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December 27th, 2007

The Quantum Particle Prologue to John

  • Dec. 27th, 2007 at 4:11 PM
Milford Sound
So. I was trying to consider my sermon for next Sunday, and I had the following written conversation with God. ...And while I think perhaps I've never shared these sorts of conversations, believe you me, they're more or less every day occurences for me.

In considering John 1:1-18, and drawing an odd line and arrow diagram that looks likes a Worshac inkblot, Sare wrote:

What is John trying to explain?


The mystery of God


He's failing spectacularly.


You try, then.

After thinking about the prospect of explaining the ineffible niftyness of God, possibly to a bunch of people that don't care one way or the other, plus taking a moment to consider the ins and outs of the Greek philosopical mindset that has largely shaped the West and how the niftiness of God according to, say, the current Dalai Lama, or Deepak Chopra sounds so different (and yet isn't) from say, Plato's understanding of the world, to say nothing of Augustine's, Sarey writes this:

::sigh:: It's all about your audience, right?


Something like that.


And then Sarey starts drawing waves and particles, because you can't see God, but to know God through seeing the Son, or so says the Gospel of John. It's like that with quantum bits: we know the waves exist, but as soon as we try to see the waves, particles appear that weren't there before. You can't actually see the wave, even though you know it exists - we see evidence of its existence, but we can't see it. We can only see the particles. So the waves are a mystery, but the particles are manifest - but only when you look at them, like the tree in the forest and that cat in a box - Shrodinger might have missed his cat, but let me tell you, mine still exist and will be pissed if you enclose them in a box. Anyway. God is a mystery, but here we have a lovely manifest version: the J-man. (And arguably, every other atom that has ever been manifest, including you, me, the computer screen and the tree outside with which you are currently not communing.) And so Sarey writes:

...It always comes back to quantum mechanics, doesn't it?

You have Legos. I have quantum particles.

And then Sarey has a warm fuzzy feeling, because really, it's nice to know you share interests witih your God, like... making stuff. I like to make stuff. God likes to make stuff. We have that in common.

However, I'm not sure I can write a sermon about Quantum particles that will make sense. After all, I am a liturgical groupie and fan of physics, but when the chips are down, I'm more mystical than mathematical. (But just barely.)

Hm. Worthy of more thought. Like, tomorrow.

FIC: Spinner's End: A Suzerain Arrangement

  • Dec. 27th, 2007 at 6:55 PM
Milford Sound
Title: A Suzerain Arrangement
Author: Sare Liz, sare-liz.livejournal.com
Series: Spinner’s End (Third Part)
Ship: SS/HG
Rating: PG13
Warning: Resolved Angst, Adult Issues, one use of the ever lovely F word.
Disclaimer: The obvious characters do not belong to me, they belong to JKR. The name of the Thaumarasga Draught is mine, though the essence of it is, I am sure, not original. The Suzerain Arrangement… Well, it came up in OT class, back when I was in school, though not quite like this. The Suzerain Treaty is a type of agreement that is roughly 4000 years old. This use of it, however, is brand spanking new. I’m sure that the Dr. Fentress-Williams would be at least slightly amused at my utter perversion of academic knowledge in this instance…


Here there be dragons... (No, not really.) )

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