Consequences: Science, Philosophy & the Christian-Islam Ideological Crisis

By Miriam Fertig and Robert Fertig

Decades of research by the authors provides their insights on a wide spectrum of Words of Wisdom, from seventy-five scholars: scientists, philosophers, and theologians. They guide readers through a maze of newly discovered scientific facts, philosophical ideas and theories that led civilization to where we are today.
In every heart, there are questions that transcend all differences of culture, nationality, race or religion: Who am I? Where do I come from, and where am I going? Why is there evil in the world? What will there be after this life?
With the stakes of our choices in life so high, it would be prudent to make every effort to choose correctly, especially your Worldview. That takes truth and knowledge from many sources, which fortunately today is more readily available.
In this dialogue on the key issues that have divided Science and Faith, such as the Creation of the Universe, the Origin of Life and Mankind, Free Will, Consciousness, and Islam vs. Christianity, these writers conclude that Science, Philosophy and the Bible are not only compatible, they are mutually supporting.
There is an Ideological War raging between fanatical Islamic and Christian thinking. Muslims will represent one-third of the worlds population by 2050. We had better find a solution to this serious ideological divide.
The literalist reading of the Koran and Christian reading of the Bible misconstrues the true meaning of these holy texts. An open dialogue and debate between leading Islamic and Christian scholars might be the best approach to create a reformist movement (like the Reformation in the 16th century) with the next generation of young Muslims.
Whatever you do (or dont do) in life, has Eternal Consequences!

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491784563

Miriam Fertig

Robert Fertig is the author of, Quicksand, the Beauty and Wonder of Transcendent Truths, a Guide to Universal Truths, the Software Revolution, leading contributor to Waves of Change, co-author of Best Interests of the Children and Engineering Workstations. He is currently an Elder Care Guardian. Miriam A. Fertig is the co-author of Best Interests of the Children, and a major contributor and editor of Consequences. Miriam retired after 40-years of teaching in New Jersey, New York City, Greenwich High School in Greenwich, CT, and the Middle School at St. Paul’s, in Clearwater, FL, where she was voted by her students and peers “Special Teacher” in the 2005 Year Book.  She received The 2007 Endowment Chair for Teacher Excellence for service and professionalism. Miriam earned her B.A. from Hunter College, in NYC, and M.A. from Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT.

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Contents

Preface

Acknowledgement

Reader Response

Introduction

I. Scientific Consequences

Six Cosmic Days of Creation:

Age of the Universe

Equations that Changed the World

Supernovas

Time is Not Constant!

Past is Not Dead!

Immutable laws:

Universal Forces:

Astonishing Coincidences:

Beauty and Harmony:

Einstein’s Blunder:

Climate Change:

Energy Sources:

Natural Disasters:Natural Disasters:

The Great Flood:

Man-Made Disasters:

Uncertainty Principle

Chaos & Chance

Changed Beliefs:

Anthropic Principle:

Scientific Consequences Key Points:

II. Being & Life Perspective

Biological Big Bang:

Mystery of the Genome:

Epigenetic Control:

Mind and Spirit

Multi-Cellular Communities:

Dysfunction and Disease:

Mind and Body:

Conscious and Subconscious:

Programmable Autopilot:

Behavioral Programs:

Central Voices:

Differentiation & Integration:

Life is Unnatural:

Interdependency:

Macro-Evolution:

Phenomena of Life:

Homo sapiens:

New Species of Humans?

Creation Hypothesis:

Early Human History (BCE):

Population Trends:

Developments that Extended Life:

Life Expectancy:

Genetic Entropy:

Evolution and Intelligent Design:

Hierarchical Biological Systems

Developmental Biology

Random Mutations:

Competing Hypotheses:

Intelligent Agents:

Form and Function:

Electronics Analogy:

Random Variation:

Genetic Algorithms

Natural Selection and Foresight:

Universal Hierarchy:

Being & Life Perspective Key Points:

III. Human Consequences

Freedom & Independence:

Intimacy & Cooperation:

Searching for Meaning:

Philosophy of Aristotle:

Life’s Significance:

Finding Meaning:

Destiny & Free Will:

Duties of the Family:

Duties of Parents:

Duties of Children:

Duties of Society & States:

Diversity is good!

Multiculturalism:

Culture & Truth:

Indigenous Cultures:

Evangelization Blunders:

Communion of Cultures:

Euro-centrism Inheritance:

Israel’s Self-Transcendence:

Cultural Identity and Religious Desires:

Self-Transcendence of Culture

Everything (of God) Belongs to All:

Monopolized Minorities:

Human Consequences Key Points:

IV. Philosophies & Ideologies

Empiricism & Naturalism:

Enlightenment:

Utilitarianism:

Modernity:

Age of Reason:

Skepticism:

Pascal’s Wager:

Deism & Rationalism:

Idealism:

Epistemological Idealism:

Solipsism:

Metaphysical Idealism:

Depending on Relations:

Romanticism:

Age of Reason Climax:

Rebirth of Faith:

Reconciling the Irreconcilable:

Darwin’s Evolution Theory:

Nature and Science:

Cause-and-Effect:

Critique of Judgment:

American Romanticism:

Materialism:

Secularism:

God-Centered Societies:

Nihilism & Modernism:

Unnatural Laws:

Unevaluated Evaluator:

Natural Laws:

Imposing Obligations:

Circular Reasoning:

Humanism:

Cain and Abel Model:

Scientific Naturalism:

Progressive Liberalism:

Secular Rationality:

Standards of Rationality:

Renunciation of Faith:

Communism:

Philosophical & Ideology Key Points:

V. Human Values

Conscience:

Pluralism:

True Conscience:

Grammar of Assent:

Newman’s Conscience:

The Human Ego:

Emotionalism:

Soul or Spirit:

Transmutation:

Spirituality:

Deficiency of Idealism:

Evil & Suffering

Group Evil:

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Job’s Ordeal:

Anthropos Morphism:

Temptation:

State of Journeying:

Virtues & Vices:

Passions & Extremism:

Experience & Knowledge:

Sciences (Its):

Civilization (I & We):

Science & Faith:

Great Chain of Being:

Values Perspective Key Points:

VI. Moral Consequences

Standards of Behavior:

Morality and Laws:

Moral Theology:

Scholastic Age:

Secularism:

Sex & Chastity:

Homosexuality:

Origins of Homosexuality:

Birth Control:

Of Human Life (Latin: Humanae Vitae):

Abortion:

Planned Parenthood:

Roe vs. Wade:

Proposed Compromise:

Right to Choose:

Adultery:

Euthanasia:

Suicide:

Capital Punishment:

Self Defense:

War & Peace:

Research & Responsibility:

Impact of Modernity:

Relativism:

Beauty & Truth:

Death of Outrage:

Moral Consequences Key Points:

VII. Theological Dimension

History of Jews & Christians (BCE):

Personal Choice:

Knowledge of the Creator:

Scripture on God’s Existence:

What is Love?

Love of Neighbor:

Forgiveness:

Why Christ Died:

Resurrection of Christ:

Evidence of the Resurrection:

Fanatical Fundamentalism:

Dialogue with a Fundamentalist:

The Battle for God:

Religious Bigotry:

The Holocaust:

Historical Atheism:

Atheistic Authors:

Atheism Dialogue:

Freedom from Religion

Theological Perspective Key Points:

VIII. Faith & Reason

Faith & Good Works:

Dialogue on Faith:

Justification by Faith Alone:

Christian Tradition:

Sola Scriptura:

Skeptical Students:

Tradition and Scripture:

Doctrines:

Church Leaders:

Doctors of the Church:

Monasticism:

Mysticism:

Mediation:

Doctrines & Dogmas:

Miracle of the Resurrection:

Christian Principles:

Development of Doctrine:

What is Sin?

Original Sin:

Greatest Sin:

Apathy & Cynicism:

Greatest Virtue:

Grace (God’s Favor):

Marriage & Divorce::

Heaven & Hell:

Happiness & Joy:

Beatitude:

Education & Evil:

Organized Religion:

Non-Christian Kinship:

Faith & Reason Key Points:

IX. Ideological Consequences

Understanding Islam

Koran or Qur’an:

Islamic Schisms:

Muslim Views about Christians:

Islam-Christian Dialogue

Without Roots:

Political Correctness:

Free will:

Perception of Western Values:

World Demographics:

Ideological Consequences Key Points:

X. Challenges & Opportunities

Death of an Empire:

Christian Challenges:

Radical Islam Challenges:

Environmental Challenges:

Mass Media Mania:

Symbols and Images:

Our Global Society:

Immigration Challenges:

Technological Challenges:

Neo-Darwinism Challenges:

Opportunities:

Cosmology:

Biology:

Psychology:

The Constitution:

Education Systems:

The Self Model:

Consequences Conclusion:

What is truth?

What’s our purpose?

How did we get here?

Appendix

Jewish/Greek/Roman/Christian History

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Consequences represents a major update and summary of our prior books: The Beauty and Wonder of Transcendent Truths (2010), and A Guide to Universal Truths (2007). About 75% of the material was transformative; i.e., paraphrased and interpreted by the authors. Photos and images were purchased, or created by the authors. Photos from space were from NASA, which are in the public domain.

Copyright © 2007, 2010, 2015 by Fertig’s Christian Trust, LLC

Preface

In every heart, there are questions that transcend all differences of culture, nationality, race or religion: Who am I? Where do I come from, and where am I going? Why is there evil in the world? What will there be after this life?

We are here for a brief instant, considering the timelessness and vastness of cosmological time and space. Why do we exist at all in this tiny flickering moment? We’re a mere blip on this time horizon.

Decades of research by the authors provides perspectives on a wide spectrum of words of wisdom, from about seventy-five scholars, philosophers, and theologians.

We guide readers through a maze of newly discovered scientific facts, theories, and ideas that led civilization to where we are today.

With the stakes of our choices so high, it would be prudent to make every effort to choose correctly. That takes knowledge from many sources, which fortunately today is readily available.

In this dialogue on the key issues that have divided Science and Faith, such as the Creation of the Universe, the Origin of Life and Mankind, Free will, Reason and Faith, these writers conclude that Science, Philosophy and the Bible are not only compatible, they are mutually supporting.

There is an Ideological War raging between fanatical Islam, and mistaken Christian thinking. If current trends continue, Muslims will represent one-third of the world’s population by 2030. We had better find a solution to this serious ideological divide.

"Conflicts between Science and the Bible arise from either a lack of scientific knowledge or defective understanding of the Bible." --Moses Maimonides, philosopher, jurist, physician, and foremost intellectual of medieval Judaism.

Whatever you do (or don’t do) in life, has Eternal Consequences!

Acknowledgement

This book depended on the prior works of over seventy-five authors (see the Bibliography), and would not have been possible without the essential and profound contributions they made to the Sciences, Philosophy, and Ideology. All we can claim here is half-a-century as truth seekers, and much of this truth was found in these great works.

Major Reference Sources by Topic:

Micro-Evolution: The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin is a classical work that has affected Christians and non-Christians alike for nearly 150 years, and cannot be ignored by any serious writer about biology, philosophy and Christianity.

Intelligent Design (I.D): Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design, and Icons of Evolution by Jonathan Wells, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute. Also, Darwin Strikes back by Professor Thomas E. Woodward, Ph.D.

Biology and I.D.: Darwin’s Black Box, and Edge of Evolution by Michael Behe, Ph.D., Professor at Lehigh University. We also quoted Stephen C. Meyer’s paper on I.D.

Cosmos: The Privileged Planet by Guillermo Gonzalez, Ph.D. Assistant Research Professor at Iowa State University, and Jay W. Richards, Ph.D., Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute in Seattle.

Epigenetic: The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. covers new research on cell functions and the missing link between life, the environment and consciousness.

Physics: Paul Davis is a theoretical physicist. He was recipient of the 1995 Templeton Prize for the Philosophical Meaning of Science. His outstanding work is God & the New Physics.

Poet/Essayist: Ralph Waldo Emerson was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and minister, who challenged conventional thinking, emphasized human intuition as the way to perceive reality, and believed that nature is one of the Revelations of the Spirit of God.

Human Suffering: Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote about this key issue. Our dialogue on Suffering and Evil motivated an earlier Jewish reader to recommend his books: Who Needs God, and When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

Human Conscience: John Henry Newman is a great thinker and leader of his time. We found his ideas on the Conscience, that inner-light, intriguing.

Fundamentalism: The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong; and Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism by Bishop Spong. While we disagree with their liberal viewpoints, some of their candid thoughts are nevertheless brilliant.

Theology: The Summa Theologiae, by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). This masterpiece represents one of the major theological foundations of Christianity. St. Augustine (354-430). Also, The Basic Writings of St. Augustine (by Whitney J. Oates) contains a wealth of beautiful theological thoughts from this ancient (yet still current) saint.

Jesus Christ: We depended mostly on the NIV version of the Bible. Also, the Hidden Jesus: A New Life by Donald Spoto, Ph.D. in Theology from Fordham University.

Spirituality: The Marriage of the Sense and Soul by Ken Wilber. Ken’s ideas about the I (Individual and Beauty), the We (Collective Morality), and the It (Objective Truths) was of particular interest to us in integrating these forces.

Ethics: Ethics for the New Millennium by the Dalai Lama emphasized that: ultimately the whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion.

Gospels: The best synthesis and analysis of the Gospels was: An Introduction to the New Testament by Raymond E. Brown.

Islam: Understanding Islam, we depended on the leading expert, Thomas W. Lippman, for this important subject.

Christian Principles: Joyful Christian and Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Who can say it better than he? Lewis was an atheist who later converted to Christianity.

Philosophy: Science Before Science—A Guide to Thinking in the 21st Century by Anthony Rizzi, is the link between science and our deepest questions, and helped us to more fully appreciate the fundamental foundation for all the sciences, which is philosophy.

History of Christianity: Multiple viewpoints are provided on the Bible and History of Christianity from: J. P. Meier, A Marginal Jew; and The Victory of Reason by Rodney Stark.

Western Relativism: "Without Roots" is based on an exchange of letters between Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) and Marcello Pera, President of the Italian Senate. We think their view are extremely interesting.

Worldviews: Universe Next Door by James W. Sire contributed to our better understanding of different Worldviews; that is, Ideologies, Philosophies, and Religions that evolved over many, many centuries.

Science: The Science of God (1997) by Gerald L. Schroeder Ph.D. from MIT. His distinguished work on the convergence of scientific and biblical wisdom was discovered weeks before our first manuscript was published. We came to some of the same conclusions. However, he had many scientific details that we lacked.

Reader Response

Consequences: Science, Philosophy & Christian-Islam Ideology by Robert T. Fertig [and Miriam A. Fertig] delves into the ultimate truth about life and gives the answers to a lot of questions concerning religion, science, and philosophy. The topics covered are thematically grouped and the book can be seen as a guide that forms a bridge between belief and skepticism.

The author[s] speak about the compatibility of the Bible, Science and Philosophy, and how these three mutually support each other. [They] establish a link between these topics, offering a different perspective. [They] also examine the conflicting practices that arise when it comes to Islam and Christianity.

The book reaches out to all those people looking to deepen their understanding about truth. The topics covered are concise and will make readers reflect on life, living, and God’s divine providence.

The spiritual state of being that can be experienced by finally understanding the love of the Creator in all its glory, God’s plan for each one of us, and the depth of one’s being are topics that will take readers to another realm where their spiritual awareness can be developed to its full potential.

The natural laws of nature as well as moral laws and God-given free will are topics that I found engaging and thought-provoking.

Source: Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite Rating: 4 Stars

Wisdom is the ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on truth, knowledge and understanding.

—The Authors

Introduction

We begin with Scientific Consequences, and Being & Life Perspective, since these subjects provide the essential foundation for all the other topics. Science and Biology explains the what and how. Philosophy and Theology attempts to explain the why, of our existence, which requires reason and faith (trust).

Subjects are thematically grouped into ten chapters. This book is a guide that builds a bridge between what many believe and what skeptics’ question, using theories and discoveries in many newly explored areas. We are at a special time in human history because of recent scientific breakthroughs that are changing some mistaken theories by earlier experts. Some relevant texts also include materials compiled by us during the past half-century.

We not scientists, philosophers, or theologians. We are thinkers, who wish to share with you Words of Wisdom, from acknowledged past and present scholars that we found fascinating. In this work, author Robert did most of the research and is the architect, and Miriam is the editor. The major building blocks of this edifice are what Scientists, Scholars and Scripture contributed. We select, paraphrase, interpret, and summarize what they produced, while fashioning a few thoughts of our own, and then bring it all together into a style that today’s generation may find more suitable.

Analogies, metaphors, anecdotes, and images are used to liven up our presentation for the reader. Throughout this book we have tried to faithfully present a balanced dialogue—both pro and con—on many difficult topics, particularly today’s leading ideologies. There is no real search for truth for anyone standing outside generally agreed definitions, assumptions, without considering accepted facts, traditions, and communities of truth seekers.

Today’s more educated and skeptical young adults are vulnerable to many peer-pressures, and mass media blitz that attack historical truths, and traditions. Hopefully, this book may provide Words of Wisdom to help defeat some of these false ideologies that have become truths in many of today’s text books. To be sure, all of the burning issues of our times will not be answered fully by this work, but at least a dialogue will have begun for sincere truth seekers, that may empower them against these false ideologies of our times.

There should not be any discrepancy between faith and human reasoning. Our heart cannot worship that which the mind cannot consent to. Thomas Aquinas contended in Summa Contra Gentiles and Summa Theologia, in his dialogue with the Arab and Jewish thinkers of his time: Both the light of reason and light of faith come from God; hence there can be no contradiction between them. Faith therefore has no fear of reason, but seeks it out and has trust in it … Faith is in a sense is an ‘exercise of thought’ and human reason is neither annulled nor debased in assenting to the contents of faith, which are in any case attained by way of free and informed choice.

St. Augustine put it more succinctly: I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe.

In the 7th century, Muhammad was trying to convert numerous tribes to one religion, which was achieved centuries later after his death. The golden age of Islam was between 750 and 1250 AD. During those 500 years, they created some of the first institutions of higher learning, invented algebra, improved medical practices, and traded with all, including Jews and Christians.

At that time, Baghdad was known as a culture of tolerance, with Jews and Christians. It was also when in Cordoba, Spain, a Jewish philosopher, rabbi, physician and ethicist, Maimonides wrote: The Guide for the Perplexed, and the Mishnah Torah. In this Guide he said: It is in the nature of man to like what he is familiar with and in which he has been brought up, and he fears anything alien. The plurality of religions and their mutual intolerance result from the fact that people remain faithful to the education they received.

Maimonides Muslim equal was Ibn Rushdie (Averroes, in Latin). Muslims traded with non-Muslims, and many new ideas were discussed and debated as well. Mystics (Sufis) read the Koran metaphorically, rather than literally, which fundamentalists do today. What happened that caused Islam to decline? Extreme fundamentalist Caliphs became the new leaders of the Muslim world and they allowed no questions. All independent thought and debates on Muhammad and the Koran were forbidden. The Muslim world didn’t experience the ‘Age of Reason,’ as the West did. They effectively stopped thinking!

In contrast, the Middle-Ages became a time of Christian scientific, philosophical, and theological supremacy. During this period (from about 700 to 1500 AD) numerous religious scholars and monks were encouraged to study man’s relationship to creation and to God, write down arguments and findings, and preserve them and the original texts of Scripture for future ages.

According to Rodney Stark, Ph.D., Professor at Baylor University, in his book, Victory of Reason (Random House, 2006): "Christianity, during these [nearly] thousand years was the beginning of freedom (from slavery), saw the creation of capitalism by monks, [was] the start of the European university system, and established the foundation for some of the greatest scientific and technological developments in the Western world, which actually occurred at that time. Simply put, the conventional wisdom that Western [scientific and economic] success depended upon overcoming religious barriers to progress is utter nonsense."

Professor Rodney Stark continues: Christianity and its related institutions are, in fact, directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium. In Stark’s view, "what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular (logos) and non-secular (mythos) society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology is the very font of reason: "While the world’s other belief systems (Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) emphasized mystery, obedience, or introspection, Christianity alone embraced logic and deductive thinking as the path toward enlightenment, freedom, and progress. That is what made all the difference!"

We are all searching for truth and meaning in an increasingly complex world. If present birth rates continue, the Islamic people will represent one-third of the world by 2030. Therefore, if we are to have lasting peace, we should try to have a meaningful dialogue with more moderate Muslims, and attempt to understand each other’s religion and culture. Hate is never an invitation to dialogue!

These authors hope that this work will help modern men and women—especially today’s skeptical young adults—find answers to important questions of science, philosophy, theology, and ideology that will have grave consequences for our times. This work is a kind of dialogue between us and various scholars, as well as reflections on issues that have bothered us for a half-century. This is a book for all people: Muslims, Christians, Atheists, which considers many perplexing questions that trouble today’s youth and many adults. As Augustine wrote: In faith, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, love.

Some of the proposed answers in this book are clearly argumentative. Nonetheless, controversy and deliberation often leads to comprehension. Our need to inquire, to explore, to probe appears to be in our genes at birth, along with our urge to eat and drink, and compulsion to have sex and procreate. If our system of knowledge has taught us anything during past centuries, it is this: retreating from the consequences of human curiosity is unrealistic. "To believe is nothing other than to think with assent … Believers are also thinkers: In believing, they think and in thinking they believe … If faith does not think, it is nothing, said Augustine (De Praedestinatione Sanctorum).

No single person can be an expert of all the topics covered in this book. Some topics, questions and proposed answers were summarized in one short paragraph, while others required multiple pages to merely scratch the surface on these complex issues. Our method in this work was to give you the "Essence of Wisdom," while providing multiple viewpoints, wherever possible, supported with references, so that you may further explore the facts in much greater detail.

I. Scientific Consequences

The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible. — Albert Einstein

Philosophers led us to Astronomy, which led to Physics and Mathematics, which caused humanity to think about Creation. Some of these great thinkers were:

• Aristotle’s pursuit of Truth and Wisdom (335 BCE).

• Copernicus found that Earth revolves around the Sun (1473-1543).

• Galileo pioneered the Telescope, and ideas on Physics (1564-1642).

• Kepler established the Laws of Planetary Motion (1571-1630).

• Descartes wrote the Discourse on Scientific Methods (1596-1650).

• Isaac Newton created the Laws of Gravity (1665).

Johannes Kepler in the Third Planetary Motion Law, said the square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of its mean distance from the sun, which became the foundation for Newton’s General Physical laws of Motion and Gravity, which in turn became the basis for Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, 200 years later. Astronomy thus gave birth to Physics. It took one thousand years—from Aristotle to Ptolemy, from Copernicus to Kepler and Galileo—to establish the geometry of our Solar System, the Milky Way.

One can understand by their intellect that a hierarchy of science and knowledge exists, which includes the ordering of all things from the highest to the lowest levels. Each successive level transcends and includes its predecessors:

• Spiritual and Mystical level.

• Metaphysical and Philosophical level.

• Rational and Psychological level.

• Biological level: life, plants, creatures, humanity (genome, DNA).

• Physical level: earth, stars galaxies, universe (matter, space, time).

Metaphysics within philosophy is knowledge and reflection of all things; that is, what is common to all of them, and how they differ. It’s the study of being as being, a system of causes and effects. It’s the highest level of abstraction. It considers the material and immaterial.

Under metaphysics is the rational mind and the psychological level, which includes ontology (being), logic, mathematics, and moral philosophy.

Life is the biological level, which includes the DNA codes of all living things, and the human Genome.

Higher nested levels control, synthesize, and embrace all lower levels. For example, the human body includes the physiological level, matter in its makeup, yet it adds the senses, emotions, and movement, which are not found in the inanimate world of matter. The human mind or psychological level, controls emotions, yet it also provides higher cognitive faculties as well, such as reasoning and understanding which is lacking in all (or most) animals.

Empirical Science (the It or physiological level) concerns itself with objects, and therefore lacks any consciousness, awareness, intentions, feelings, introspective, contemplation, intuition, values and meaning. Atoms are parts of molecules, which are parts of cells, which are parts of organisms. Mathematics is also a vital part of empirical science, which deals with images, symbols, patterns seen only with the mind’s eye.

While some may further divide these levels or spheres into additional groupings, such as matter divided into atomic and subatomic; life separated into biological, microorganism; and the rational part of the mind divided into conscience and subconscious groupings. This is essentially the basic hierarchical framework of all sciences in the universe and world.

This structure has enabled civilization to establish specific disciplines or branches of knowledge that concern themselves with one or more of these five primary levels. Each of these bodies of knowledge have also developed their own particular laws and hypothesis, languages and methodologies in their search for the truth..

Six Cosmic Days of Creation:

Let there be light, and there was light. Genesis 1:3

The Big Bang is when time, space, matter, dark matter, and light (energy) began. Edwin Hubble established that galaxies are moving away from one another, according to the red shift, at rates of speed proportional to the distance between them. The resulting expansion of the universe has been verified by three different and independent scientific experiments. The further we look back in time, using the Hubble telescope, the closer together the galaxies are. Also, the universe becomes denser, hotter, and more luminescent, until we reach a point approximately 15.75 billion years ago, when the temperature and density attain enormous values, which is Big Bang theory.

Fig%201.jpg

➢ Fig 1 Six Cosmic days of creation illustrated.

The matter of the universe was not created from nothing—matter was created from light (enormous energy) from the Word of God. (Physicists today can produce elementary matter from light energy in the lab).

Primary Source: "The Science of God" by Gerald L. Schroeder

(Before Present Time in billions of years)

Day One (Gen. 1: 1-5): An explosion of enormous energy was created, causing matter to be created (according to Einstein’s law E=MC squared), where gases and particles came together to form the basic elements. The universe began as a homogenous mass of elementary particles: electrons, photons, quarks, neutrinos, gravitons, and other fundamental particles.

Day Two (Gen. 1: 6-8): Elementary particles assembled to form new structures, which developed into more complex molecules and compounds, which became the primary elements required to form galaxies. Galaxies, such as our Milky Way contain billions of stars, and solar systems within galaxies that include suns, moons, planets, and earth.

Day Three (Gen. 1: 9-13): Oceans and dryland appear (Gen.1: 9-13) with atmosphere, basic organisms like algae, and the vitally important protective electromagnetic shield, the ozone layer, ecosystems, and many different plants.

Day Four (Gen. 1: 14-19): The Sun, Moon, and Stars become visible in the heavens. Photosynthesis produces oxygen-rich atmosphere.

Day Five (Gen. 1: 20-23): The first species of animals swarm abundantly in the waters, followed by reptiles and winged animals.

Day Six (Gen. 1: 24-31): Land animals, and mammals were made. During this timeframe, many organisms became extinct, such as the dinosaurs that suddenly disappeared 65 million years ago. Comets and asteroids hit the earth causing various upheavals and ice ages (about every 200,000 years, on average). Humankind were made,—not created—from the soil (all living creatures contain nearly similar DNA codes or blueprints). Hundreds of thousands of years later, hominids evolved, such as Neanderthals, followed by intelligent Homo sapiens, about 50,000 years ago. At this stage of evolution, Adam and Eve were created; that is, they received an eternal spiritual soul.

Scientists have further fine-tuned these dates during the past decade, but the orders-of-magnitude calculations remain essentially valid.

Question: How can anyone (mostly literalist Christians) insist that all was created in six earth days, when humans didn’t exist until the sixth day?

Note: Gerald L. Schroeder’s source for Genesis interpretation was Nahmanides (Moses B. Naḥman, also known as Naḥamani and RaMBaN – an acronym of Rabbi Moses Ben Naḥman; 1194–1270), Spanish rabbi and scholar, and one of the leading authors of Talmudic literature in the Middle Ages; He was philosopher, kabbalist, biblical exegete, poet, and physician.. Spanish rabbis regarded him as their great teacher and referred to him as ha-rav ha-ne’eman (the trustworthy rabbi).

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➢ Fig 2. NASA Milky Way, home of the Solar System & Earth

Age of the Universe: Evangelical Christians have presented evidence that the Earth is young, only about 6,000 years old. After carefully reviewing all this data and various reports from their experts, these authors continue to believe in the Old Earth and Universe theory. Nonetheless, whether it’s old or young universe, one must conclude that: the universe was created; and it was designed by an Intelligent Being. (See also The Privileged Planet by Gonzalez and Richards, Regency, 2004). The million-million-factor difference between our local perception of time and Genesis cosmic time is an average for the six days of creation. As Schroeder discussed in The Science of God, it derives from the approximate million-million-fold stretching of light waves as the universe expanded. Genesis used the absolute cardinal form for day one because it was viewing time from the beginning of time, a perspective from which there was no other time for comparison. As Nahmanides wrote, "when matter forms time grabs hold." Thousands of years later, modern science has finally come to match the biblical account of Genesis.

Every living thing in nature is ever in the middle between being born and dying. Everything in the universe evolves towards higher order. Atoms of hydrogen, by fusion, become more complex and form higher order atoms of greater weight and complexity; combinations of molecules create more complex compounds of higher order. Humanity is a universe within itself: we experience the same cycles as billions of stars—birth, growth, maturity, death, and consequently rebirth. Authors

Equations that Changed the World

Fundamental equations were discovered that had a significant impact on the world, and the technologies that improved human existence:

1. Newton’s Gravitational Law: (G force = Constant *M*m/d squared), where G is Gravity; M is Mass 1; m is Mass 2; and d is Distance.

2. Claudius’s Law of Energy Conservation: (All Energy is always a constant > 0)

3. Maxwell’s Electromagnetic Field Law. Amount Elect. = Rate of increase/ decrease of Magnetic Field.

4. Einstein’s Special Relativity Law: (E=M*C squared), and (Energy/C squared = Mass), where E is Energy; M is Mass; and C is the Speed of Light.

5. Bernoulli’s Law of Hydrodynamics: (P+p*1/2 V squared = Constant) where P is Pressure, and V is Volume.

Other fundamental laws (equations and constants) about nature and the universe include: Mechanics (Hamilton); Quantum Mechanics (Schrodinger); General Relativity (Einstein); and Statistical Mechanics (Boltzmann).

The Harmony of natural law reveals a beauty and intelligence of such superiority that compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. Albert Einstein

Four of the primary forces of physics that control the agglomeration of sub-atomic particles, atoms, molecules and structures of the universe are:

1. Nuclear or the strong force, that unites all atomic nuclei;

2. Electromagnetic force, which controls the adherence of all atoms;

3. Gravity force, which affects the movements of all celestial objects; and

4. Weak force that controls radioactive decay.

Why do these four forces exist? How do we know they are unchanging? Why do they have exact mathematical properties? We don’t know all the answers to these questions, except that they are all supremely adjusted intelligent forces. For example, if the nuclear force had been slightly stronger, all the photons of the universe would have quickly gathered into heavy nuclei, and there would have been no hydrogen to assure the longevity of stars, and consequently to form the 70% of total water on this earth.

Professor Roger Penrose, of Oxford, one of the authors of the Big Bang theory, finds the laws of nature fine-tuned for life. This balance of Nature’s Laws are so perfect and so unlikely to have occurred by chance that he avers an intelligent Creator must have chosen them. It is as if we were written into the equation of the universe at its beginning, or in the words of the physicist Paul Davies, "Built into the scheme of things in a very basic way."

Supernovas: Einstein asserted that the mass of any physical object and the energy it contains is in fact interchangeable (E=MC squared). A beautiful and simple formula! One can never destroy matter, only convert it into another form, energy; i.e., energy (E), equals mass (M), times the speed of light (C) squared. When atoms are smashed in atomic reactors they give off enormous energy. In essence, matter is nothing more than another form of light energy. Our bodies couldn’t exist without carbon, iron, oxygen, water (interestingly, 70% of our body and the earth is water), and all the other complex elements, much of which comes from exploding stars—Supernova. We are in essence composed of animated stardust. (See Vij Sodera’s book "One Small Speck to Man").

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➢ Fig 3. Supernova (exploding star) from NASA.

All life forms use the same coding system. We all had a common beginning billions of years ago (see Genesis). A signal, a light was turned on inorganic earth causing it to become alive, in every nook and cranny. An infinite variety of life forms have been produced in nature, yet they are all amazingly united. They are formed from the same basic stuff. All life forms use the same intelligent genetic coding system; give rise to identical amino acids, consequently creating similar proteins. All life forms are also particularly interdependent.

Time is Not Constant! If anything in life seems constant, it is the flow of time and constancy of space. This misperception of time results from a view of reality as seen from Earth. Time is not a constant. Einstein’s law of Relativity is firmly established: the flow of time at any location where there is high-gravity or high-velocity is slower than locations with a lower gravity or lower velocity. There exists universal time, and earth based time. The clock of Genesis, the "cosmic clock," started with the creation of the universe and continued until the creation and evolution of humankind. We invented clocks based on the rotation of the earth and our relationship to the sun and the stars.

Past is Not Dead! None of the past is dead! It continues to affect the present and future. The past is very much alive. Isn’t everyone inspired and motivated by the remarkable lives and deeds of those who went before them? Since matter can never be destroyed, molecules of all of those who lived in the past are still with us today. Consider that earth’s ground water is both finite and ancient. Think of it, we are drinking and breathing the molecules from those who lived in past millennium—from Adam and Eve to George Washington, to the present. Moreover, we know from genetics that we did not originate only at conception or birth. How many generations ago did our biological ancestral genes begin? The answer is from the very beginning of creation and life.

Really, we create nothing; we merely plagiarize nature, and our plagiarism has not the perfection of the original. When we succeed, it is because, on some imperceptibly small point, our logic has turned out to be in conformity with the logic that goes prodigiously beyond us. At every stage we are exploiting the really creative power of the vital; we are ingeniously making use of the genius. Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Immutable laws: Recent advancements in Astrophysics and Cosmology have enabled us to bring these questions to the forefront of contemporary thinking. We know that the fundamental laws of physics cannot change, in space or in time. In the context of his Big Bang theory, Fred Hoyle said, An explosion in a junkyard does not lead to sundry bits of metal being assembled into a useful working machine, and "the more physicists have learned about the universe, the more it looks like a