God in the Vastness of the Universe

This essay is a reflection paper on the movie "Contact" starring Judie Foster in our Theodicy subject. I got an A- on this essay.

In the spectrum of man, the universe is a vast space occupied by mysteries that brings us hopes, dreams and nightmares. It is a world of knowledge that we continue to search for. This was the feeling of a young astronomer named Ellie in the movie “Contact”

 

In her arduous search for intelligent life forms other than man, Ellie discovered a lot of things not just about aliens and planets but also about herself, man, our world and God. She discovered that which she has long been searching for.

 

I, too, learned a lot about man, the world and God through her experience. Man, in nature, is a searching being. He is so curious that he even can know things beyond his limitations. His search, I believe, is not in vain. He arrives at facts that are undeniably true to him. Nevertheless, man cannot be alone. He has the tendency to look for another’s presence. He cannot be confined in a very large room without being with someone to mingle to.

 

This psychological tendency of man is reflected upon his sciences and arts. He creates imaginations of being that comforts him in his solitude. He longs to be with someone in this vast universe. He contacts other possible species outside the earth.

 

As man searches for companionship in this world, he also discovers the elegance of this universe. He discovers not merely planets, stars and nebulas but also the beauty of his surrounding. There is an underlying order of causes and effects that makes our universe beautiful. Beauty is not merely confined on Earth but also over the entire universe. And, as he realizes this beauty and order, he also realizes that there is someone who is the ultimate cause of this world. Someone who is has the power to be the maker of everything that exists. And this someone is no other than our God.

 

Ellie was once asked if she believes in God. Because she did not know the significance of that question, she answered the question in an indirect way of saying that she does not believe in such thing. Nevertheless, her experience with the universe and with the extraterrestrial being made her believes that a powerful being that can create a world that is vast and incomparable.

 

We are sometimes like Ellie. We are skeptical to these realities that are not sensible. Nevertheless, if we look wider into the world and deeper into ourselves, we may realize that there is such thing as we call God who made us and everything that is around us. The vastness of the universe is a reminder to us that God is undeniably true.