Sometimes I begin these conversations not knowing where they're going to end. This is one of those times.
Today's subject involves current events, the universe, and religion. Any one of those topics is complex enough on its own, much less trying to weave them together.
I think this all started with NASA's Artemis II mission, scheduled to carry astronauts on a lunar flyby that will take them around the far side of the moon and back, a journey of roughly 695,000 miles. Numbers like that are almost beyond human comprehension.
That, in turn, led me to the Discovery Channel series How the Universe Works, which first aired in 2010 and is now available for streaming—watching it put the Artemis mission into perspective. In the grand scheme of the universe, that trip is barely a step beyond our front porch.
This is an unimaginably vast and complex universe. Our planet amounts to little more than a grain of sand on the beaches of St. Simons Island.
That brings me to current events.
As I write this, war continues in Ukraine. Israel remains engaged in conflict with Hamas, and tensions across the Middle East remain high. Civil wars continue in places such as Sudan and Myanmar.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, dozens of armed conflicts are taking place around the world. Peace on Earth? It can seem like an impossible dream.
Yet this troubled little planet occupies only a tiny corner of a solar system that includes the sun, eight planets, five recognized dwarf planets, hundreds of moons and countless asteroids and comets.
Our solar system is just one among billions within the Milky Way, which itself contains an estimated 100 billion to 400 billion stars—and likely even more planets.
And the Milky Way is only one galaxy among an estimated trillions in the observable universe.
Those numbers are beyond my ability to comprehend. Comparing Earth to a grain of sand may actually understate how small and insignificant we are in the cosmic picture.
Which brings me to religion.
I believe in God. In fact, the more I learn about the vastness of the universe, the stronger my faith becomes. I don't feel the need to justify that belief to anyone.
Our human definitions do not limit God. In the Bible, God simply says, "I Am Who I Am." That has always been enough for me.
For most of my life, I thought about God almost exclusively in terms of Earth—Heaven and Hell, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden.
But when I consider the scale of creation, I find myself asking new questions.
Did God choose this one tiny planet from among untold trillions to create humanity? Or did life emerge through natural processes, as many scientists believe, eventually evolving into who and what we are today?
Scientists featured on How the Universe Works suggest there may well be other forms of life somewhere in our galaxy—or beyond. We simply haven't found them.
If that's true, did God create them, too? Or are we unique?
I don't know the answers.
What I do know is that I'm eager to explore the questions.
A small group of friends from diverse backgrounds—including members of the clergy—plans to meet regularly to discuss these ideas. I believe God welcomes honest inquiry and isn't threatened by sincere questions.
After all, God is still "I Am Who I Am."
That won't change.
Perhaps we're the ones who should.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough.com or P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA 31139.