Science Still Doesn't Have All the Answers

Scientists don’t have all the answers. But then, you knew that. Or you suspected it.

I love it when they admit that they were wrong. Were. Wrong. I love it when they begin to look foolish (think: Keystone Cops) as they fight among themselves about the validity of certain scientific “facts.”

However, what I love most is that they keep trying to get it right. And, I love it when they say they can’t explain some odd phenomenon. A little humility is so attractive.

Three recent events in the world of scientific research are instructive:

First: Daniel Shechtman received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last week, for his discovery, nearly 30 years ago (1982), of “quasicrystals.” Shechtman is now 70 years old; he would have been about 40 when he made his initial discovery. In 1982, he was ridiculed and expelled from his research group because what he claimed he had found was “impossible,” and because he had thus brought “disgrace” on the team. The problem of quasicrystals is that they “break all the rules” of being a crystal.

For me, this is an illustration that God’s chemistry textbook actually has “all the rules,” including many rules which scientists haven’t discovered yet.

Second: A bunch of scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics last week for deciding that the universe is actually expanding at an ever-faster rate. Now, as any kid could tell you, this is clearly impossible. Remember the laws of inertia and gravity? After the Big Bang, gravity would cause the outward expansion to eventually slow to a stop, and then everything might even reverse and collapse in upon itself. Since they really can’t explain what might be the cause of an ever-increasing speed of expansion, the scientists had to invent a new power: “dark energy.” They decided that this mysterious force, “dark energy”— which counteracts gravity, must make up more than 70% of the universe. 70%!!!

For me, this fits right into God’s plan and creations. God’s power—which fills the universe(!)— is 100%.

Third: Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light – right? Scientists in Italy and Switzerland are not so sure about that any more. It seems that neutrinos fired from Switzerland to Italy traveled 60 billionths of a second faster than light. Potentially this has huge implications not only for physicists, but for everyone.  For one thing, Einstein’s theory of special relativity goes out the window (I suspect there is something faster than a neutrino, and that was Einstein turning over in his grave at the news about the neutrinos). Charles Krauthammer remarked, “It has to be impossible because, if not, everything we know about the universe is wrong.”

Well, if everything scientists know about the universe is wrong, that just might turn out to be a real moment of truth for them ….

Meanwhile, I can smile gently because I know that God is real and that he is our Heavenly Father who loves us, and that our lives here are part of his magnificent plan for our happiness and eternal life.

Lee ... Who?

Let’s think about Lehi. He had dreams and he had visions. He shared those dreams and visions with his wife and children. He also tried to share things God had revealed to him with the people of Jerusalem—and because they didn’t like what he had to say—which sounded a lot like: “REPENT!!”—the people of Jerusalem wanted to kill him.

What was the reaction of his wife and children to his dreams and visions? Skepticism, mostly. Even Nephi, who believed his father’s words, did not just passively accept everything Lehi said. Nephi never said: “Whatever Dad says is good enough for me!” He always went to the Lord for confirmation and further instruction. Laman and Lemuel, of course, thought their father was crazy. And they certainly didn’t believe that God communicated to Lehi—or anyone else—through dreams and visions.

What do you think Lehi’s motive was in sharing his dreams and visions? Did he just want to make people angry? Was his motive to make his family miserable? Or send them on guilt trips? Or embarrass them in the community and with their friends? No. Lehi was motivated by love. Because he loved his family and his neighbors, he warned them of danger. He told them of destruction to come. Only a few people listened and believed. The majority scoffed, made mock of him, and wanted to permanently silence him.

If Lehi lived today, he’d have an even harder time because the scoffers and mockers would post a video on YouTube of a mob laughing him to scorn. The police would arrest him on suspicion of being on hallucinogenic drugs. The electronic and print media would condemn him for his “hate speech” with headlines demanding government intervention. The Hollywood elite would label him “UnAmerican” and a kill-joy. Laman and Lemuel would try to have him declared senile and a danger to himself as well as others and have him put in an institution.

Are there “Lehi’s” among us today? In other words, are there people inspired by God today who are warning us of dangers to us and our families? If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever – which I believe to be true – then He would have to give the world enough “Lehi’s” to sound in every ear.

Who are these Lehi’s? You can probably name some individuals who are obvious modern-day Lehi’s. I would like to suggest that they are numerous. Some of them are Mrs. Lehi’s. Some are young, some are old. One of them could be you.

I believe that being a warning voice like Lehi was is one of the assignments we were given to fulfill on this earth in our day. We are to be warning voices. We should be able to warn our spouse and our children or our parents and our grandparents or our best friend and our neighbors when our eyes or minds are enlightened by the Spirit as to a danger.

And if they come to us with such a warning, we should be humble enough to listen carefully, and to get confirmation from God. Their motivation is love. It is so easy to get offended and to act like Laman and Lemuel: “God made no such thing known unto me—therefore I won’t believe you!” Remember how they refused to listen to Nephi their younger brother because he was younger? They refused to listen to Lehi because it meant an end to their comforts and pleasures. They even became hard-hearted enough that they refused to listen to angels.

Some people will not listen to or learn from a woman, or a younger person, or an old person, or a person with bad grammar. Others have other prejudices. Because of pride, they do not recognize the voice of the Spirit speaking through the voice of someone they are familiar with or feel superior to.

I believe we are expected to be “Lehi’s” and to “stand for truth and righteousness.” At the same time, we are also expected to be like Nephi and Sam, humble and teachable. When the “Lehi’s” among us warn us to depart from Babylon (and I believe that is happening), it is time to hit the road, not make jokes about Lehi’s latest ridiculous over-the-top rant or make excuses for not giving up our favorite Babylonian entertainments.

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Hollywood's Breach

The other evening, the Knight and I watched “Breach,” a 2007 movie which I had wanted to see for quite a long time. The movie is based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent, convicted of spying for the Soviet Union / Russia for more than two decades.

Alas, the movie lacked 3 key elements which the Knight especially enjoys in movies: lots of stuff blowing up, lots of car chases, and lots of people getting the tar kicked out of them. You know, gratuitous special effects violence. (LOL) Nevertheless, even with none of that, the two-hour production was nerve-wrackingly tense. We knew from the first few minutes of the movie what the outcome was going to be, but it was still tense.

My interpretation of the film was that it was an interesting study of pride and anger. Agent Hanssen was angry because he felt that his keen intelligence and brillant work were neither sufficiently recognized nor justly rewarded by the FBI. As a consequence, he sold out to the Russians for big bucks as his way of punishing the FBI for dissing him. Ultimately, his pride and anger became a self-destruct-mechanism—first, it slowly pulled him apart as he lived two different lives, and then it triggered his final traitorous act which resulted in his arrest and imprisonment. It was a sad, cautionary tale about pride and anger.

Hollywood, however, was not satisfied with a psychological portrait of Robert Hanssen the traitor along with a chronicle of the careful work done by the FBI to nail the guy. The screenplay writers and the director decided that they needed to spice up the story for the big screen by adding a few fictitious elements, namely, “sexual perversions” and religious hypocrisy or fanaticism (Catholic). And, Hollywood style, they also felt the need to make political commentary. Several major scenes were entirely fictional, as listed in Wikipedia:

• The real O'Neill knew going in that Hanssen was the subject of a counterintelligence investigation. There was no cover story about sexual perversions, and no dramatic meeting where O'Neill learned the truth.

• There was no extensive contact outside the office between O'Neill and Hanssen as portrayed in the film (the O'Neills visiting the Hanssens, the Hanssens dropping by O'Neill's apartment). However, Hanssen did take O'Neill to church.

• The scene where Hanssen takes O'Neill out into the woods and drunkenly fires his pistol is fictional.

• Unlike in the movie, O'Neill never saw Hanssen after the arrest.

In my opinion, all of the scenes depicting sexual and religious “deviancy” were distasteful and added nothing of value to the movie. On the contrary: these scenes detracted from the story and its presentation, and distorted the truth. These scenes could have been deleted and some more accurate parts added, along with some terrific acting, to result in a more powerful story. Truth need not be fictionalized to make it compelling. Resorting to cheap sensationalism and an appeal to anti-religion sentiments were unnecessary.

As the distasteful and repulsive scenes transpired, it was as if obnoxious commercials were interrupting the story. During those scenes I began thinking about the writers and the director, and the ax they were obviously grinding, as well as their cynical opinions of American movie-goers. They obviously did not want anyone to leave the theater with any feelings of respect for the FBI, since the movie included scenes that belittled the FBI, in general, and suggested that the FBI itself could be blamed for Hanssen’s actions. Hollywood apparently also believes that religiously-minded people are dangerous or mentally unstable—they definitely are not “normal.”

To Be Smarter than God: Eve's Sinful Wish?

In “Paradise Lost,” John Milton suggests that when Satan tempted Eve with the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that Eve’s motive—rather than the mere act of eating the fruit—her motive was the real sin. Milton portrays Eve’s sinful motive as not just that she wanted knowledge and wisdom (which are good things), but that she greedily wanted to be as smart as God . . . or, perhaps even better, to be smarter than God . . . or, maybe best of all, to be God . . . to supplant or replace God. The scriptural account shows that Satan did tempt Eve with, “ye shall be as gods (see Genesis 3:5, Moses 4:11); the account in 2 Nephi 2:18 says, “ye shall be as God.” And that was how Satan tricked Eve into eating the fruit, by suggesting that she could become a god (or The God) with as simple an act as eating fruit: “For a quick and effortless route to godhood, eat this.”

It has been a few years since I read “Paradise Lost,” but even now I cannot revisit—either in the scriptures or in the temple—the account of Eve’s temptation without remembering Milton’s characterization of Eve. However, for my part, I believe that Eve’s motives were innocent because while living in the garden, she was still in a state of innocence. The reason I think about what Milton said is because sometimes I seem to be the one guilty of thinking that I am smarter than God.

Usually in retrospect, I discern that I have argued with the Spirit, saying “I don’t want to do that” when the Spirit prompted me to do a particular thing—usually a hard thing. And then I further hardened my heart against the prompting with a determination to do what I wanted to do instead, which is a path that I think is smarter or less difficult or more attractive or better just because I thought of it (and this is pleasing to my self-image as a highly intelligent person). Smarter than God? Right.

Eventually, after trying to do things my way, I discover that I am actually dumber than dirt because dirt actually obeys when God commands. And the Spirit always knows better than I do what I should do. Yes, we are to study things out in our minds—but as a first step, not as the only step. After thinking up my plan and deciding what I am going to do, the Spirit almost always suggests a better plan. Gently suggests. Does not force. “Here is an idea . . .” the Spirit whispers. “I don’t want to do that!” I say, slamming the door shut on the Spirit.

By acting like I think I am smarter than God, I am also supplanting or replacing God in my life. When God is replaced by a prideful intellect, intellect becomes my God. My intellect becomes my God. Therefore, I am my own God.

Some of the saddest words in the scriptures are these: “the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to strive with [them]; and they are without Christ and God in the world; and they are driven about as chaff before the wind” (Mormon 5:16). ‘Without Christ and God in the world’—by choice we cast ourselves out of the Garden.