The God Particle

On 4 July 2012 (today),  scientists from the CERN Hadron Collider  announced that they had produced a measurable particle consistent with the Higgs-Boson particle , also known as the “God Particle.”  As could be expected this has created a storm of discussion.  What does it all mean?

First, this discussion is not essentially religious in nature (except for those who already believe), even though the particle is commonly called the “God Particle.”  The particle was first predicted over fifty years ago (1964) by the atheist English physicist, Peter Higgs (b. 1929, England) to explain the behavior of sub-atomic particles.  The particle would fall into the category of particles known as bosons; named for the Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose 1894-1974.  Bosons are sub-atomic particles which are “force-carriers,”  ie: photons (particles of light), which carry the electromagnetic force; mesons, which carry nuclear forces, ;  gravitons, carriers of the gravitational force,; etc.  The Higgs Boson particle is associated with mass, which is similar to, but not exactly the same as, weight.  Mass is actually defined as “resistance to acceleration.”  The entire discussion is based largely on high level mathematics.

The “God Particle” name came from the book, The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What Is the Question?, by Leon Lederman.  Lederman said he named the particle because it is “so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive.  … the publisher wouldn’t let us call it the Goddamn Particle though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing.”

Practical applications which theoretically could result from manipulation of the Higgs Boson particle and related particles include:

1.     Super-dense, super-hard, and super-light weighted materials.

2.     Super-heavy materials.

3.     Particle beam weapons and excavation equipment.

4.     Anti-gravity devices.

Some persons will see the religious implications of a particle which imparts physicality to a purely energy based reality just as some see the possible religious implications of laminin , a cross-shaped molecule which is involved in the connective tissue holding together all human tissue.

Comments About Laminin

There appears to be a great deal of excitement in the evangelical community about a protein, even though many don't really understand what a protein is.  The protein in question is laminin, one of the major proteins in the basal lamina.  Laminin has a cross-like structure with three short arms and one longer arm.  The three short arms link with those of other laminin molecules to form sheets of the protein.   The long arms bind the molecular sheets to cell membranes.  The effect is to be like a mesh holding everything together.  Read more about laminins here.

The shapes of proteins and their exposed surfaces determine their function.  Proteins are not rigid structures, but are flexible and constantly moving;  think of the arms on an octopus.  

Louie Giglio on laminin

colossians 1:17 - "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together"

Laminin

A non-believer’s very hostile response

A Christian scientist’s comments

http://www.chongsworship.com/2011/08/28/a-word-about-laminins-repost/ 

Our belief in the Gospel cannot be based on extra-biblical "evidences" like the Shroud of Turin, pieces of the True Cross of Christ, Christian relics of saints, water stains on a wall, the shape of a vine on a pole, the "face" of Jesus in a design on a billboard or on a piece of toast.  Even the strong evidences are just evidences, they prove nothing.  Listen to Dr Georgia Purdom from AnswersinGenesis.org, “Only if we start with the Bible as our ultimate standard can we have a worldview that is rational and makes sense of the evidence…”