Dear Shari and Toby,
Religion from an
Engineer’s Point of View
“A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.” – Albert Einstein
The jailer says he will let the prisoners go if they are intelligent enough. Neither prisoner has ever seen an elephant or even a picture of an elephant. One at a time he lets them go into the courtyard where there is an elephant standing. When they both return he asks each of them to describe the elephant. The first man describes the two big floppy ears, small eyes, long thick nose and two big stumpy legs. The second man said the first man was wrong. The elephant had no ears or eyes but only a long thin nose and two big stumpy legs. The jailer let both men go because both descriptions were correct. The men were standing at opposite ends of the elephant.
Two people (a pastor and an engineer) walk into the sanctuary on Sunday morning. The pastor sees a spiritual house of God with his children gathering to receive His blessing. The engineer sees a metal and wood structure with a high ceiling arched for support. The W6-51 beams are arranged in a radial pattern and filled in between with hardwood. The many pieces of stained glass are supported by formed lead edges creating an artistic window. The many layers of brick forming the walls are the work of good craftsmanship with straight lines and even spacing. The high-tech lighting and sound equipment appear to be functioning properly and will not distract the group of people entering from focusing their attention on learning how to make good decisions.
Just like their walk together into the sanctuary, the pastor and engineer read the Bible and see the world from a different view point. Each understanding is valid but only provides an incomplete description of our universe and the many events which have contributed to its development. The basic spiritual concept of God as explained by the pastor is seen by the engineer as being built of many interrelated physical and mental events as recorded in many places. By examining many records of the same event and processing the interrelated facts, the engineer can reproduce the mental understanding of what physically happened. This does not detract from the pastor’s spiritual explanation but supports it as the foundation, windows, bricks, beams and lighting systems support the concept of God’s house.
The following answers to the previous questions:
-Where we, as mankind, are going.
are from an engineer’s point of view. The physical events and logical understanding do not address the spiritual implications but only the tangible results. This is not an attempt to slight the spiritual implications. The spiritual implications will become obvious when a full understanding of the physical and mental is available. Spiritually, a house of God can exist anywhere. In the example of the sanctuary above, an engineer designed and a contractor constructed the building over a period of many years. The people’s attendance and spiritual attitude are what converted it into a house of God. Just as the physical bricks and mortar are separate from the spiritual attitudes while constructing the house of God, the events and logic behind the development of this world and us are separate from the overall universal plan behind God’s kingdom. Yet, both are one!
Religion from an Engineer’s Point of View.HTM
11/18/2021