While watching the Symphony of Science video series, I feel the same inner physical thrill I used to experience when attending prayer meetings and discussing spiritual and theological topics with friends. What these scientists say is true: What is real and knowable is fascinating, arresting, and remarkable. We need not dream up anything else.
To devote our lives to understand this universe using science and reason is a profoundly high calling.
Make sure to view the rest of these wonderful videos here.
Bonus Quote:
”Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” – Carl Sagan
Do you agree?
I am sure we’ve all been asked this question or wondered ourselves. But have you ever heard the answers given by Buddhists? Scientists? Mormons? Taoists? Roger Nygard, director of Trekkies and Trekkies 2, took his curiosity and sense of humor on the road and asked this important question to hundreds of people. His new film The Nature of Existence tells the tale:
I wrote the toughest 85 questions I could think of, about our purpose and the nature of existence, and then asked hundreds of people all over the globe, such as: Indian holy man Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (The Art of Living), evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), 24th generation Chinese Taoist Master Zhang Chengda, Stanford physicist Leonard Susskind (co-discoverer of string theory), wrestler Rob Adonis (founder of Ultimate Christian Wrestling), confrontational evangelist Brother Jed Smock, novelist Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), director Irvin Kershner (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), Stonehenge Druids Rollo Maughfling & King Arthur Pendragon and many more… How would YOU answer?
I decided to take a look at these 85 questions, and I think we should all try them on for size. Here’s a taste:
- Why do we exist?
- What is the best thing about existing?
- What is our purpose?
- Should religions be challenged?
- Is skepticism a good thing?
- Which religion is right?
- Do we have a need to believe in something?
- What is spirituality?
- Is there a God?
- What does God need from us?
- Who is/are the Messiah(s)?
- How do we determine truth?
- Where does morality, or our “conscience,” comes from?
- Does God want to test us? Why?
- What determines sexual orientation?
- Why is God interested in our sexual behavior?
- Do we have free will?
- Is everything predetermined?
- What is best path to happiness?
- Does meditation work?
- Why do we need an afterlife?
- When does life begin?
- What is the greatest danger facing man’s existence?
I love them all, and I think I’d like to take some time to write out my own answers in the future. What do you think of The Nature of Existence? If there’s a screening near you, will you see it?
How would you answer the questions?
What do you think about common superstitions? How many can you think of that people around you still practice or believe in?
Have you ever:
- avoided stepping on sidewalk cracks
- held your breath in a tunnel
- wished someone “Good luck!”
- walked around a ladder instead of underneath it
- been afraid of breaking mirrors
- crossed yourself, kissed a saint medal, or lit a candle before performing a task
- crossed your fingers when telling a lie or wishing for a certain outcome
- believed in Murphy’s Law
- owned a rabbit’s foot or four-leafed clover
- broken a wishbone with a family member or friend
- kept the groom from seeing the bride before the wedding
All of the above are what we see now as silly superstitious actions and beliefs, but still hold a memorable place in western culture. What others did you grow up with that are still practiced even though they have no basis in science or rational thought? Are you at all superstitious? Do you play along with any superstitions for fun? Does it bother you when someone else does?
Photo by shaycam
I’ve been moving house for the past few weeks, and part of that enormously intensive project is dealing with my collection of books. As many of you must also feel, I am emotionally connected to my books because I have memories, experiences, and much of my past life wrapped up in their pages.
One of these volumes from my past is the only devotional I truly enjoyed as a Christian: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (1874-1917). I wasn’t one for fill-in-the-blank Bible studies with banal questions and cookie-cutter insights. Chambers seemed challenging to me at the time because he wasn’t part of the current generation; his thoughts (though nebulous at times and without organization) weren’t bogged down by current culture and the trends of the most modern Christian movements.
So, in a nostalgic tribute to this former chaplain and my former life, I’d like to quote two passages I used to agree with and now critique.
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