Barrett Garese

Do Creationists believe in the God Particle?

Ugh, to answer your question: yes they do. I’m already seeing this get totally misunderstood by the “I only pick and choose which science I believe so it doesn’t challenge my beliefs” crowd, and I’m already getting shit for explaining how this does not mean science found “scientific proof of God.” I’ve stopped explaining it to those who choose to remain willfully ignorant, and I’ve honestly stopped caring when people say it’s rude to point out and/or mock the willfully ignorant.

Ignorance is not an excuse; ignorance is a disease. Willful ignorance is one of the worst traits a human being can have. The universe - in all its complexity, curiosity, and utter sheer monstrosity - is nigh unknowable; the only way we will know a very slight bit more requires curiosity and the humble willingness to accept that we know very little in the first place. Most importantly it requires a desire to learn and explore, not a belief that we already know everything of “value.”

We know more today than we did yesterday. Yesterday we knew more than we did last year, and last year we knew more than we did a thousand years ago. Thank science for that. Science is fucking awesome, and to ignore science unless it reinforces your already-established beliefs, systems, and structures (or worse: to only participate in, and/or support science that reinforces them) shows an inexcusable lack of understanding and respect for exactly what science is and offers; even while you likely continue to use the products of such science on a daily basis.

Science and religion can coexist, but only so long as religion defers to science when science shows religion the light of new information. If within that new information, science runs up against or past the boundaries of established religious ideas, then religion must acquiesce. This is the nature of science: it sheds a light of understanding upon the stories that religion tells to explain what exists in the darkness.

Science does not seek to reinforce beliefs. It does not not hate, nor love, nor judge. It does not provide comfort. Science is impartial and indifferent. It seeks new data, new knowledge and a further understanding of the entirety of existence around and within us. Religion may say what should be, but science explains what is.

So no, science did not find evidence that “proves” the existence of “God” or any evidence of a creator of any kind. It may or may not have found some additional data about a type of very small particle (properly called the Higgs boson) that will prove or disprove very small elements of very complicated equations that will have very big ramifications for our understanding of how certain basic forces of the universe function and interact.

If you’re curious about how things like mass and gravity work, then this is very big news. If you were just hoping to have your existing beliefs validated, then you’re barking up the wrong tree because science doesn’t really care about your beliefs - it persists and exists outside of your beliefs.

That is the very nature of science: to wage a constant war on ignorance. So show some fucking respect and stop siding with ignorance; if for no other reason than science has a habit of winning that particular battle.

(via evangotlib)

Source: inothernews