SPIRITUALITY News:
Editor’s note: This event is Wednesday, Aug. 6.
The final Seeking Truth in Science and Faith talk and discussion will tackle “Evolution: Molecule by Molecule.”
In contrast to previous presentations in this summer’s Faith and Science series, the group will not have 30 minutes of presentation followed by more than an hour of discussion, but will have continuous discussion and will move from example to example and from topic to topic as we satisfy the needs of the audience.
The discussion and talk are 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6 at United Church’s Craig Hall, 2525 Canyon Road. More than 40 people from pastors to mathematicians will participate. The discussion coordinator is Eric Fairfield.
Dinner is at 6 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m., the discussion begins.
According to Fairfield, in many discussions about faith and science, evolution is the chosen battleground. A molecular understanding of evolution shows that science and faith are allies not enemies on this battleground.
We will start this week’s discussion and understanding by defining the underlying chemistry, organizers said. Then it will be shown how molecular and cellular biology arose naturally from this chemistry. This underlying molecular biology imposes strong limits on how evolution can change life forms, but in contrast to physics and chemistry, genetic selection acting on the biological chemistry causes events that are very rare (one in billions) to be stable and to change a planet completely.
Life arising from this specialized chemistry has the ability to use energy, reproduce, and pass its characteristics along to its offspring. Life also absorbs as much energy as it can to outgrow other life. Finally, life is resilient and lives on a saddle point on the edge of death and chaos. These concepts will be illustrated with concrete experimental examples, such as snakes and toads in Australia, drug discovery, E. Coli in petri dishes, and the regrowth of Pajarito Mountain.
If you have questions about science and faith, this discussion series may answer some of them. The series is directed toward young adults, but is open to everyone. For more information, call Laura McClellan at 505.412.9427 or the United Church office at 505.662.2971, or check out the FaceBook group “Seeking Truth in Science and Faith in Los Alamos.