I Think. Therefore I Might Be.

I like to think that I think  deep thoughts. They might not be as deep as I imagine them to be, but that realization does not dissuade me from thinking them. Nor should it…I think.

My latest thought project is trying to link string theory with the Christian mystery of the Triune God. (As you can plainly see, I do not lack for ambition.)

The main hurdle for me is that I don’t really know anything about either subject, although I am trying to learn. I’ve never studied theoretical physics, quantum mechanics, or string theory. Who has, really? Only people you try to avoid at cocktail parties and PTA meetings. When you get down in the details, where the devil resides, there is math. I’m an accountant by trade. I don’t do math unless I have to.

The Trinity is a mystery even when you know quite a lot about it. The first thing you learn about the Trinity is that it is pretty much unknowable. Theories abound, but they all stop short of saying what it is and how it works in any definitive way. It’s a mystery according to theologians, but then theologians like to say stuff like that when they haven’t yet figured out how to explain the thing they want you to believe.

Beginnings (a leap of faith)

I got started with this endeavor by musing on a couple of clever things I’ve said before that stuck with me – mostly because I hold my own cleverness in high regard:

1. Science confirms Faith in ways only a poet can understand.
2. Since the aim of science is to know and understand the laws of nature, and God is the author of the laws of nature, science and religion can never be at odds. If they appear to be at odds, either the science is incomplete or the religion is mistaken.

That second one gets me into a lot more trouble than the first. The first is too abstruse to be regarded as dangerous. It sounds smart, but what does it really mean? I don’t even know for sure and I wrote it.

That second one though… There are lots of people around who embrace either science or religion to the exclusion of the other. So, if you are a big fan of science, you will likely have decided that religion is the stuff of myths and superstition and can’t be taken seriously. On the other hand, if you are a devout person of faith, you will likely be thinking, “Did that heretical bastard just say my religion is mistaken?”

I’ve encountered both types. I’ve argued with both types. Both types are in my family, so they’re inescapable. You see my problem here. I’m apparently one of a rare breed of person who admires both science and faith, because I think both are essential to understanding the world in which we live.

You can’t really posit that your religion explains anything to satisfaction if it ignores all the science that points in another direction. Science tries to explain creation, even when it seems to be denying that creation ever happened. There is a fundamental difference between studying how things are and speculating on how they came to be. So long as you believe that God, your God, is the author of creation, you can’t ignore the science that seeks to learn how His creation works.

Besides, there are 4,300 distinct religions in the world. They’re all different. Some of them have to be wrong. Could be yours. I’m not saying that it is. I’m just saying, if you’re taking stuff on faith, you can’t really be certain about it, can you? Else it wouldn’t be faith. It would be certain knowledge. Faith can move mountains. Certain knowledge can’t even move a Republican. If you don’t believe me, you can read Kierkegaard on the subject.

As to science, You can’t really have a complete cosmology without the metaphysical, Pope John Paul II said so, even though Stephen Hawking thought otherwise. Let’s face it. There are things that science can’t explain, well…yet, so we shouldn’t stop trying. That’s what I mean when I say, “the science is incomplete.” I’m actually trying to advance that frontier with this endeavor. Stick with me. It’s probably going to take a while, and there will surely be some bumps and turns along the way. I’m learning as I go.

If you found this little exercise in deep vs. daft thought to be entertaining, amusing, interesting, or useful in any way please consider sharing it with your friends and acquaintances by clicking on one of the social media buttons below. If you want to go even further to show your appreciation, you might want to also click on the Books tab at the top of the page and actually buy one of my books. I can assure you they are neither deep nor difficult. They may be a bit daft, but they are fun!