From the December 2017 issue

Intelligent design?

Scientific truth and spiritual beliefs need not be mutually exclusive. 
By | Published: December 4, 2017 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Every December, hundreds of science professionals mix astronomy and religion, normally a no-no, in planetariums’ “Star of Wonder” shows, offering explanations for the star of Bethlehem. Was it a supernova? A comet? A conjunction?

Planetarium directors know their offerings are counterfeit. Privately, they readily explain to me that no actual celestial object could match the description in Matthew 2:2–10 of a star that moved across the sky but then became motionless. It doesn’t matter whether we now suggest it was a comet or a supernova. Thanks to Earth’s rotation, neither can stop and linger over a street address. You can’t get anywhere following something in the sky, unless you followed Polaris and wanted to go north. That’s what escaping slaves did in the U.S.

Astronomy
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