Nature is our surroundings – a system of objects and entities with direct and indirect links to one another that cycle together as interlocking parts. Whether human, plant, animal, or whatever, no living thing can exist on its own. In other words, nature is a strong, intricate system.
Nature is the setting for the interaction of nonhuman life with each other and their nonliving surroundings. Organisms compete with one another for food, space, shelter, water, and even mates. As many scowl at the thought of a fox killing a rabbit, we tend to forget about the fox’s needs to care for itself and its offspring.
Nature is the setting for the dramatic performance of our lives through all history and beyond. Nature is the construction site of our uniquely human culture where the human race constantly searches for justice, peace, and validity. Nature is the stage for human interactions with one another and the interchanges between people and God.
We know that the grand creation of nature displays patterns, connections, unity, universality, and interrelationships of which we are a part. God gave us an ability to investigate (through science) and discover (through theology) that he is the ultimate source of our revelations. Oh how nature provides so much through its connections, thus one reason why I love this video.
A Frank Angle 
One of my favourite memories to relate is my encounter with some of the most religious people in the world. Believe it or not, it was at a bastion of science – the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. The scientists who worked there, including the famous Dr. Leon Lederman, smashed sub-atomic particles together to discover the make up of matter. And many, if not most, believed VERY strongly in God. A couple of the scientists I interned with, explained it thus: It was inconceivable that the marvelous order of the universe, from galaxy to smallest quark, could fit together so well purely by random. I believe Albert Einstein himself said something like “I don’t study physics to find God. I study it to find out how He put things together.” (Forgive me if I fluffed that quote.) I’ve carried that concept with me since high school, and still keep up with the discoveries at FermiLab and CERN in Europe to this day.
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Nerd. 😀
JK. I’m hitting the sack right now with “Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul” by Kenneth Miller (a cellular biologist who believes in evolution and God, he’s explaining why Intelligent Design is problematic and he’s very fair…to me, ID is the watchmaker argument reloaded.)
Off to read. 🙂
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Melissa,
Kenneth Miller is a good author on the subject. I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think the book you are reading is an update of the one I read (Finding Darwin’s God). By the way, if you are looking for other books to read, let me know as I can recommend. Glad you liked the video as it is cool! Thanks for commenting.
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Here’s your pop-trash sample of the week, Frank. 😆
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Good Lord, I had prayed that video had fallen off the face of the Earth! You know, M, people have been brought up on war crimes charges for LESS than sharing that video around! (‘Course, that might be the way to win in Libya. Use one of our Electronic Warfare planes to flood Libyan television with that. The rebels could just walk in while all the residents are incapacitated, barfing! 😀 )
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Wow … I gave you Carl Sagan and I get the Hansons and Rebecca Black. Sure seems I got the best end of this exchange! OH well … time to return to reading the banter between the princess and the troll.
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I am NOT a troll! I have NEVER been anything but kind on any blog. (Well, except for the occasional idiot who needed his head pounded down between his ankles!) I am a fan. You may call us fen (the plural of fan). We are also filkers. (If you have to ask, you don’t want to know.) I will also accept space case. 🙂
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John …. you are always kind, insightful, and full of wit and charm.
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Well, as least halfway in the wits department….
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You call me “Nerd” like it’s something nobody knew. Trust me, 5 seconds in my presence, and without me saying a WORD you’d be calling me “nerd”. Can’t figure out why, just ’cause I’m sitting here wearing my Vulcan Retriever shirt. You know. “Live Long And Slobber.” 😀
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Poindexter.
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That’s Uber-Poindexter to you! And geek, and nebbish, Brainiac, and the one to date me, Bowmar. (Let’s see if you remember that one.) 😉
But no, I don’t have a pair of Spock ears. I had to be content with a jacket worn by the lovely Grace Lee Whitney. Beats the hell outta latex ears any day! 😀
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I’m sorry. I can’t hear you when you’re rattling all of those pens in your pocket protector.
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Never had one. (Pocket protector.) Do have a slide rule, and I used to know how to work it. Programmed my first computer with 8-bit paper tape. Carried a TI-35. Designed a house in Drafting class that had a hangar rather than a garage. I refused to take the class 2nd year when they wouldn’t let me design a starbase. 😀 Helped a buddy of mine build a model of Doctor Who’s robot dog, K-9. Still have him AND the requisite Doctor Who scarf. 😉
So, do I get the job?
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John
Thanks for sharing this experience. Many people (not you) have the idea that scientists aren’t religious (which is your point).
Einstein had numerous quotes about science and theology. Here’s one for you. “The more I study physics, the more I’m drawn to metaphysics.”
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This was cool, Frank. 🙂
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Nice.
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Thanks Nancy. Just easing into the topic you well know.
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Frank, this is a testimonial to our omniscient higher power.
Joe
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Joe,
Many thanks … and that was one of my intents. Hope you return next Wednesday for the next in the series.
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wow, just awesome
I recall getting lost on a country road in Connecticut in Autumn and not caring because it was so pretty
think Mahr interviewed some prestigous scientist in his Religious movie
seems God is more in the equation than some let on
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CCC,
Thanks for sharing your special Connecticut story! Glad you enjoyed the video. FYI: More to come next week (hopefully Wednesday).
Interesting point about God in the equation. One of my points is that is something that science can’t answer … but that doesn’t mean God doesn’t exist. Yet we, as individuals, must put the pieces of the puzzle together … and as the picture forms, simply awesome. Joe’s comment is short and powerful. Thanks for commenting.
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