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An Age-Old Search

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The Hubble telescope portrays an enormous universe, stretching some thirty billion light years across.

Astronomers have known since the nineteen-seventies that all the physical matter in the universe is grouped into regions called super-clusters.  Most super-clusters are long and thin, with clusters of galaxies strung together like beads on a string.

But there are huge volumes of space that are apparently empty.  Together, these voids and super-clusters form the complex pattern that makes up the large-scale structure of the universe.

When it comes to questions like how far space goes, we are dealing with an area we can't observe.  We are left to speculations.  We know the universe is expanding outwards in all directions.  But unfortunately we can't know what it's expanding into, because we will never be able to outrun the expansion to find out.

Since the physical universe is all that we can observe in science, we are in the same boat as insects crawling on the inside of a closed glass jar.  We will never find an outside.  If there is anything beyond the glass we can't get there to make the observations.  We reach the point where scientists have to hand over to the theologians.

So next time you look into the sky and wonder if there's anything beyond the universe, don't expect science to give you a clear answer.  Since we must depend on observations, the answer must remain a mystery.

MOVING BEYOND MATTER
by Christopher Shennan

The vastness of the universe should breed in us a certain humility.  If science can only verify what can be observed, we must realize that our knowledge is limited indeed.

It is wise to acknowledge the limits of reason, and our capacity to understand.  We are a part of something much bigger than we are.  Just because we can't comprehend the answers to some questions, does not mean they do not exist.  That is why we need to be open minded about the mystery of life.  To arrogantly declare that nothing exists outside our circle of knowledge is not only foolish, it is very restricting.  We can imprison ourselves behind the bars of our own limited brain power.  Great men and women of the past made amazing discoveries simply because they believed there was always something new to discover.

Have you given up searching, because you believe you have a handle on life?  Or are you one of those courageous souls who reach for the stars — and beyond?

Knowledge can come to us is two main ways:  we can pursue it by our own efforts, or it can be revealed to us by someone more knowledgeable.

The ultimate questions of life and death, and eternity may be beyond the grasp of our finite minds.  But what if there was Someone who knew it all — Who had made it all?  It is easy to say, "I don't believe in God."  But what if God exists outside out limited mental capacity?  And what if the knowledge of God is not an intellectual matter, but a spiritual one?  And what if it is not an issue of investigation, but of revelation?