Before there were astronauts, there were rocketiologists. At age eight, I wanted to go into space, formed a club and we called ourselves, rocketiologists. We beat NASA by a mile! I was reminded of this when I opened an e-mail, and was taken on a 25 minute tour of the space station. Fascinating! When I was growing up, that was the stuff of science fiction. Loved Sci-Fi then, and still do, but so many people don’t like science fiction at all. Always wondered why. Maybe it’s because it deals with “what if” and “supposing that”… And now there’s talk about establishing a colony on Mars. Exciting times!

Religion and science have often been difficult bedfellows. People steeped in creeds and dogma are frightened by science- afraid that if a long cherished belief is challenged or discredited, then their whole belief system will collapse around them. And scientists too often allow their intellect to reign supreme, leaving no room for the spiritual. Consequently, both extremes suffer from lack of wonder- the ability to let creation and the Creator surprise us. “He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder,” said Tad Williams. Perhaps the surprises of the unknown are upsetting to people who need to feel life is predictable and controllable. But Albert Einstein said, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, his eyes are closed.”

It seems to me that, whether it is from rigid religious beliefs or from an inability to appreciate anything that cannot be empirically or scientifically proven, these folks miss out on so much. An open mind leaves always the possibility of amazement and awe. “Whether outwardly or inwardly, whether in space or time, the farther we penetrate the unknown, the vaster and more marvelous it becomes,” wrote Charles Lindbergh.

Maybe my love of science fiction, and hence science itself, has allowed me to live in a world of possibilities. I have never had a problem with merging my faith and science. I find both integral to both my understanding and appreciation of my life, this world and the cosmos. “I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it” said Harry Emerson Fosdick, to which I add AMEN!

To view the tour of the space station, go to my above page “spiritual videos” and click on the first link.