The New Cosmology

Dear CIOT Participants,

This month’s topic spans themes beyond those which immediately came to my mind. Of course “the new cosmology” brings to mind changes in scientific thinking, especially in astronomy and physics, and how the Church has adressed these changes theologically. And yet, as you will see, the topic also encompasses issues of the microcosm, i.e., our place on earth in relation to other life on the planet, environmentalism, etc.

Yet again you have selected a topic that I have had only a passing familiarity with. For which reason I’d like to thank Sisters Francine and Pat for their suggestions.

I’m looking forward to seeing you on April 2!

John

For Starters: Some Introductory Materials Scientific & Theological

A User-Friendly Begginer’s Guide: A Look at the New Cosmology . Sister Francine used this in one of the seminars she attended. It consists of bullet-points and sensible images and diagrams.

Diarmuid O Murchu’s chapter on the new cosmology from his Reclaiming Spirituality: A New Spiritual Framework for Today’s World (New York: Crossroad, 1998). Murchu is considered a leader in this area, and this chapter traces some of the spiritual implications of the topic.

Murchu also gave an informative interview to Dorothy Whiston in Presence, 8,1 (Feb. 2002): 19-25: At Home in God’s Universe .

A 2-page side-by-side comparison of the “new paradigm thinking” as it applies to both theology and science, from F. Capra and D. Steindle-Rast, Belonging to the Universe .

Scientific & Religious Articles on Cosmology from the Encyclopedia of Science & Religion (2003): The articles are useful because they attempt to lay out the “science” of the new cosmology in layperson’s terms, then discuss both the history of religious and philosophical thought as they relate to cosmology from the classical age to the present.

Related Topics in Slightly More Depth (still, all of these are brief!!)

The Church has gotten a bad rap for its behavior and attitudes in relation to the history of science. Which is not to say we didn’t have our moments…

Nevetheless, it is crucial to understand 1) that for centuries the Church remained the most generous patron of science in Western Europe; 2) that theologians have always considered God’s creation, along with the Bible, worthy of scientific study because it is one of the only ways of knowing God that we have; 3) that many leading scientists have actually been clerics of the Church, not the least of which was Father Georges Lemaitre, who is credited as one of the earliest proponents of the “Big Bang” theory. These brief articles should help clear things up:

Carrol, William E. Aquinas and the Big Bang, First Things 97 (November 1999): 18-20.

Midbon, Mark. A Day Without Yesterday: Georges Lemaitre & the Big Bang, Commonweal (March 24, 2000): 18-19.

Heilbron, J.L. The Sun in the Church,The Sciences 39, 5 (Sept./Oct. 1999): 29-35. Note: Heilbron, before his retirement, was none other than a historian and professor at Univ. California, Berkeley—his academic credentials are beyond doubt, and this piece is extremely informative.

Jaki, Stanley. The Biblical Basis of Western Science. Crisis 15, 9 (October 1997): 17-20. Note: Jaki is a Professor of the History of Science at Seton Hall University.

Despite those who would consider Earth just another lump among the billions in the galaxy, there are those who point our the planet’s uniqueness in relation to other planets (at least as far as our current scientific knowledge allows). See: Wiker, Ben. Billions of Planets, But Only One Earth, National Catholic Register (September 10-16, 2000).

Must the New Physics result in a New Theology? See the description of the work of John Polkinghorne—eminent Cambridge Univ. physicist and Anglican priest—by Patrick Glynn: New Physics, New Theology, National Review (April 6, 1998): 55-56.

Another leader in this area is Brian Swimme, a physicist. See the interview with him in U.S. Catholic (June 1997): 8-16.

The issue of cosmology, as several of the readings for this month make clear, also involves issues of climate change and the environment. Here is the most recent (2001) statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the matter: Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good.