Morning on the Mountain

Photo by Heather Gaume, Clouds over the Sandias

Photo by Heather Gaume, Mist on the Mountain

Most mornings here on the mountainside, it is possible to experience a glimpse of the grandeur of creation, in a constant dance of weather patterns.  This morning it is misty and cold and I am running the generator to charge the batteries in our off the grid house.  How glad I am for this merry little noise maker!  Twenty minutes and there will be enough charge to keep everything running for this day even with the clouds hanging about the mountain on the east and the ridge on the west of our house blocking the sun that the solar panels require to work.

And while on the topic of the grandeur of creation, I want to mention that I found "The Theory of Everything" to be a very compelling movie.  After my busy days in town, I rarely make it back to town to see a film in a theater.  

The movie is based on a book written by his first wife, Jane.  It chronicles the story of their marriage and Stephen's astonishing intellect and courage. Jane, played by Felicity Jones, lights up the movie with her love and Stephen, brought to life by the young actor, Eddie Redmayne, becomes real and approachable, rather than the towering brilliant mind so universally admired.  

Jane is a person of faith, having grown up in the the "C of E" as she puts it on meeting Stephen for the first time.  That would be Church of England for those of you who missed the reference.  I attend the Episcopal church, the American branch of the Church of England.

Stephen is most definitely not a person of faith, but rather a scientist.  This brings an interesting tension into their otherwise seemingly invincible marriage. 

"In considering the beginnings of the universe, Stephen has concluded that there is no need for a creator, that the laws of science allow the universe to come into being on its own.  Modern physics leaves no place for God in the creation of the Universe, Stephen Hawking has concluded.

Just as Darwinism removed the need for a creator in the sphere of biology, Britain's most eminent scientist argues that a new series of theories have rendered redundant the role of a creator for the Universe.

In his forthcoming book, an extract from which is published exclusively in Eureka, published today with The Times, Professor Hawking sets out to answer the question: "Did the Universe need a creator?" The answer he gives is a resounding "no".

Far from being a once-in-a-million event that could only be accounted for by extraordinary serendipity or a divine hand, the Big Bang was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, Hawking says." - From an article in Time Magazine.

This morning, not possessing a brilliant mind but gazing at the mountainside, my heart screams out in disagreement.  Perhaps our universe did not need a creator.  Perhaps the laws of physics were not set into place by a creator but "just happened."  But I still know that God exists.  I don't know how or why, nor do I really care, not being a theologian, but I feel an abiding, deep seated need to worship.  Stephen worships creation.  I worship the Creator. 

However, just because I disagree with Stephen's conclusions, doesn't mean I would wish for you to miss this movie.  He and Jane's lives are fascinating and inspiring.