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In the Beginning
 
                 
                         
 

To the religious, the opening text of the Bible is enough to believe in the truthfulness of creation. Not so with skeptics and unbelievers, i.e., atheists or agnostics. Given the unrelenting stance of the scientific community, for quite some time science and religion are at loggerheads about the origin of the universe and life itself.
     Astrophysicists try hard to enlighten us about the so-called big bang that supposedly gave birth to the universe. According to this theory, in the beginning space and time do not exist. And, the entire universe–all the galaxies with their billions of stars having their own solar systems–begun as an unimaginably small compressed matter. Then, there comes a cosmic explosion, and as the resulting debris cools there was the universe, space, and time began ticking. And that supposedly happened some 13.7 billion years ago.
     As for the origin of life, biologists posits that life may have begun as a tiny speck of protoplasm or one celled organism, perhaps in a pond or somewhat wet environment. Then, incredibly, that one-celled thing began splitting, dividing and replicating itself until it became thousands and thousands of species of complex and different living creatures through a process called evolution. And as biologists would have us believe, many chose to remain in the watery environment, and many more happened to grow feet, wings and preferred to live inland.
     Does that sound simple? Not quite. All of this, of course, is just a theory and the fact is, there's a great gulf between theory and reality. Regrettably, as the eminent scientists and religious leaders fail to reconcile their disagreements, mankind has had to live in an atmosphere of contention as the former staunchly uphold scientific conceit.
     Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring forth their witness, that they may be justified, Isaiah 43:9

 
   
Science vs Religion?
Can't science and religion (Bible-based religion) complement each other leading towards transforming our troubled planet into a much better world? Physicist Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate (1979), has this to say,
     "All human beings, whether religious or not, are caught in a tragic situation of never fully being able to understand the world we are in. I don't believe in God, but I don't make a religion out of not believing in God. It is logically possible (emphasis supplied) that something could be discovered that will make me change my mind, and it will be interesting if that happens. But I don't expect it. It is always possible that we will discover something in nature that cannot be explained in the naturalistic way we've gotten used to in science that will really require divine intervention," Newsweek September 15, 2008 p. 49.
     I find it equally interesting that this eminent scientist – an atheist at heart – did not completely close his mind, and leaves room for the possibility that he may yet change his mind. By the way, neither Isaac Newton nor Albert Einstein denied the existence of Elohim.
     But Steven Weinberg still believes that ultimately, science will be proven right and triumph over religion. Consider more of his words.
     "The more we learn about the universe, the fewer signs we see of an intelligent designer. People who expect to find evidence of divine action in nature, in the origin of the universe, or in the laws that govern matter, are probably going to be disappointed," Newsweek September 15, 2008 p. 49.
     In brushing aside the concept of an Intelligent Designer, this man of science is saying that everything in the universe, including him, just happened to exist without a creator and with no purpose whatsoever. That means he believes that in the event of his death, it's the end of everything in him, and nothing more beyond the grave. If that were true, does that mean Mr. Weinberg himself believes that when he dies, he is no better than a stinking dead rat? If that were true, then why the need to go to a university to get a degree or doctorate in physics, and then only to die and disappear forever?
     Five years ago, I bought an inexpensive Nokia mobile phone at which I never ceased to marvel. I don't understand how it works. All I know is that by slightly pressing the keys, I can connect and communicate with my daughter who is now a resident of Montreal in Canada. Now, which is more reasonable to believe - that this wonderful little gadget just happened to pop out of empty space, or that an intelligent mind conceived of the various parts, then assembled them and came up with my little phone for a purpose?
     Needless to say, science and technology have catapulted humans from the primitive stone age era to the highly advanced society we are now in. But that doesn't mean everything scientists tell us is credible. The fact is, modern science, albeit buttressed by technology and philosophy, is still groping in the dark as to the complexities of nature. Until now complexity is the bane of scientists. Just one force alone that operates in the universe, i.e., gravity, is enough to baffle the physicists.
     Common sense, logic, and the fact that even the seemingly most simple organism is anything but simple, and is actually a microcosm of complexity, points to an Intelligent Designer who caused all things to exist.
     For by Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together, Col. 1:16-17.
 
   
Humans: Evolution in Reverse?
Charles Darwin (1809-82), English naturalist and the father of evolution, coined the term “natural selection” ostensibly to make his theory more appealing and credible. As space limitations forbids the discussion of how the dizzying array of the multiple thousands of varied life forms supposedly descended from a single-celled thing through evolution sans a creator, let's bypass the issue and focus on man, whom biological science dubbed "the highest form of animal.”
     By the way, dear reader, how would you like to have the capuchins, chimpanzees or bonobos as your distant relatives? That's what Charles Darwin thinks they are. The underlying concept or principle of the so-called natural selection is the evolving of a lower life form into a much better one. Biological science tells us that the process took millions and millions of years, until, most scientists believe, we humans appeared on the scene some 250,000 years ago. Now, taking into account the dynamics that supposedly came into play in evolution, logic demands that we humans should have evolved, or are progressively evolving, into a much superior species. Did that happen? Or, is it happening?
     For the answer, let's consider man's lifespan from olden times to our day. To do this we need to turn to recorded history. Although most scientists don't believe in it, the Bible has been proven time and again as a fairly credible historical record. Now, let's take a glimpse of man's average lifespan during the pre-diluvian period.
     And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years (950) , and he died, Gen. 9:29.
     Except for Mahalaleel (895 yrs) and Lamech (777 yrs) , the other six patriachs lived well past nine hundred years, Genesis 5. And then in Genesis 6:3 we read,
     And Yahweh said, “My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years”.
     This text finds fulfillment in the life of Moses.
     Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone, Deut 34:7 NW.
     But Moses knew that man's lifespan would still become shorter. Here's a line in Moses' prayer as recorded in the psalms.
     The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, If we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away, Ps. 90:10 NW.
     The World Almanac (2002) confirms that nowadays, the average lifespan in the western European nations, North America and a few others, e.g., Israel, Japan, Singapore, etc., is in accordance with this prophecy. But among the so-called Third World nations, life-span has already dropped to 40-65 years. Even lower are the African nations of Botswana and Malawi, a shocking 37 years.
     The progressive decline of mankind's lifespan and physical condition starkly belies and even reverses Darwin's theory of natural selection or evolution. This brings to mind the rumor about that infamous Nazi dictator, who, believing in the superiority of the Aryan race, had thought of a grand project to pair off outstanding German men and women conceivably to produce a new generation of highly superior Germans. If that were true, obviously nothing came of it or Adolf Hitler's project; and today German lifespan remains at 74-80 years just like the other western democratic nations.
 
   
Particle Physics
Steven Weinberg and the other physicists place much hope on particle physics to unlock and reveal all the mysteries of the universe. And corollary to this is the long sought simplification or unification of the four fundamental forces that governs everything in nature, i.e., the weak, strong, electromagnetic and gravity. You see, these four forces don't mix, and that's what makes the physicists crazy. Now their goal is to integrate or unify gravity with the other three forces, and arrive at what British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking calls "the theory of everything.” Thus, they hope that ultimately they will be able to explain everything about the universe, nature and even life itself.
     A step towards achieving their goal is the building of the most ambitious project ever attempted by man. Funded by the European Organization for Nuclear Research or CERN, on the outskirts of Geneva near the Swiss-French border scientists dug a 27 km tunnel with a radius of 4.3 kms, and filled it with electromagnets, superconductors and other sophisticated instruments at the staggering cost of $8 billion. This is the Large Hadron Collider (LBO). Technically, the LHC is a particle accelerator, but also functions as a super magnifier (like a microscope), designed to prove and reveal the exciting new world of the very small, i.e., particles.
     Until a few years ago, scientists had thought of the atom to be the smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist. Not any more. Recent findings reveal the existence of still smaller particles. And by unlocking the secrets locked-up inside this exciting new world of the very small with the LHO, scientists expect to understand and come up with answers to all the mysteries of nature.
     Although reluctantly, Steven Weinberg hinted that should there be something in nature that can not be explained by science, he may yet change his mind. Well, here's the question: How did that unimaginably small compressed matter come to exist? And, how small could it really be? Consider this: scientists say that microbes are so small and that a thousand of them could fit comfortably on the period at the end of this sentence. And lastly, what triggered the big bang that supposedly gave birth to the universe?
     The fool hath said in his heart, “There is no Elohim. Corrupt are they and have done abominable iniquity... Elohim looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek Elohim,” Ps. 53:1-2.
 
   
Science: Boon or Bane?
In terms of convenience, science and technology has brought upon us many wonderful things. For example, as compared to Daniel's time, travel is now fantastically fast, generally safe and convenient that people virtually 'run to and fro' from one place to another, Dan.12:4. Consider in brief, other things or developments brought upon us by science. Let's begin with the most outstanding achievement in science during the Truman era.
     Physicists finally succeeded to unlock and harness the energy locked-up inside the atom, and came up with the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki fame. Horribly, in an instant thousands and thousands of unwary residents of the two cities were either cremated or vaporized. Now in the hands of several nations, this monstrous weapon of mass destruction has become a sort of sword of Damocles' threatening the whole of mankind.
     Many households may think of the fridge as a blessing, but perhaps unaware that the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) used in refrigerators and aerosols has already created a hole in the ozone layer the size of Antarctica – letting in unfiltered ultraviolet light. No wonder many people today have skin cancer.
     The modern car culture makes the family car a necessity much less a luxury – and many families aren't contented with just one car, and have two or more. For some practical reasons or purpose that's fine, and Americans love it; but people are seemingly oblivious of the fact that the greenhouse gas emissions from their cars is the number one contributor to global warming that is melting the polar ice caps.
     Today, the earth's atmosphere is greatly polluted by carbon dioxide. Al Gore says a significant amount of the CO2 in the atmosphere is being absorbed by the seas and lakes, causing acidification and slowly affecting and endangering the corals and all marine life that have shells, including krills and planktons – the very basis of the food chain in the aquatic worlds. Aside from that, many of the world's factories stealthily dump their industrial wastes into the rivers, lakes and oceans aggravating the water pollution. And as the polar ice melts, the sea level began to rise and low-lying coastal towns, cities and even island nations (The Maldives) face the prospect of being submerged. In one coastal district of Metro Manila, Philippines, residents now have to take a flat-bellied canoe from their homes to and from work as their once paved streets became like the canals of Venice.
     Meanwhile, global warming has greatly disrupted the weather patterns and conditions, leading to climate change and now we have super cyclones, hurricanes, or typhoons and unprecedented droughts never before experienced. In fact, the seven year drought in Australia has altogether stopped rice production in that country, causing world wide shortage of rice and jacking up the price of this very important commodity. And all these are the outcome of science and technology. Instead of taking good care of the earth as commanded by the Creator (Gen. 2:15), man is destroying his designated home.      Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, Rom 1:22.
 
   
Conclusion
Modern sciences' denial of Elohim negates the spiritual standard and guidelines (Decalogue) to noble human values and behavior. As human nature is geared towards self-gratification, it bolstered materialism even more, giving rise to the Epicurean idealism of comfort, high living, elegance and style in human life. Paradoxically, science and technology, which enabled mankind to leap from the primitive to the highly advanced society we are in, is proving to be the same instrument dragging man downward to self-destruction.
     It is indeed sad that bigotry and haughtiness have for ages prevented men with overblown intellect to acknowledge that the universes, and all life forms on earth, are the works of an Intelligent Designer, i.e., Yahweh Elohim. For the men of science the rule is “to see is to believe.” This brings to mind the disciple Thomas, who at first refused to believe that his Rabbi Yahshua has come out of the tomb – risen and alive.
     To date there are still many doubting Thomases, foremost among them are men with impressive academic credentials, atheists or agnostics, denying Elohim their Creator. They would rather believe that life came to be by way of mere chance, and that they evolved from the apes. What a mental delusion – to assume that the universe, the earth, flora and fauna just came to exist without an Intelligent Designer or creator is plain absurdity. The prophet testifies,
     You alone are Yahweh. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is in it, the seas and all that is in them. You gave life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you, Neh. 9:6.
     I neither have a degree nor a doctorate, but I have something the eminent scientists utterly lacked. And that, dear reader, is FAITH. Yes, just simple faith in Yahweh and His Son Yahshua the Messiah.
     Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of Elohim, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear, Heb 11:3.
     Unlike the physicists, I find no need for science to verify the truthfulness of the biblical account of creation.
     In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth, Gen 1:1.
     These ten words – used in a simple sentence – is sufficient to understand the origin of the universe. No need for the LHC. Praise and glory be to Yahweh. HalleluYah.
 
                       
               
-Elder A. S. Untalan, Sr.
                   
                   

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