Awakening the Conversation

Can faith and science get along? What will happen to people’s faith when life is discovered elsewhere in the cosmos?

These are the questions behind “The Awakening,” a new blog launched in Thunder Bay last week. “The Awakening” is the creation of Maureen Nadin, journalist and author of The Cosmic Neighbourhood, a monthly column devoted to matters of space and space exploration.

Nadin’s fascination with the cosmos started in childhood, when she looked up at the night sky and wondered about the many mysteries “out there.” She dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but settled for the “next best thing”—writing about space and astronomy. Her passion for her subject has taken her to some interesting places, not the least of which was Rome, where she met with the director of the Vatican Observatory. Although Father Maffeo was not able to offer her a tour of the Observatory, he did share with her historical documents by Copernicus and Galileo. Holding those 500-year-old documents in her hands was a thrill akin to a religious experience, the more so because Nadin has always been inspired by Galileo, whose dogged pursuit of scientific truth did not threaten his personal faith, even under persecution.

Nadin is convinced that it is only a matter of time before life is discovered on other planets. As a person of faith, she is eager to open the conversation about how this will affect believers of various stripes. She has been encouraged to pursue the question by, among others, Dr. Sara Seager, Astrophysicist and Professor of Planetary Science and Physics at MIT, Dr. Gabriel G. de la Torre, Neuropsychologist with a special interest in Space Psychology at the University of Cadiz, Spain, and Dr. Russ Taylor, Director of the Centre for Radio Astronomy at the University of Calgary.

“The Awakening,” which was officially launched last week at the Days Inn in Thunder Bay, is the next step in the journey. The website includes an interactive section of 4 questions where interested readers are welcome to post their personal reactions (anonymously or otherwise), to questions about faith and the possibility (or eventuality) of life elsewhere in the cosmos. The aim of the blog is not to change anyone’s mind, but to start a conversation. To check it out, go to www.maureenargesnadin.ca.