The Universe in Essays

There are two general positions one can take about the relationship between science and religion: (1) the conflict thesis and (2) the concord thesis. I do not know which one is correct, but I do have a few things to say about one argument sometimes marshaled on behalf of (1): the Catholic Church’s opposition to Galileo and his model of the universe.

About two years ago, researchers announced that one can potentially save a child from blood problems, cystic fibrosis, and certain forms of cancer by changing their genes in embryo (Gallager). Sounds great! No one ought to object, right? The issue is that these changes involve altering the germline, that part of the genetic code that we pass on to the next generation. It’s that element of permanece that many people think puts humanity in a role that belongs to God alone. What, then, is the ethical status of germline therapy?

In the aftermath of the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus in a tomb, the disciples went home, and the world went on — for three days, that is. I will try to find out whether evidence can establish that following Jesus’ death, women found his tomb empty. Notice that an empty tomb by itself does not entail Jesus’ resurrection; a number of naturalistic explanations are available (e.g., the women went to the wrong tomb, Jesus did not really die, tomb raiders stole his body, etc.). However, an occupied tomb does entail that Jesus did not bodily rise from the dead. So the task at hand is fairly significant.