Chemistry and God... what can one teach us about the other? (Spring 2008)

Disclaimer: I like chemistry. I love God. Often I try to make connections between the sciences and my faith. I discovered one such connection today with a little help from random Sunday school discussions, my Ideation “strength”, and the new David Crowder c.d. cover.

Have you ever studied orbitals or bond theories and been totally frustrated? Not because the material is difficult, but simply because these abstract ideas are simply theories? Great scientists have observed atoms for lifetimes and have built their research on the observations of another scientist who observed atom trends for his lifetime. Despite all of the observing and all of the lifetimes, we cannot accurately draw an atom and its electron distribution. We have great models that give us fairly decent ideas of how it might work, and it seems like some of them are accurate. But still, they’re just theories. As I have delved into Organic Chemistry, I have seen intricate means of describing the microscopic molecules that surround us. Sometimes I wonder if there’s even a point in trying to figure it out when someone will come along in another ten years with a whole new way of explaining the way that electrons move. But then again, it’s kind of exciting to wonder and dream and speculate with the guidance that we have while also trying to look outside the box.

Do you ever feel like that this is our grasp of God? We spend our lives reading about the characteristics of God and wondering what He is truly like. We glean from the experience of others, and from what is written, often to formulate a God who fits our fabricated descriptions. When I think about heaven, I wonder how much bigger God is than I actually have ever imagined. I get this feeling that His glory is not remotely fathomable by the earthly mind, especially by mine. But still, I keep on dreaming. I continue to seek creation for evidence of my God. I will search, hoping to catch a glimpse of Him. I will watch and wait, knowing that when He comes, we will see Him as He is, in all of His splendor and majesty. Praise God for the mystery and wonder of His glory… exhibited even in an atom!