The Outer Limits

Very few of us will ever venture beyond our comfort zone. Fewer yet will venture into areas that could prove fatal. The human body functions within a very narrow range of conditions. Without some type of protective shell, the human body would easily be crushed if attempting to explore greater depths of the sea. Similarly, the body cannot tolerate great heights that subject it to vacuum-like conditions approaching outer space. Even at tolerable atmospheric pressure, extremes of heat or cold are quickly lethal.

We know that there are frequencies of light that our eyes cannot detect. There are sounds that our ears cannot register.

So, what does this mean in our debate between faith and science? It is a not-so-subtle reminder that there are critical limits to our human condition. It is a reminder that there are conditions and stimuli that are outside our ability to experience.

Throughout human history there have been stories of people who have experienced brief touches or hints of a realm or dimension that is beyond the reach of our senses. There are countless stories of those who claim to have died, traveled beyond this world and returned to life. Even the Bible contains tales of prophets who can visualize future events, or humans who have had encounters with visions, ghosts or other spiritual beings.

The accumulated knowledge of all these factors leads to one solid conclusion. There is more to the universe that we inhabit than our senses can detect. There is more to our existence and the universe than our intellect can comprehend.

Once we confront and acknowledge our limitations, we can begin to embrace the possibility that events described in the Bible may be true, regardless of how improbable they may seem. Perhaps our doubts are the result of a human’s feeble efforts to describe events with the vocabulary of the times. After all, even if we trust that the Bible was recorded at the direction of God, it was recorded by human beings, using the language and comprehension of the human race.

The spiritual realm is out there. It may not be quite as we imagine because we don’t have the tools to visualize, experience, or imagine it. Perhaps we have an occasional glimpse of our future home, only to have the noise of our earthly existence block our view.

And that is where faith and trust fill in the blanks.


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