RELG 340 - Science and Religion
Course Notes for Module 4
Quarks, Chaos, & Christianity : Introduction, chapters 1, 2, 3
- p. 49 - cosmic ripples
- There seem to be large areas of space-time with minute variations in temperature. They were detected in 1992 by United States astrophysicist George F. Smoot. The ripples were predicted by the big bang theory. Their discovery was based on data from the observation satellite COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer).
Dr. Polkinghorne uses the word "fossils" not in its usual sense of the remains of prehistoric creatures of on earth, but to indicate the remaining evidence of an earlier state of affairs. When he writes of "the world" being about half a million years old - it might have been better to say "the universe" - at that time there were no planets - in fact, "matter" as we know it had was only about to be formed. - p. 56 - five fingers
- Dr. Polkinghorne is expressing his own personal thoughts at this point. I myself am inclined to the view that "five fingers" (rather than three, seven, or a variable number) may well be part of the original design.
- p. 63 - Ena Harkness
- Ena Harkness is a variety of rose
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
