Re: as long as we are talking about the quantum

John Hewlett wrote:
>Heres the thing I am in Molecular biology and biochemistry so I am almost completely ignorant of what going on in quantum physics and every time I read something about the quantum world it scares the mortal day lights out of me and revolves around one thing. Determinism and Indeterminism. And of course yesterday I ran across this article from 2003 in nature.
>
>http://www.nature.com/news/2003/030106/pf/030106-6_pf.html
>
>I know nothing in biology will ever disprove God, its just not going to happen and I am comforted by that. I am ignorant in physics and in this case what I don't know (pretty much everything) scares me. What bothers me is quantum physics because it underlies existence and the most reductive level. And most physicist subscribe to the copenhagen interpretation and thats ok with me because its indeterminant. I have concluded that indeterminancy is your friend and determinism is the enemy and that may be a totally wrong conclusion. I beleive in God because I feel it is rational to do so and that christianity and nature is rational. So my questions are this.
>
>Nothing in quantum physics really disproves God right?

One thing to remember here is that if there is a God (I mean
really God and not mere god), that God would have to be much
bigger than the universe (or multi-verse __if__ there are many).
Science can only measure what will fit within a box whether
that is conceptual or actual. So thinking about God helps
you think outside of "the box".

Anyone who intends to do science seriously will have to
content with what is true. That is why most of the people
on this list cannot agree to a 6000 year old earth. If we
did, I suspect some of us would go insane. So you will
have to get used to doubt and uncertainty if you want to
live a life of a scientist or any other serious discipline
that deals with truth for that matter: epistemology (the
_much bigger_ box in which our puny science fits) for example.

The other thing to remember is we all must think. I've
oscillated between Einstein and Bohr all my life, but it
looks like at recent times, Bohr is probably winning. The
experiments do seem to imply the the Einstein Podovsky and
Rosen issue in which the entangled spin is changed
instantaneously appears to be persuasively true. Nevertheless,
the exact details of what is going on at the subplanck level
and how everything in the universe is interconnected via
this entanglement is still far from a forgone conclusion.
We must continue to think and that is all.

>Regardless of where the pendulum swings with regard to determinism and indeterminism is it still perfectly rational to a serious Christian?

I think it is rational to be a Christian because mankind
will perish without Grace. God's Grace is _all we have_
to go on when we get up in the morning, during the day,
and when we sleep. Because we owe our lives to Christ,
we also live in this way, and as long as we can live on,
we should learn to be a light in the world. We must set
the example to others about what a good scientist is. But
most of all, no scientist can think for a moment that his
work may not be used for evil purposes. Again, who is
there that we can turn to, to ask for guidance and to
help us make the wisest decisions we can. We care about
the future, and we care about mankind, that is why we
are Christian, and that is why we are scientists ---
serious scientists.

>No future quantum discoveries will disprove the existence of God will they? I mean really, do I have anything to worry about here?

Worrying as I understand it, is a sin. However, doubt,
well, get used to it.

By Grace alone we proceed,
Wayne
Received on Thu Mar 10 19:41:07 2005