Our faith commands us to respect the wonders of nature
The Universe
(January 15, 2006)
Blind faith is not necessarily a good thing. For
anyone to ignore the knowledge discovered by science that shows us the
magnificence and integrity of creation is to turn away from the truth
and lose contact with the power of infinite goodness. If we think about the creation of the universe, the
formation of planet Earth and the evolutionary emergence of life we
cannot but look for deeper and more significant meanings. The innate
desire to know and understand makes us ask how the universe can be
infinite? From where and how did matter come to be, and will it ever
cease to exist? The great thing about being an intelligent human is
that, we can contemplate our own self-consciousness, we can be
astonished to know that we are knowing and that we think about ourselves
and the universe from whence we came. When contemplating the vastness of space and the
wonders of the natural world on this planet, what greater awe and
respect can we have? We must see how all species evolved through the
urge to survive and the power of natural selection and adaptation. None of this conflicts with a mature informed and
educated faith. The ‘how’ is a matter of science, the ‘why’ can be a
matter of faith. These natural truths and wonders and the unfolding of
life have led countless people, scientists included, to think deeply on
the complexity and the purpose of life. They have led many to believe in
the existence of a supreme intelligent being of infinite goodness
present in us and all creation. The goal and purpose of human life for some is to
continue to create the ideal environment in which the human spirit will
evolve sufficiently to be one with this infinite power and energy of
goodness and by supernatural selection survive beyond death. Our Spiritual maturity and survival depends on our
ability to preserve the natural world. Sadly, most humans fail to
mediate on and understand their natural origins and dependence on all of
creation. Considering that we are an intimate part of the natural world
and have emerged from it, humans need to have greater respect for living
organisms and their habitats. We need them to survive ourselves. Our
intelligence and ingenuity has led us to be the dominant species on
planet, but a destructive one too. In destroying and damaging the corals, forests,
rivers and atmosphere or our planet, we are endangering all our fellow
species and threatening our own well being and health. Here in the Philippines, the venom of a humble sea
snail has given us a new pain killing drug Prialt – a thousand times
more powerful and effective than morphine. The deep-Sea sponge found off
New Zealand has yielded a compound that has an impressive record so far
in destroying cancerous tumours in humans. Had theses rare creatures been driven to extinction
by human neglect and destructiveness like so many other species, they
would have been lost for eternity. Had the US Senate voted to open the
Alaskan wilderness to the oil industry for exploitation, terrible
destruction would soon follow. Thanks to the forces of infinite
goodness, goodness prevailed. Scientists are relying more on natural processes and
products as the source of new drugs to help us survive and live happier
and healthier lives. We need to humbly accept our dependence on the
natural world and protect it as we would ourselves. After all, we must remember we can’t live without it.
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