Belief

Prompted by an Over The Pizza conversation with a good friend, I am sitting in consideration of belief.

It is hard to maintain scepticism and employ the scientific method when discussing other's beliefs. I am struck by how much thought I put into my own hard earned understandings. How little they seem in comparison with the Great Truths that are held as self evident by religeous believers. I am envious of the wonder that accompanies these truths.

My tenets, however small (and sometimes, small is very beautiful!) are held in a shared cradle of science. I don't understand the nature of the uncertainty principle but I revel in it's likelihood. The utter simple beauty that is the moment of creation, resulting in a mere three elements (well, two and not much lithium at all really) is preposterous.

In terms of the magnitude of energy expended in that effort, all the acts of a vengeful god over a period of a few thousand reported years are as nothing. But the stories are good.

Imagine if those gifted with the transcription of the word of Jehova had been party to the facts. How monumentally important their version of the Big Bang may have been. Imagine the resultant world wide shock of realisation that, not only have maths and divinity combined but that maths has prevailed. That God need not have spent so long in the amusement afforded by inventing original sin and punishing the innocent. The true terrible beauty of his works would be far less comprehensible by the uneducated but no less a mystery.

That's where we are. I feel the urge to ring the boffins and say, 'Go on, it might not be quite ready yet but just turn the bugger on and let's all see what happens!'

In the words of another good friend, 'We can only be wrong!'
(thanks Bill).