Depending on the Sort of Person You Are

You can watch this video (showing the mind-blowing numbers of asteroids that have been discovered since 1980. Created by Scott Manley—and with some very lovely music, I might add—the video shows new discoveries in white, then changes their color to reflect position in relation to the inner solar system. Earth crossers are red. Earth approachers are yellow. All others are green.) and have one of two reactions:

One reaction is to think (like the reader who sent it to me):

“He had read of ‘Space’: at the back of his thinking for years had lurked the dismal fancy of the black, cold vacuity, the utter deadness, which was supposed to separate the worlds. He hadn’t known how much it affected him till now––now that the very name ‘Space’ seemed a blasphemous libel for this empyrean ocean of radiance in which they swam. He could not call it ‘dead’; he felt life pouring into him from it every moment. How indeed should it be otherwise, since out of this ocean the worlds and all their life had come? He had thought it barren: he saw now that it was the womb of worlds, whose blazing and innumerable offspring looked down nightly even upon the earth with so many eyes––and here, with how many more! No: Space was the wrong name. Older thinkers had been wiser when they named it simply the heavens…” C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet

or you can think, “The Earth is doomed.”

It’s fatally easy to think the latter for an awful lot of people, particularly in an age that thinks “space” rather than “the Heavens”. There’s no particular reason to prefer the former designation than the latter. But it comports very nicely with a particular post-Christian ideological insistence on empty hostile meaninglessness that the devil finds particularly useful as a backdrop for his longterm social engineering project right here on earth. The latter is far too redolent of meaning, hope, purpose and love. It’s much more helpful to the devil’s general purpose of creating the Empire of Fear here on earth to keep human beings fretting about Death From the Sky, than to have people trusting in Him who made Heaven and Earth. “Fear–always more Fear!” is one of the general Daily Reminders note they keep on the White Board in Hell’s Strategic Planning Room.

Meanwhile, in Heaven they chant Psalm 19:

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech,
nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice* goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and there is nothing hid from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD,
my rock and my redeemer.

Look at it this way. In all of human history, there’s only been one Tunguska Event–and it happened in Tunguska. I have a lot on my plate. I think I’ll trust God.