A Dialogue on Origins

THEIST: If the Universe had a beginning, as science now seems quite sure, who began it?

ATHEIST: I presume you would like me to answer "God."

THEIST: Ideally.

ATHEIST: You answer that question with "God," but then I must ask the obvious question "who made God?"

THEIST: God is eternal and has always existed. He had no beginning and thus no need for a beginner.

ATHEIST: Well, as Carl Sagan said, why not just save a logical step and say that the Universe is eternal and has always existed. It had no beginning and thus no need for a beginner.

THEIST: As I said, the overwhelming scientific evidence points to the Universe having a beginning.

ATHEIST: Then, your "evidence" for a god or gods becomes dependent on scientific understanding, which is, by definition, subject to change. Suppose science finds that the Universe is oscillatory. This Universe ends and another begins in an infinite cycle into the future and the past.

THEIST: So, crudely we could imagine time being bent into a circle in your picture of the Universe.

ATHEIST: Yes, although I prefer the image of a Mobius strip.

THEIST: Whatever geometry you choose, I still ask who made the circle or strip?

ATHEIST: Whatever answer I give does not solve the problem, it only moves it around; the question still remains: Who made the maker?

THEIST: Well, I believe God is eternal; he has always existed. We know our observable Universe well enough to know that everything here has a beginning, but God is transcendent. He is outside of our Universe, so we cannot just assume that he had a beginning.

ATHEIST: So are you telling me that you are so desperate to cling to the idea of God that you are willing to forsake even cause and effect?

THEIST: Yes! That's it! This is an exciting realization, not desperation. I believe in a God that is so thrillingly different from anything in nature, from anything I know that even the rules of cause and effect may not apply to him.

We're going to Paris!

I just learned that my abstract was accepted for the International Conference on High Energy Physics 2010 in Paris, France! Kelly and I plan on traveling there in July.

Minnesota's Governor Pawlenty on NOvA

Courtesy of Symmetry Magazine, one of the experiments on which I work (NOvA), received a visit from Gov. Tim Pawlenty during the Minnesota Fishing Opener.

"It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out."

- Proverbs 25:2

Traveling to Bloomington and Columbus

Currently, Kelly and I are back in Bloomington, IN for a MINOS Collaboration Meeting at Indiana University. While the weather has mostly been wet and grey, I have had a productive meeting, and we have enjoyed sampling several of Bloomington's fine restaurants. We will be meeting some friends from the IUGFM group tonight!

On the weekend of July 2-4, we will be back in Columbus, OH for the wedding of our friends Jon and Sara.

Softball!

As a way to stay fit, enjoy the summer weather, and just have fun, Kelly and I have joined the Fermilab Softball League! We had our first two practices already, and our first game is this week.

The league consists of four teams (one more than 2009), and we are on the Boomers. We have even ordered our own jerseys; Kelly is #1, and I will be #42. We were scheduled to play the Lightning Rods on Wed. May 12th at 5:30 pm, but the game was cancelled due to rain. No word yet on when the game will be rescheduled.

Our games are at the corner of Che-Che-Piqua St. and Blackhawk Blvd. on the Fermilab Site. Feel free to come to cheer us on!

Our next scheduled game is on Thur., May 20th at 5:30pm vs. Final Force. The schedule for the remaining games is available at the team captain's website.

National Day of Prayer

Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those suffering from natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from those countries and from around the world who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to render aid. Let us pray for the families of the West Virginia miners, and the people of Poland who so recently and unexpectedly lost many of their beloved leaders. Let us pray for the safety and success of those who have left home to serve in our Armed Forces, putting their lives at risk in order to make the world a safer place. As we remember them, let us not forget their families and the substantial sacrifices that they make every day. Let us remember the unsung heroes who struggle to build their communities, raise their families, and help their neighbors, for they are the wellspring of our greatness. Finally, let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those people everywhere who join us in the aspiration for a world that is just, peaceful, free, and respectful of the dignity of every human being.

- President Obama, National Day of Prayer Proclamation for 2010

The Bible Exploration for Lunch League organized a prayer meeting today. We prayed for the laboratory, economy, military, and government. We also prayed much about the as yet unnamed young woman who died in the Wilson Hall atrium less than two hours earlier.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ...

- Colossians 4:2-3

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

- Romans 12:12-15

Blogcaster Test #2

If you can see this on Facebook, this test worked!