Hey Kids,

I tried watching the show Cosmos today. I tried, but I didn’t make it very far.

I like space and science shows but found this show a bit dramatic, trying too hard to impress me. I believe the universe is impressive in and of itself; no gilding of the Lilly is needed. But I did learn something.

The incredibly impressive cartoon (sarcasm) that occupied the better part of the small part I watched, told of some dude named “Bruno”. Bruno became caught up in the idea that the world was not the middle of the universe but just a planet going around a sun which was really just a star like all the other stars. This new insight landed him in religious jail and eventually death.

I haven’t really thought much about Bruno’s plight since changing the channel but the thought of the Religious Thought Police did get me thinking.

I do not believe religion and free thinking need to be mutually exclusive. Religion and Science do not need to be at odds. I love the idea that the Universe is as infinite and limitless as the God that created it. I find it hard to believe that we or any stated doctrine can fully comprehend God without thinking, pondering, studying, testing, praying, and challenging what we currently believe to be the truth of things. Think, test, accept or reject, adapt, challenge, re-test, etc., etc., etc. A belief system where questions cannot be openly asked is not much of a belief system.

Is there room for doubt within faith? Of course. What is faith without doubt? Doubt fuels faith. It create ways to grow faith. It allows faith to escape blind following. It makes it alive. I also believe science is just as valuable for faith as scripture. Keep in mind, I don’t think challenging means challenging authority. You might be wrong.

Cosmos may not have been as enlightening as I hoped it would have been. But it gave me some good reflection for this Sunday afternoon. And if for noting more, it reminded me how fortunate and lucky I am that I don’t live in an age where I can be burned at the stake for my different thinking.

Day 62