I\u2019m not, to put it mildly, an uncritical fan of the late Carl Sagan. \u00a0But I\u2019m afraid that this comment is, in many cases,\u00a0far too close to the truth:<\/p>\n
\n
\u201cIn some respects, science has far surpassed religion in delivering awe. How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, \u201cThis is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant. God must be even greater than we dreamed\u201d? Instead they say, \u2018No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.'\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But there is no good reason that awe at the physical universe, viewed on the microcosmic scale as well as the macrocosmic, shouldn\u2019t be a prominent element in religious sentiment.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0heavens\u00a0declare\u00a0the\u00a0glory\u00a0of God; and the firmament sheweth his\u00a0handywork. \u00a0(Psalm 19:1)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
4\u00a0. . .<\/span>\u00a0I will show thee the\u00a0workmanship\u00a0of mine\u00a0hands; but not all, for my\u00a0works\u00a0are without\u00a0end, and also my\u00a0words, for they never cease.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n5\u00a0<\/span>Wherefore, no man can behold all my\u00a0works, except he behold all my\u00a0glory; and no man can\u00a0behold\u00a0all my\u00a0glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth. . . .<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n27\u00a0<\/span>And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and\u00a0beheld\u00a0the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold,\u00a0discerning\u00a0it by the\u00a0Spirit\u00a0of God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n28\u00a0<\/span>And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a\u00a0soul\u00a0which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n29\u00a0<\/span>And he beheld many lands; and each land was called\u00a0earth, and there were\u00a0inhabitants\u00a0on the face thereof.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n30\u00a0<\/span>And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying:\u00a0Tell\u00a0me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n31\u00a0<\/span>And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and\u00a0talked with him\u00a0face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own\u00a0purpose\u00a0have I made these things. Here is\u00a0wisdom\u00a0and it remaineth in me.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n32\u00a0<\/span>And by the\u00a0word\u00a0of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of\u00a0grace\u00a0and truth.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n33\u00a0<\/span>And\u00a0worlds\u00a0without number have I\u00a0created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the\u00a0Son\u00a0I\u00a0created\u00a0them, which is mine\u00a0Only Begotten.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n34\u00a0<\/span>And the\u00a0first\u00a0man of all men have I called\u00a0Adam, which is\u00a0many.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n35\u00a0<\/span>But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I\u00a0know\u00a0them.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n36\u00a0<\/span>And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and\u00a0tell\u00a0me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n37\u00a0<\/span>And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The\u00a0heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n38\u00a0<\/span>And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no\u00a0end\u00a0to my works, neither to my words. \u00a0(Moses 1:4-5, 27-38)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 I\u2019m not, to put it mildly, an uncritical fan of the late Carl Sagan. \u00a0But I\u2019m afraid that this comment is, in many cases,\u00a0far too close to the truth: \u00a0 \u201cIn some respects, science has far surpassed religion in delivering awe. How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10354,1251,2025,6876,1809,8307,6825,15391,16095,2905,1815,788,55,7206,2028,4687,16092,743,16083,243,10447,10130,16086,16089],"class_list":["post-87936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-awe","tag-beauty","tag-book-of-moses","tag-carl-sagan","tag-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints","tag-cosmos","tag-don-bradley","tag-grandeur","tag-lands","tag-latter-day-saint","tag-lds","tag-mormon","tag-mormonism","tag-moses","tag-pearl-of-great-price","tag-planets","tag-plurality","tag-religion","tag-sagan","tag-science","tag-scientific","tag-universe","tag-wonder","tag-worlds"],"yoast_head":"\n
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