Here in the 21rst century, some worship in the temple of Science. Science has given us fusion, fission, space travel, heart surgery, hybrid cars, particle accelerators, and so on. Or rather, people have given us these things. 'Science' is not a god who provides, not at all. It is we who have done these things for ourselves. Is it us, then, who are gods?
No.
The use of this discipline was given to us by God. Look at Genesis chapter 1. What did He tell Adam to do? Make babies, name the animals, subdue the earth, and have dominion over the created order. Adam represents us, and we continue to do his work even today.
There are 7 billion of us now. I'd say we are multiplying quite fine. Adam named the animals that were in the Garden, and zoologists today are still naming the animal kingdom. Adam tended the Garden, and we tend farms today. Adam was lord over the animals, fish, creeping things, and so are we even now. The correlation cannot be missed.
What Adam began in Eden, we are doing today, and will probably continue forever in some fashion. He was given dominion over the planet, and today we are bending science to our needs. Some call it 'progress', and that is fine. As long as we don't pollute our own habitat or cross those shifting ethical lines, subduing the earth is a grand thing. Was man created to lay in the grass and eat grapes, or was he made to worship God and to work? Do not be afraid of new scientific developments; it is part of what we do as a race.
Lastly, keep in mind that we are stewards of our planet. No one else will take care of it for us. A bit of humility is required, to remind us that our collective lives depend on how we treat our world. The book of Revelation, in chapter 11 verse 18, makes mention of God judging those who 'destroy the earth'. Was he talking about violence, or pollution? How you interpret that is up to you.
All in all, our endeavors to make the world a better place are to be applauded. Science, medicine, and engineering are all part of ruling over this creation. God gave us this universe, so let's go see what it's all about. . .
No.
The use of this discipline was given to us by God. Look at Genesis chapter 1. What did He tell Adam to do? Make babies, name the animals, subdue the earth, and have dominion over the created order. Adam represents us, and we continue to do his work even today.
There are 7 billion of us now. I'd say we are multiplying quite fine. Adam named the animals that were in the Garden, and zoologists today are still naming the animal kingdom. Adam tended the Garden, and we tend farms today. Adam was lord over the animals, fish, creeping things, and so are we even now. The correlation cannot be missed.
What Adam began in Eden, we are doing today, and will probably continue forever in some fashion. He was given dominion over the planet, and today we are bending science to our needs. Some call it 'progress', and that is fine. As long as we don't pollute our own habitat or cross those shifting ethical lines, subduing the earth is a grand thing. Was man created to lay in the grass and eat grapes, or was he made to worship God and to work? Do not be afraid of new scientific developments; it is part of what we do as a race.
Lastly, keep in mind that we are stewards of our planet. No one else will take care of it for us. A bit of humility is required, to remind us that our collective lives depend on how we treat our world. The book of Revelation, in chapter 11 verse 18, makes mention of God judging those who 'destroy the earth'. Was he talking about violence, or pollution? How you interpret that is up to you.
All in all, our endeavors to make the world a better place are to be applauded. Science, medicine, and engineering are all part of ruling over this creation. God gave us this universe, so let's go see what it's all about. . .
I find it quite amazing what we were able to create in the past. And we continue to work on the "progress". But I agree with you when you say that we have to take over responsibility for what we are doing.
ReplyDelete"Progress" is bad if we don't know how to use our ressources wisely. When being younger I didn't understand what that really meant but now things have changed. I'm working for a company that develops and produces technical sensors for low-energy houses like co2 und humidity sensors (If you are interested in it, click here).
I work there for six years in the meantime. And I still find it amazing what this small devices can do for the whole engery household of a single house. And I often imagine what I can mean for the while world if we started using these and similar devices for all of us ... I hope you understand what I mean :).
Best regards
Michael
It seems to be advancing on a smale scale, like personal computing and communications. The rise of a new Tower of Babel, in a manner of speaking.
ReplyDeleteNice piece. You don't need to take the bible literally in order to understand the symbology within it. People from both religious and atheist camps are constantly making that mistake.
ReplyDelete