RELG 340 - Science and Religion
Course Notes for Module 6
Quarks, Chaos, & Christianity : chapters 7 & 8
- p.108 - the end of the universe
- current estimates of the forces of expansion and contraction suggest that the universe will end in a "Big Crunch"
- p.109 - Moses at the burning bush
- see Exodus 3:1-5, 13-15. The Name by which God identifies Himself here is directly from the Hebrew verb "to be". It is impossible to translate exactly, but implies "BE-ing", some times approximated as "I AM whatever I AM, I will be whatever I will be, I AM that which I AM"
- p.112 - science knows that space, time, and matter all belong together
- I would add the constraint "in this universe" - whether it is true for the "world to come" can be questioned. The paragraph on p.112 shows the influence Process Theology has had on Dr. Polkinghorne - in fact, he describes God as a God of process
- p.116 - believe
- When Dr. Polkinghorne writes that he "believes in" quarks, etc. and the Big Bang, he means that he accepts intellectually that quarks exist and that there was an event described as a Big Bang.
In a Christian sense, "belief in " God, and Jesus Christ, is more than intellectual assent that God exists and that Jesus is God incarnate. It involves "trust in" God, and in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
