Dan Hagen

“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements – the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life – weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to ge tinto your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.”

-Lawrence Krauss

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”

“Yup,” I said.

“I… I died?”

“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”

“More or less,” I said.

“Are you god?” You asked.

“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.” more »

In high school astronomy class, Mr. Lund held an open forum one day for students to discuss their thoughts on the big bang and the creation of the universe. I found it both exciting and intriguing – even if some of the students’ ideas were a bit stupid.

As to be expected with such a discussion, references to the possibility of the existence of a god or gods came up. I made a point that science is used simply to explain “what is” and not “what isn’t.” As it stands, using science for the sole purpose of further exploring the possibility of a god or supreme being is impractical. While absolutely no one can say for sure if there exists such a being, the evidence leans further and further toward no. So, while science is great for explaining something that “is”, it currently cannot explain something such as a god, which most likely “isn’t.”

Mr. Lund stated that this is why topics on god belong in the “theological realm”, and not in the “scientific realm.”

It sounds agreeable at first, but after a moment’s thought, it baffles me. Theological and scientific realms? Have you forgotten the fact that for thousands of years, religion was indeed used to explain scientific/natural phenomena?  Horus and Ra’s sailing of the sun, Prometheus’s creation of fire, to name a couple. more »