Teachings of the Catholic Church - Questions     

Newsweek article: “Science Finds God”:

1. What conclusion was astronomer Allan Sandage drawn to by his astronomical observations of the universe?  Why was he forced to that conclusion?

2. According to the article, how did Galileo and other modern scientists attempt to reconcile science and theology?  Why did this détente break down?

3. According to the article, physicists have stumbled on signs that the cosmos is custom-made for life and consciousness?  What are these signs?

4.According to the article, some scientists see an opening for a God who acts in the world in two fairly recent developments in physics.  What are they?

5. What do thinkers such as Arthur Peacocke and John Haught conclude about God’s character from the theory of evolution?

6. [Question on Kenneth Woodward’s one-page editorial at the end, entitled “How the Heavens Go”:] Why, according to Owen Gingerich, professor of astronomy and the history of science at harvard, did religion get “burned” during the early disputes of the scientific revolution in Europe?  Was the Church’s mistake a religious one?

7. What did the 18th-century astronomer Pierre Lapalance say to the Emperor Napoleon when asked about the existence of God?

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