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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-10-18, Page 26By Pastor Ernest DowLiving Water Christian Fellowship(EMC), Blyth When you look up at the sky on a crisp moonless night, the vastness of our galaxy and the scarcely-seen universe beyond cannot help but fill you with wonder. So many stars and possible solar systems like our own! Could it be that somewhere out there can be found a planet as marvellous as our own, possibly even with life, and conscious beings like ourselves? This month, a project to search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence in outer space, as well as study deep space phenomena, began with the activation of a new radio telescope array in California. The first 42 of 350 radio dishes in the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), each some 6 metres wide, have begun collecting data from the far corners of the universe. Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen is the primary funder of the project (hence its name). His foundation has donated $25 million to the project; another $50 million is needed to complete it. An astronomer with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute enthuses, “The ATA’s technical capabilities exponentially increase our ability to search for intelligent signals, and may lead to the discovery of thinking beings elsewhere in the universe...It is the first major telescope in the world built specifically for undertaking a search for extraterrestrial intelligence.” While it may be scientifically valuable to obtain a better understanding of pulsars, supernovas, and black holes, one can’t help but wonder about the philosophy and motives driving the quest for extraterrestrial intelligence. Those who subscribe to an evolutionary view of the origin of life may look to it for vindication of the theory that nothing plus mathematics plus millions of years spontaneously produces chemical soup, and eventually organisms, and eventually intelligent life. Given just the right conditions, of course. The Bible does not explicitly rule out the possibility of life existing in other solar systems. But it does posit that, if it exists, God brought it into being. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” “Through [the Word] all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3) Such talk would make non-theists uncomfortable, because it suggests created beings such as ourselves would have a moral responsibility to such a sovereign Designer. Often it is this moral or philosophical element that drives people to search for other explanations of the origin of life and intelligence, rather than pure scientific fact. Actually, the facts point the otherdirection - to the necessity of an intelligent Creator. Roger Penrose, a colleague of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, has calculated that “the accuracy of the Creator's aim” would have to be one part in 10exp10(123) in order for our universe to support life. These findings have prompted Stephen Hawking to state, “The odds against a universe like ours emerging out of something like the Big Bang are enormous. I think there are clearly religious implications whenever you start to discuss the origins of the universe. There must be religious overtones. But I think most scientists prefer to shy away from the religious side of it.” Brillouin's equation can be used to show that natural processes cannot produce sequences, structures or systems that have an information content much higher than 20 bits. The genetic codes for organic life have an information content that is far above the threshold beyond which intelligent design is required; for example, the simple bacterium, E. coli, has a makeup constituting an information content of 7.9 million bits. Scripture doesn’t specifically say we are the only habitable world supporting life. But what if “we’re it”? Can we existentially accept the possibility that this might be the only planet in the whole wide universe with intelligent life? Might it not be preferable that we assumed this until proven otherwise? That would surely accentuate the need for environmental stewardship of this precious planet with its unique conditions. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and takecare of it.” (Genesis 2:15)One also has to question the propriety of huge sums being spent on such projects as the ATA while there is so much suffering occurring on Earth that could be significantly abetted by changing our financial priorities. Ross Buckley in an article in World Policy Journal observes, “According to UNICEF, over 500,000 children under the age of five died each year in Africa and Latin America in the late 1980s as a direct result of the debt crisis and its management under the International Monetary Fund’s structural adjustment programs... The debt crisis has never been resolved for much of sub-Saharan Africa. Extrapolating from the UNICEF data, as many as 5,000,000 children and vulnerable adults may have lost their lives in this blighted continent as a result of the debt crunch.” Debt cancellation would go a long way toward improving conditions in the most heavily indebted poor countries. There have been numerous promises, but Greenpeace Canada reports that despite all these, “By 2002, however, the G8 had delivered only three cents on the dollar of its commitments, meaning the South’s debt load continues to spiral upwards.” So we are presented with the paradox that powerful resource-rich agencies choose to spend millions of dollars scanning the furthest reaches of the universe for intelligent life, while ignoring - or failing to show awareness of - the millions of their fellow humans perishing at their doorstep. How ‘intelligent’ is that? We are back with the murderer Cainpetulantly retorting to God, “Am I mybrother’s keeper?” Jesus Christ told His disciples the main thing was this: “Love one another.” (John 13:34) That would seem to predispose us to aid humans who suffer in nearby countries rather than allocate extravagant resources to wild goose chases of a SETI nature. Microsoft’s other co-founder, BillGates, seems to have better priorities: the aims of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation globally are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty. That seems a much more intelligent plan! PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2007.From the Minister’s StudyPastor says money better spent on earth 308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 519-523-4590 B l y t h C o m m u n ity Church of God C H U R C H O F G O D ,ANDERS O N , I N D I A N A “The Church is not a building, it is people touching people Sunday School 9:45 a.m. - Christian Education for all ages 11:00 a.m. - Worship Service Mid-week Bible Studies See you Sunday! Please join us for worship SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00am Evening Service 7:30pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Pastor John Kuperus Hwy. 4, Blyth THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA Welcomes you to come and worship with us SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 Trinity, Blyth 9:30 a.m. 519-523-9595 St. John's, Brussels 11:15 a.m. 519-887-6862 Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street Blyth United Church Office: 519-523-4224 Worship Service and Sunday School ~ 11 a.m. Guest Speaker: Sandy Morris Sunday, October 21 All Welcome MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 519-887-9831 11:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship - Sunday School 9:30 am - Sunday Belgrave Service 153rd Anniversary Service at Melville Special Guest Speaker ~ Ivor Williams Special Music by the Ballagh Family Fingerfood lunch to follow BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Sandra Cable, Worship Leader Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca Sunday, October 21 Ethel United Church Worship Service - 9:30 a.m. Brussels United Church Worship Service - 11:00 a.m. Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Family Sunday School 10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service 7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Service Wednesday 6:30 p.m. - Olympians (JK to Grade 6) 7:00 p.m. - Youth and Adult Bible Study HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH Auburn - 519-526-1131 PASTOR DAVE WOOD getlivingwater.org Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848 Oct. 21: Philippians 1:3ff Living Water Christian Fellowship at Blyth Public School, corner of King & Mill 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School Christ-centred, Bible-believing, Fellowship-friendly, Growth-geared 1st & 3rd Mondays - Prayer Warriors Tuesdays - Wingham Small Group Youth: Mondays - Senior - Fridays - Junior Mondays 5 pm at BPS: GODROCKS! ages 4-6 “What Will Keep Us from Giving Up?” Partners in God’s Good Work Renewal It was an ABC Fall Renewal at Huron Chapel Evangelical Missionary Church in Auburn on Saturday. Sponsored by the women’s ministries of Auburn, Blyth and Clinton EMC, the event featured guest speaker Marion Ford, “portrayiing God’s love through singing and drama”. In the afternoon Ford performed her new drama Go Forward, decpicting the live of Mary Slessor, a missionary in Calibar, Africa. The day also included a time of praise and worship, a fashion show and a book display. (Vicky Bremner photo)