive at this time to do so. Why should we be here now to see such a thing? And the power of an eclipse impresses me. Some witnesses of full Solar eclipses report it being a much more spiritual event than they expected, even life-changing. I have never seen it personally so I feel inadequate to describe what it must be like, but there are those who report spontaneous tears of joy, and deep emotions invoked in observers of all stripes and creeds. Even normally non-religious people can experience something like an involuntary religious response. This is a very special experience that may only be possible on our planet, and only for a certain cosmological time period.
I love the science of the Moon, even as I probably get bits of it wrong. My appreciation for the beauty of the universe is increased as my scientific knowledge is increased. And at the same time, I see mind-blowing “coincidences”, little gifts like a Solar eclipse even being possible. Why should the Moon be exactly the size it is and at the distance it is that it almost exactly covers up the Sun from our perspective? Even within the confines of this universe and its laws and its perfect energy balance, things could easily be much different. We could have 2 moons, or no moons, or a larger or smaller moon. But we don’t. We have our Moon. I look up at it, I’m amazed that it’s there, and I’m grateful.
So the Moon is special to me. Is this proof of God? Maybe not proof, but a strong Clue. One of a few strong clues that keeps me in the faith, despite my many questions.
And I do have many questions, for Scientists and Theologians alike. I remain skeptical about propositions from all sides; I think an overabundance of arrogance abounds everywhere, where we claim to “know” more than we really do. But I also remain open. I still think real truth lies somewhere in the mix.
If you’re like me and are interested in these things, I’d be interested in chatting; to hear what you think, what you have found, and what you believe.
Some references:
https://www.space.com/18145-how-far-is-the-moon.html
https://space-facts.com/the-moon/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/11/15/the-number-of-earth-like-planets-in-the-universe-is-staggering-heres-the-math/#7da65dd04932
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/moon-life-tides/
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8/10/16114762/total-solar-eclipse-chasers-2017
On the one hand, I find this exciting - we might have friends out there! (Maybe little slimy amoeba friends, but still.) On the other hand, I now have to further adjust my ideas about Earth and just how special is it, and frankly, how special are we? In the face of a vast universe, it’s easy to not feel special at all. But as Christian, I believe and have had religious experiences that suggest to me that we are all very special, even given our smallish size in relation to the greater cosmos.
Ack - now I’m mixing science and religion! Quite so - it is my lot in life, and I’m confused why we can’t find more common ground here. One of the great puzzles for me in our modern age is this unnecessary battle between “science” and “religion” that some people want to wage, as if they are utterly incompatible. To me they are both part of the larger truth. I reject the extremes. Hardline rationalists want to only believe in what they can absolutely know concretely through controlled observation. The scientific method is paramount, as proven by the many gifts it has provided mankind. All other approaches are “superstitious” and “wishful thinking”. Hardline religious fundamentalists want to only believe in the scripture they can hold in their hand. They revolt against an atheistic model that abandons time-tested values of ages past, and seems to lead to a life of morality-free, selfish pleasure seeking that threatens the stability and longevity of a healthy community. All non-fundamental approaches are “sacrilegious” and frighteningly “unwise”.
If we are charitable, we recognize that both of these views seek to find an absolute foundation for truth. They do not tolerate “gray zones” or “squishy” areas of thought. There can be many other motives at play, but this is a strong element of both views, and it is not an irrational goal.
My objection to both approaches is how much information both sides must ignore in order to defend what I consider their extreme positions. Truth may be clean for God, but we see through a glass darkly; I think for us Truth is messy. That does not make it less true. We must have courage in the face of this, and learn to tolerate the discomfort of not understanding everything. I believe this leads to a more complete, albeit more complex, understanding of reality.
And so I wish rationalists would not ignore miracles when they occur, outliers though they may be, nor fundamentalists ignore basic and obvious observations of nature that we lump under the label “science” but that any boy scout or girl scout can readily confirm. I also wish both sides would lighten up a little on this “you’re either with us entirely or you are the enemy” mentality. I am not advocating the compromise of Truth (with a capital “T”). I advocate the full embrace of Truth in all its complexity, as best we are able, and with some humility as we go.
For an interesting example, let’s consider the Moon. The Moon is just over 2,100 miles across and orbits at an average distance of 239,000 miles. It orbits in such a way that we only ever see one side of it. Its gravity is responsible for creating tides on the Earth. These facts regarding the Moon’s orientation toward Earth, its impact on tides, and its distance from us create some interesting side effects.
Orientation: That we only ever see one side of the moon can give the sense that somehow in the heavens, things are more constant and less temperamental than life on Earth sometimes feels. We now know of course that the heavens are filled with great collisions and amazing changes of every kind, but these happen over such long stretches of time compared to our lives, they do still feel “constant” in relation to us. For me the constant orientation of the moon (from a given latitude) is somehow a source of reassurance. That may sound silly, but it is my experience. And I wonder, why should we be so lucky that the Moon would be oriented this way?
Tides: Tides play an important role in maintaining life on the planet. The gravitational pull exerted by the moon helps to stabilize our weather conditions overall, giving life a better chance. It also helps to spread the heat more evenly around the planet via the ocean currents. There are even some who postulate that life on the planet may not have evolved if we did not have tides. The rise and fall of the water over the rocks creates an interesting biology lab where the evaporation process might have allowed early prototype nucleic acid solutions to concentrate during low tide, and then have additional material added during high tide. Tides are certainly special in maintaining life on the planet now, and may have been important to getting life going in the first place - and our Moon is to thank.
Distance: The Moon is slowly drifting away. But at our present time within the life of the universe, the distance of the moon is such that we are able to witness total Solar eclipses. It is amazing to me that we would be alive at this time to do so. Why should we be here now to see such a thing? And the power of an eclipse impresses me. Some witnesses of full Solar eclipses report it being a much more spiritual event than they expected, even life-changing. I have never seen it personally so I feel inadequate to describe what it must be like, but there are those who report spontaneous tears of joy, and deep emotions invoked in observers of all stripes and creeds. Even normally non-religious people can experience something like an involuntary religious response. This is a very special experience that may only be possible on our planet, and only for a certain cosmological time period.
I love the science of the Moon, even as I probably get bits of it wrong. My appreciation for the beauty of the universe is increased as my scientific knowledge is increased. And at the same time, I see mind-blowing “coincidences”, little gifts like a Solar eclipse even being possible. Why should the Moon be exactly the size it is and at the distance it is that it almost exactly covers up the Sun from our perspective? Even within the confines of this universe and its laws and its perfect energy balance, things could easily be much different. We could have 2 moons, or no moons, or a larger or smaller moon. But we don’t. We have our Moon. I look up at it, I’m amazed that it’s there, and I’m grateful.
So the Moon is special to me. Is this proof of God? Maybe not proof, but a strong Clue. One of a few strong clues that keeps me in the faith, despite my many questions.
And I do have many questions, for Scientists and Theologians alike. I remain skeptical about propositions from all sides; I think an overabundance of arrogance abounds everywhere, where we claim to “know” more than we really do. But I also remain open. I still think real truth lies somewhere in the mix.
If you’re like me and are interested in these things, I’d be interested in chatting; to hear what you think, what you have found, and what you believe.
Some references:
https://www.space.com/18145-how-far-is-the-moon.html
https://space-facts.com/the-moon/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/11/15/the-number-of-earth-like-planets-in-the-universe-is-staggering-heres-the-math/#7da65dd04932
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/moon-life-tides/
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8/10/16114762/total-solar-eclipse-chasers-2017