Many people are talking about the spiritual as well as the scientific meaning of the Artemis II mission. Aboard the lunar spacecraft, astronaut Victor Glover spoke movingly about what some have called our rare and Privileged Planet and humanity’s “special” place on it:
You’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. …You are special. In all of this emptiness, this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe, you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together…
“A Major Disconnect”
Writing today at Fox News, Return of the God Hypothesis author Stephen Meyer expands on this beautiful idea, citing the upcoming theatrical documentary The Story of Everything.
This week, the Artemis astronauts continue a mission that has given them — and us — a spectacular view of the Moon, Earth, and deep space — and with it a sense of both scientific accomplishment and renewed awe at the grandeur of our planet. Indeed, many astronauts who have seen Earth from space have reported having an almost spiritual experience. From the Apollo 8 crew reading the Genesis account while viewing Earth from space on Christmas day 1968 to Jared Isaacman, current NASA administrator, reporting that his time in space convinced him that “the heavens declare the glory of God,” human space travel has often mixed scientific exploration with religious affirmation.
Nevertheless, leading spokesmen for science often argue that science undermines religious belief. Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Bill Nye, Michael Shermer, and others have published popular books arguing that science renders belief in God implausible….
Yet, between that message and reality, there is a major disconnect. Over the last century, several important scientific discoveries have challenged science-based atheism and instead support the perspective of the religiously inclined astronauts….
A new theatrical film, The Story of Everything, examines these discoveries in more detail. It challenges the popular view that science and belief in God conflict. This trope has led many science-popularizers to revel in the picture of human beings as cosmic orphans in a vast impersonal universe. But growing evidence for the design of life and the universe paints a decidedly different picture, one that aligns far more closely with what many astronauts have experienced firsthand.
The Story of Everything opens April 30, and tickets are already available. Find individual and group sales here.