Civilisation Wiki

Reverence for the Heavens: How Astronomy and Religion Intersect
January 19, 2023 – 09:30 am
Civilization Beyond Earth

Is this what our own Milky Way Galaxy looks like from far away? Similar in size and design to our home galaxy, spiral galaxy NGC 3370 is about 100 million light-years away, toward the constellation Leo.

Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)

This article is Part One of Two in a series on the connection between the cosmos and spirituality. Check back at SPACE.com Friday (Jan. 21) for the series conclusion.

Our sun is just one small point of light in the swirl of suns that shape the disk of the Milky Way.

The galaxy's hundreds of billions of stars are strewn so widely apart, it would take a spaceship traveling at the speed of light one hundred thousand years to travel the distance. The starry wheel of the galaxy turns around a massive black hole, a point of infinite density with gravity so complete that not even light can escape.

The structure and scale of our galaxy is astonishing. But ours is just one among hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe.

Little wonder, then, that the contemplation of the cosmos can evoke the same emotions as religious awe and reverence. According to Father Paul Pavel Gabor, an astronomer for the Vatican Observatory, this is not always a positive experience. Just as some may experience fear and trembling when contemplating God and Heaven, there are those who become similarly overwhelmed when confronted with the astronomical proportions of the heavens.

"They find it quite awe-inspiring, but in the wrong way, " Gabor notes. "When I show people pictures of the local cluster of galaxies, just to give them a sense of the scale of things, the reaction quite often is, "Oh dear. I'm completely insignificant, and I'm uncomfortable about this whole universe thing."

In Gabor's view, one way to counter this despair is to have faith in a higher power, to believe in a God that created the universe as a gesture of love.

"Faith tells you that the universe is not something to intimidate you, but it is something given to you as a gift, by somebody who wants to give you something nice, something pretty, " he says. "So looking at those astronomy pictures, you can either feel that the glass is half full, and believe that you're really being given something here, or you can feel the glass is half empty and this is just frightening and you want to hide in your little rabbit hole somewhere."

Science, and particularly geometry and astronomy/astrology, was linked directly to the divine for most medieval scholars. The compass in this 13th century manuscript is a symbol of God's act of creation.Whether you are terrified or thrilled by the grandeur of the universe, there is no disputing its elemental nature: it is the source of us all. As Carl Sagan once said, "We are made of star stuff." The chemical elements that shape the breadth of creation also form our galaxy, our planet and even the cells of our bodies. Exploring the cosmos therefore is one way to get close to a "grand creator." This notion is reflected in the final lines of John Gillespie Magee Jr.'s poem "High Flight, " which President Reagan read at the memorial service for the astronauts killed in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle tragedy:

with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

The Great Architect

Science, and particularly geometry and astronomy/astrology, was linked directly to the divine for most medieval scholars. The compass in this 13th century manuscript is a symbol of God's act of creation.

Credit: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

The term "cosmos" means "ordered world." For most of recorded history, humans have believed that God created the ordered universe out of chaos. This belief is still shared by a majority of people around the world today, but aspects of that faith have changed as our scientific knowledge of the cosmos has grown. For instance, Gabor's colleague, Vatican astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno, says that while many people believe God created the universe, they think its very enormity makes it impossible for God to take any personal note of us. This mote of dust we call planet Earth is insignificantly tiny in comparison to the smallest of stars, and each of our lives lasts for the briefest of cosmic moments.

"Some people will refuse to believe because they still haven't grasped what kind of God we're talking about, a God that is so "other" that it is possible, " says Consolmagno.

How to heal hip bursitis quickly? How to have a fast metabolism? What is fur elise meaning? How to manually open garage door? Tips on how to surf? What is the meaning of mazel tov? How to stop automated tips from podder central? How to make stuffed peppers? What does llj mean? When do you get tips from lyft? How tips are given in doordash? What does crop mean on tik tok? what is an al helper How long does it take to get a master's degree? Tips on how to induce labor? What is a retrograde? How to create a chart in excel? How to trademark a phrase? How to help baby's congestion? How much does it cost to get wisdom teeth removed? What does kiki mean? What is depreciation? How to do dip powder with tips at home? What is the meaning of the alabaster box? How to cancel amazon order? how long will hamburger helper stay good in refrigerator What does it mean when you dream about being pregnant? What does bmt stand for? What is the meaning of strategic planning? what does system helper do win 10 What does bbg mean on roblox? What does a circle with a line through it mean? What does oppa mean in korean? what nutrients acts as a helper molecule in many different chemical reactions within the body What does bed bugs look like? What is the meaning of maternity leave? How to screen record on macbook pro? What are rare quarters? How to make a youtube intro? What is the meaning of aches? How to change your youtube name? helper molecule which builds long chains of nucleotides quickly What is the first star wars movie? What does gabby mean? How to keep track of tips? What does renounce mean? How to trick life 360? Waterpik what tips fit what machines? How to do tricks on a wheelie? Why do the most needy difficult customers leave the worst tips or no tip? What does classification mean? Norah jones don't know why meaning? When i paint my masterpiece lyrics meaning? Nirvana the man who sold the world lyrics meaning? What snake tattoo meaning? How long does concrete take to dry? What is cryotherapy? What is the meaning of jehovah? Tips on how to scratch watercolor background? How to talk to anyone 92 little tricks leil lowndes? What does mad stand for? Someone who overthinks is also someone who overloves meaning? What does the moon mean on iphone? What does neek mean? What does ci mean? How to perform tricks spiderman ps4? What is the meaning of a gnome? How much to waiters make with tips? How to encourage kid to chew practical tips for parents? How to make dumplings with bisquick? How to remove acrylic paint from clothes? Audiobook books how to talk to anyone 92 little tricks? What does rio mean? How to last longer in bed naturally food? Tips on how to study instrumentation? "the holy spirit is the promised divine helper who proceeds from the father and son" How to change the background of a picture? How to get photos from iphone to computer? What is the meaning of a prime number? where to find hamburger helper ultimate three cheese marinara why do i have multiple instance of chrome helper running What is acidity? What is tourette syndrome? How to make steak in the oven? Tips for handling money when you have a small business? How do you razor jet tricks? Little alchemy how to make metal? What is the meaning of nose piercing? what goes good with cheeseburger hamburger helper Tricks to know where to put comma? What do u get for the doing tricks in vehicle fortnite? How to use screw on piping tips? How to go frame by frame on youtube? How to win back ex wife tips? What does vsc mean? What is cornstarch? How to build a paper airplane? What does the overturning of roe v wade mean? Are you in on the tricks when you go on stage for mac king show? What does lent mean? What are cvc words? What does gold filled mean?
Source: www.space.com
Popular Q&A
avatar
What is good info. About the aztec.

It was against the law to be drunk in public in the Aztec empire, unless you were over 70 years old! use the link for more info!

avatar
What is some info on the Aztecs.

The Aztec people/tribe were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in t

Related Posts