CREATIONISM AND CHRISTMAS

I sent the following as another op-ed piece in time for the holidays, but it's not getting any traction. Maybe the papers are flooded and it didn't make the cut. I would have preferred to write a non-religious, political piece. I didn't want to write another Christian related topic and get pigeonholed as an op-ed writer, but I thought it was timely for the season.

It's not a great piece, but I thought it conveyed a good message. I took some parts of my prior posts and comments along with additional research to write this op-ed. Unless someone calls within the next couple days, it's not going to be picked up so I'm just posting it here first.

Also I'm not a strong proponent of Creationist teaching in our schools, but I do believe if people want it in their school's curriculum and there is enough support it should be allowed. The Creationist viewpoint has just as much validity as the Darwinist viewpoint. If this type of stuff on my blog doesn't interest you, just read the next posts. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!!

Creationism and Christmas
Many Christmases ago John Polkinghorne was a Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge University. During the 1960s and 70s, he distinguished himself in the field of elementary particle physics which led to his induction as a Fellow of the Royal Society and other accolades. After a long career, Polkinghorne quit his post at Cambridge and began his road towards becoming an Anglican Priest. He eventually returned to Cambridge as president of Queen’s College where he retired in 1996. During his second career, Polkinghorne made his mark vocalizing the harmony of science and theology.

He was a world-class physicist who came to the conclusion that, "God is the creator of the world Now. His act of creation is a continuing act, not just something done fifteen thousand million years ago, but something being done today which will continue to be done tomorrow."

Young Gil Kim is currently the dean of Handong University, a leading university in South Korea. He was considered the leading materials scientist in the land of DRAM chips and ubiquitous broadband connections. Dr. Kim is the holder of over 40 patents, and one of them being an alloy Motorola uses in their chips. He was the recipient of the King Sejeong Award for Science in Korea, Scientist of the Year by the Korean Press, and is the country’s most outspoken Creationist.

One story he told me was when he was visiting Harvard University, Stephen Jay Gould, the paleontologist and leader on evolutionary theory who passed away in 2002, approached him and informed him, “I heard of you. You’re not a real scientist…”

Dr. Kim’s story is reflective of the current rift between religion’s place in science and the classroom. For many in academia and majority of school boards in the U.S., there is a misconception of what Creationism is and the science behind it. Creationism is not some excuse for Christians to spread their doctrine and infect your children with uneducated theories and assumptions. It is a valid alternative theory to how the world operates and functions. An example is that the Theory of Evolution is still a theory and not a proven fact as the majority of academia proclaims. Both ideas of Creation and Evolution from my personal studies need faith. If a school district wants to present an additional theory of Creation, I believe it is within rational grounds to do so.

There is something to people who study the laws of universe and matter. Maybe they had too many particle accelerators to the head, but some of the most prominent scientists of our times agree on God’s involvement in the workings of our universe. While I don’t know the personal faith of Freeman Dyson, former professor of physics at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, and Henry Schaefer, Nobel nominee for Chemistry and professor of chemistry at University of Georgia, both consider themselves Christians along with the more vocal John Polinghorne and Young Gil Kim.

Schaefer once said, “My wonder at scientific discoveries is greatly enhanced - to make a discovery and say, ‘So that’s the way God laid out [that part] of the universe!’ There is joy in thinking God’s thoughts after Him.”

Even Albert Einstein, while not believing in a personal god, concluded through his years of research that the universe could not have been created by chance or from chaos:

"I want to know how God created this world, I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details."

As Christmas has become more commercialized, the “Christ” in it has lessen in its meaning. The reason for the season isn’t the celebration of the birth of Christ for many anymore. The noise of holiday parties, shopping sales, and family vacations have drowned the meaning behind it all. It is the same with this conflict between Creationists and Evolutionists. The gatekeepers of academia and many school boards in the U.S. have drowned out the significance of the Creationist position and validity of their argument. It is not solely about religion and it isn’t to force extremist doctrine down people’s throats, but to present an active and developing part of today’s scientific community to our nation’s classrooms.