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
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“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)