Big Scary Universe

[Tero]

Some people want religion for salvation. Some want it as an explanation, purpose, meaning, first cause etc.

I have been discussing, on and off, science topics with a woman on Amazon.com. She seems to favor some kind of Designer, but never really comes to explain what her idea of the Universe is.

I told her about her fine tuned Universe that it was self tuning:

Speaking of hydrogen, there is something we can measure. Take your birth process and make a universe. It should have at least hydrogen and helium, any self respecting universe* would. All the universes will have hydrogens of the same size. Covalent radius 1.20 Ångstroms.

*She has no sense of humor, so we will leave her behind. She did not get the joke part.

But this got me to thinking that all those scary things about the Universe (Infinity!) may be somehow softened for people who are religious by going into the cocoon world of God, Jesus and pals.

So the question is, were these things ever a concern for you, the microscopic and astronomical unknowns? If you would like, you can explain how that changed for you as your beliefs changed. It did not for me, unexplained things were exactly the same, Jesus or no Jesus.

[Feck]

Most of it is a long way away .

[Coito ergo sum]

No. The universe never scared me, but when I was a kid I would sometimes get scared that really loud thunder and lightning might be the Soviet nuclear missiles hitting in the distance. I would get scared at that from time to time.

[Tero]

I talked about the big universe with my dad when I was under 10. I asked what if there was a wall at the end. Then he asked me what was behind the wall. It was scary for about 2 minutes. Then Lost In Space came on TV. I did not really want to leave the planet after that.
(add smiley)

[Tero]

Here was the best come back to her designer Universe this week

If so, then I cannot help but note that your argument is flawed in a
number of ways:

* We do not, in fact, know what the likelihood of our universe actually is.
* Even if our universe were unlikely, that in itself would not
constitute evidence that it was designed.

[Geoff]

So the question is, were these things ever a concern for you, the microscopic and astronomical unknowns? If you would like, you can explain how that changed for you as your beliefs changed. It did not for me, unexplained things were exactly the same, Jesus or no Jesus.

Nope. Just made me want to learn more, and I was happy enough if the answer was "nobody knows, yet".

[Animavore]

The size of the universe 'boggles' my mind but I don't find it scary. It's size isn't a threat to me.
The loose objects whizzing about it are though

[JimC]

Why was I the only one to vote for shrimp cocktail?

[Geoff]

Why was I the only one to vote for shrimp cocktail?

I prefer cheese. That would have been my second choice, though...

[Thinking Aloud]

But this got me to thinking that all those scary things about the Universe (Infinity!) may be somehow softened for people who are religious by going into the cocoon world of God, Jesus and pals.

So the question is, were these things ever a concern for you, the microscopic and astronomical unknowns? If you would like, you can explain how that changed for you as your beliefs changed. It did not for me, unexplained things were exactly the same, Jesus or no Jesus.

The realisation that all but a microscopic bit of the universe was utterly inhospitable to us reinforced my view that we got lucky with Earth. Some would have us believe that the entire universe was put here for our benefit - if so, why make it inaccessible?

The cosy womb that religion creates allows people not to face the scale of the universe. The stars are just twinkles in the sky (and for some, literally put there by god to light our night), and having nothing but a rarified film of gas between us and instant death never has to impinge on one's consciousness.

[surreptitious57]

No. The universe never scared me, but when I was a kid I would sometimes get scared that really loud thunder and lightning might be the Soviet nuclear missiles hitting in the distance. I would get scared at that from time to time.

But that thunder and lightning is part of the Universe. As indeed is everything else.

[Atheist-Lite]

Anything big with the power to put you in a hole in the ground forever needs a little respect at least, terror is probably a wise choice at some point or other.

[Tero]

The cosy womb that religion creates allows people not to face the scale of the universe. The stars are just twinkles in the sky (and for some, literally put there by god to light our night), and having nothing but a rarified film of gas between us and instant death never has to impinge on one's consciousness.

Wow, that is cool, we could be blown away any minute, by some external wind. That will teach us to respect the angry God.

[Mysturji]

The universe isn't scary because it's big. It's scary because it's full of scary things that want to kill and eat us.
The size of the universe (whenever I have come close to beginning to speculate about the possibility of thinking about considering to possibly imagine understanding it... maybe) fills me with awe, not dread.

[devogue]

When I lost god I gained faint vertigo.