Cruelty- Free

This year, my son has been enduring religious persecution from a physics teacher in his high school. I’ve had to get involved, and honestly it’s been a horrible process. It’s kept me up at night, I’ve spent hours carefully typing and wording emails, talking to school staff on the phone, and it’s been exhausting. It appears this is one of those battles where it feels we are losing on earth, but will be rewarded in Heaven.

It started at the beginning of the year. The class was asked if ,”everything that exists within the physical world can be explained by science/physics.” Alex raised his hand and said he was a Christian, so he believes things are real that you can’t see or touch.” Since then, this subject has been a sore spot between him and the physics teacher. On a homework assignment, there was a question. “How was the universe and earth created?” Alex wrote, “God.” He was told it was wrong by his teacher. He said, “I know you want us to say, Big Bang theory, but I believe it was God.” She told him it was wrong. A couple weeks later they were given an assignment to write a paper or do a group project on the Big Bang, Oscillating Universe, Steady State, Multiverse, or another alternate theory. Alex asked his teacher if he could write a paper on Creation by Intelligent design. She stated,  “Pretty much everyone accepts the Big Bang was how everything was created, because there is no scientific evidence for Creation.” She did however approve for him to write it.

Alex researched some really good resources. He wrote his paper siting evidence that helium levels trapped within our universe, are much lower than they would be if the earth were 4 billion years old. Helium levels point to the earth being more like 9-10 thousand years old, and that more closely supports the timeline of Creation. He also wrote about the inability for a closed system to generate matter that isn’t already there and order that doesn’t trend to disorder, based on the first two laws of thermodynamics. I will include his paper at the end of this blog, if you’d like to read it. Anyway…she graded his paper and deducted points because, “He didn’t use scientific evidence.” He received a 70% on the assignment. There is so much I’m not including in this story because you wouldn’t want to be here that long, but to make a long story short, this situation went south very quickly. It’s resulted in many CC’d messages to the dean of students, and the guidance counselor, as well as Alex’s grade being a D in physics when the rest of his classes are all A’s and B’s. He was switched to a new physics teacher today. 

I truly hate that this situation has ended like this. I don’t like confrontation or unresolved issues. I’m aware that this is really a spiritual battle. When someone is against God and taking up a battle contrary to His will, ultimately it’s God’s battle to win. We as human beings can’t win souls, but God can. I’m pretty sure she intensely dislikes us at the moment. Maybe she will never question her stance, but Alex respectfully stood up for what he believes to be true. As a mother, I consider that a battle won. My son loves and believes in God. There is nothing greater I could desire for my children in this life. They will face spiritual battles their whole life and sometimes the result will be great, and sometimes it will hurt deeply. If there is one thing we can do, it’s to trust that God is in control. 

A serious lack of Empathy and Compassion, has gripped this nation. It’s not trickling from the top down. It exists within our own circles. It’s evident when scrolling Facebook, listening to the news, in our schools, and even in our churches. Our biggest threat, is forgetting that we are all just souls trying really hard to find our way in life. If the law of kindness and charity is threatened, the system collapses. The design of God is for us to grant each other mercy and grace. Unfortunately not everyone knows God and not everyone knows his love, peace, grace, and mercy. Towards those who are lost, the law of kindness must be in our hearts. It’s rough guys. This isn’t easy. It’s the struggle I’ve felt writing each email and staying calm and measured in my responses on the phone. The only thing that gets me there, is remembering that those who lack the Holy Spirit, also lack peace. That is profoundly sad. I pray for this woman and I care about her, but I have also been nearly physically sickened with frustration. All I really want is peace. I realize that I have to have softness in my heart for her, because at least I know where to find it. I know to seek peace from the peace-giver. She doesn’t. I have been taught that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and guide me, and she doesn’t have that reassurance. This is where mercy is found. I’m writing about this, to remind myself and all my friends that some battles are only won in the spiritual world. We cannot explain all of these things with physics and that is okay.

Ephesians 6:12 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The scripture below was my reminder of the day scripture. It comes on the same day the school has decided to move Alex to a different physics teacher. In this case God provided a way of escape. I don’t think this was a coincidence. We may never know the result of all of this spiritually, but all we can do is put on the whole armor of God and pray for his leading every single day. We put on the armor, because we fight a war that is unseen by physics. 

Ephesians 6: 13-20

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Speak Boldly, but speak with charity for all souls, and grant mercy and grace to those with no armor. We must be careful not to reciprocate the fiery darts of the devil, because they are spiritually unarmed. We must fight this war cruelty-free. We wield the sword of truth with wisdom and love as not to maim, but to pierce their hearts with a knowledge of God. I love you each and pray that we in this army, never misuse or misplace a piece of our armor. 

1st Peter 3: 14-15

14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

I love you each so much. Huge Hugs my friends. Alex’s essay is included below.

Creation of the Universe:

Validity of Creationism

According to Scientific American; “A scientific theory is an explanation of some aspect of the natural world that has been substantiated through repeated experiments or testing.” Science has been attempting to prove the point of origin of the universe through various hypotheses, theories, and models. The Big Bang Theory, the Steady State Theory, and Creationism all attempt to explain the birth of our universe. While these theories differ, they both present reasonable scientific explanations. Based on three different scientific arguments, I would like to use two laws of thermodynamics, and current helium concentrations to demonstrate why I believe creation by intelligent design provides enough plausible evidence to conclude it is also a valid theory.

 

The Law of Energy Conservation states that nothing is being “created” or destroyed. The Universe did not create itself, because nothing in the present structure of natural law could possibly account for its own origin. This poses the question; Where did the matter come from because it couldn’t create itself? Within the Big Bang theory is the idea that matter evolved into its current structure far back in non-observable time, with an explosion of some kind that converted energy into matter. That doesn’t explain where the energy or the matter came from, or how it suddenly changed its behavior. The idea of the Big Bang theory was first introduced in the 1920s by a Belgian priest named Georges Lemaître (Micheal Greshko). He theorized that the universe began from a single primordial atom. According to “Ideas of Cosmology; In the 1950s,” Fred Hoyle created the phrase “Big Bang Theory,” intending for it to be a mocking nickname. Hoyle stated, “The Big Bang Theory is an irrational process that cannot be described in scientific terms nor challenged by an appeal to observation.” The Big Bang Theory explained an ever-expanding universe, while Hoyle believed our universe was in more of a regenerating cycle.

 

The second law of thermodynamics, “The Law of Energy Decay” states that every system left to its own devices always tends to move from order to disorder. This law means that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. A new theory called the “Steady State Theory”, proposed in 1950 by Hoyle, Hermann Bondi, and Tommy Gold; painted a picture of a universe that is unchanged over time, with new galaxies emerging continually within the same expanding space. That theory contradicts the law of energy decay, by ignoring the trend from order to disorder. The Steady State theory, would mean that the universe could go from order to disorder and then vise versa. That goes directly against the law of thermodynamics.  The first law makes it impossible for it to have begun itself. The second law requires the universe to have had a beginning. The laws of thermodynamics within a closed system do not allow for steady-state or a progression of lower to higher states of energy, this is known as negative entropy. The laws of thermodynamics, which are proven in closed systems, do not seem to support either the Big Bang Theory or Steady-State Theory but do leave the door open to the theory of infusion of energy from outside the given system to sustain and organize the system. This is how it is plausible that an outside source of power and order could support evidence from the Hubble space telescope, of the continued formation of new galaxies. The only way to satisfy both of these laws of thermodynamics would be for the universe to have been infused with power and order from outside the closed system, like in the case of Creation by intelligent design. 

 

Another argument in support of Creationism is the age of the earth according to Creationism and The Big Bang. The Big Bang Theory states that the earth has been around for about 4.543 Billion years, while Creationism states that it’s only been around for 9,000 to 10,000 years. Positive helium nuclei are given off by the decay of earth’s radioactive isotopes. Helium migrates out of the earth’s rocks and crust, eventually rising into the atmosphere as helium gas. The amount of helium in the atmosphere doesn’t help date rocks, but it does give an idea of how old the earth is. According to a quote by Larry Vardiman, PH.D Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University,

“An alternative to the long-age model, and one which runs counter to the basic assumption of the evolutionary/uniformitarian model, is that the earth’s atmosphere is relatively young (less than 10,000 years). During the 10,000 years or so since its creation, less than 1% of today’s helium would have been added by the decay of radioactive materials in the crust. The recent discoveries of helium coming through the crust from the mantle where no radioactive decay process is known to produce helium has led to the statement that primordial helium exists in the mantle. Why then, is it so hard to believe that primordial helium also exists in the atmosphere? The lack of an escape mechanism and the likelihood that the helium we observe in the atmosphere is primordial provides evidence that the earth’s atmosphere is quite young. The study of the influx and outflux processes of gases like hydrogen, helium, argon, neon, and krypton may lead to better estimates of the age of the earth’s atmosphere. Investigation of the sources of the heavier gases may be particularly illuminating since uncertainties by thermal escape can be eliminated from consideration. Evolutionary/uniformitarian models of the earth’s atmosphere have run into formidable obstacles in explaining these processes. We believe the source for these problems is the assumption that the earth’s atmosphere is billions of years old.” -Larry Vardiman PH.D Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University.

 

The Big Bang Theory, The Steady-State Theory, and Creation by Intelligent Design are all theories that have some elements that science can support but not definitively prove, such as the universe expanding and the universe producing new galaxies. The problem with these theories is that based on a closed model, the Big Bang Theory and the Steady-State Theory can not be supported because they violate the laws of Thermodynamics and concentrations of helium are not high enough to support the earth’s age being billions of years old. Matter does not create itself and energy is not currently trending from order to disorder. Creation by intelligent design does not rule out the possibility of an infusion of an energy source and order that does not trend toward disorder from outside of a closed model. Current Helium concentration within the atmosphere also does not disprove the possibility that the age of the earth is much younger than billions of years old. Taking all of these things into account; I choose to believe that creation by intelligent design is still the most plausible theory. “There is scientific evidence for creation from cosmology, thermodynamics, paleontology, biology, mathematical probability, geology, and other sciences.” “There are many scientists in each field who conclude that the scientific data best support the creation model, not the evolution model.”- Duane Gish PH.D 

 

References 

Vardiman, L. (1986).  The age of the Earth’s atmosphere estimated by its helium content. Creation Science Fellowship. https://www.icr.org/i/pdf/techniLarrcal/The-Age-of-Earths- Atmosphere-by-its-Helium-Content.pdf

 

Greshko, M., National Geographic Staff. (January 18, 2017). Origins of the universe, explained National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/origi ns-of-t he-universe/

 

Brought to you by the Center for History of Physics, a Division of the American Institute of Physics (2020) Big Bang or Steady State? Creation of the Elements

https://history.aip.org/history/exhibits/cosmology/ideas/bigbang.htm 

 

Duane Gish PH.D ( May 01, 1981) Summary of Scientific Evidence for Creation (Part I & II) 

Retrieved from

https://www.icr.org/article/summary-scientific-evidence-for-creation/

 

Morris, H. (1985). Scientific creationism Master Books (pp. 25-26)