This week physicists succeeded in the high-speed collision of two atoms. It's been years in the making; it will be years before we know exactly what this means. But one goal of the experiment, which is could more aptly be described as an expedition of sorts, is to discover the "God particle." That is, the exact cause of the creation of the universe; the Genesis moment. We religious types are inclined simply to accept the statement, "God created," but others have a driving curiosity that speaks more to God's first act: There was darkness. Then there was light. The word 'create' is absent from this statement; this first act of creation. God creates much over the next few days, but the text suggests something profound and unexplainable occurred first. What was this force that was so great that it produced light out of eons of utter darkness; a light into which all else could be created and have its place in the order of earthly life?
That was one of the headlines news stories last night; here's another. A 15 yr. old girl moved to the US from Ireland sometime last summer. From the time of her arrival to her new school in Mass. she experienced continuous and unrelenting bullying from her new classmates. No amount of raising the alarm seemed to move the establishment to intervention. On January 14 of this year she came home from school and hung herself. Now we're paying attention. Does it not seem odd that the whole world is watching scientist smash together two atoms to find out how creation came to be while kids torment one another to the point that death seems a viable option? One twitter reaction to the story was to ask, "Why do we always have to blame someone, maybe she had mental issues?" I wonder, had she had a diagnosed mental condition, should her tormentors feel less guilty about their deeds? Should the school feel less responsible for not intervening? Should we all feel better, somehow, because maybe, she was just too weak, too fragile to adjust to such hostility? Dr. Phil said he supported the criminal charges against the nine students suspected of involvement. He noted that it was not his intent to ruin their lives, but there had to be some accountability. Truth be told, their lives were forever altered the moment they discovered the unimaginable consequence of their unbearable, cruel intentions. To be convicted would be a relief, I imagine.
In the midst of Holy Week; these were last nights headline stories. For Christians, this is a time set apart in which we are intended to contemplate the epitome of human cruelty and the inability or unwillingness of institutions to do justice. This dark contemplation is set amidst the triumpal stories of Lenten remembrance: stories from Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy. Stories that are intended to remind us that what God creates is good, is intended for good use, and is gifted with good intentions. This week's headlines are not unrelated. They tell a parallel story that illistrates what happens when two random atoms collide: whole universes are created or destroyed in a single nanosecond.
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