I’m reading Charles Murray’s book about his conversion to Christianity from agnosticism. So far a lot of it is his recognition of the “perfectly tuned” universe and earth. The odds are a trillion to one that life formed, he says, and he’s not tempted by the silly multi-universe hack.
Humility is famously said to be not about thinking too little of yourself but thinking rightly of yourself. That applies to humanity in general. If there has been temptations to think little of ourselves due to the vastness of the universe or the loneliness of being the only planet that we know of that has life on it, it doesn’t have to be that way. You could look at the vastness of the universe not so much as a way of thinking little of humanity in comparison but rather seeing it as showing man the beauty and wonder and impressiveness of God.
If man feels too little, too insignificant, then note God’s response: to become one of us. And then, as if to reinforce the message even more strongly, he became an insignificant Communion wafer. The more we learn of science, the more he responds in reassurance.
In the end we’re not only allowed to think very highly of ourselves but it is demanded by God of us. That was the point of the Incarnation. Our value is not in our eyes or the universe’s, but in God’s. As Reid Buckley, William F’s brother, wrote: the paradox is to see yourself at the same time as nothing, a speck - but also everything to God.
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