Discussion of Hubble’s Discovery of Galaxies

So why is Hubble’s discovery of galaxies so important to the evolution of Mankind’s understanding of the Universe and Reality?

Let me illustrate with an example. Let’s say that you spend your entire life in your own local village. Everything that everyone in the village needs is provided. No one ventures beyond the village’s border. For such inhabitants, the village is their entire Universe. They have no knowledge of anything outside the village walls.

Then one day, someone ventures beyond the walls. Can you imagine the trouble that person would have trying to explain to others what a lake is, or a forest of pine trees, or even other people from other villages? First, the explorer would be severely punished by the villagers for leaving the safety of the village. Second, he would have a hard time explaining what a lake is to someone that had never seen a body of water larger than a puddle or what a forest was to someone that had only known the few trees in the village. What about the other people? Aliens! Terrorists! Run for your lives!!

This is exactly how Mankind has grown since the last Ice Age 11,000 years ago. Mankind consisted of hunters and gatherers that slowly found it easier to live in small villages. People in Mesopotamia had no knowledge of the people in China or Central and South America. As the population grew, villages grew into towns and eventually into cities. It is always the explorers that push the boundaries of what people know and understand.

The same is true for our comprehension of the Heavens. As explained in the essay on Hubble’s Discovery of Galaxies at www.jacob2012.com/essays/hubble, the Ancients saw a night sky that was filled with exotic sites that no one truly understood. They called special lights in the sky that moved ‘planets’ while the background stars were the complete Universe. It was obvious that everything revolved around the Earth.

This was the state of Mankind’s knowledge until Galileo used the telescope in 1610 to prove that not everything goes around the Earth (this was accomplished by viewing and documenting the 4 major moons of Jupiter). See http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/galtele.html for a full detailed story.

How did Mankind view God during this period? That is best exemplified by Michelangelo’s magnificent murals on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, where he displays God as a white, elderly man in a white robe living in Heaven beyond the clouds. This perspective of God has worked for a long time.

Then along came Edwin Hubble. For a complete biography, visit http://www.edwinhubble.com/. Hubble used careful observations to rigorously prove that the Milky Way galaxy is not the edge of the Universe. In fact, the Universe was filled with a multitude of other galaxies well beyond the edges of the Milky Way.

Hubble pushed our boundaries of Heaven beyond Mankind’s comprehension. He was the first to demonstrate the true size and complexity of our Universe. Other astronomers have expanded upon Hubble’s work in the intervening 85 years. However, there are still many people that still consider God as depicted by Michelangelo: a white man in a white beard living in the clouds.

This depiction of God is now outdated and no longer appropriate. We need a new depiction of God to help us here in the 21st Century that includes what Mankind has learned in the last 120 years.

Why Infinity is Important

Why is the concept of infinity important to our discussions? It is important because every major religion deals with infinity. When we talk about God, we are talking about an infinite being. In a loose sense, you could say that the evolution of Mankind’s understanding of God and the Universe has grown with its understanding of infinity.

Do a quick Google search of infinity and religion. There are many articles on the web that discuss the subject, ranging from a scientific perspective to a purely religious outlook to some very new and exotic ideas. I am going to add my own perspective to the mix.

I thought a lot about infinity that night when, as a 9-year-old, I was snuggly under the covers contemplating my own mortality (see the full essay www.jacob2012.com/essays/9yearold). Is the Universe in a physical infinity? Science says that space-time was created at the Big Bang. But if everything we see and know as the Universe is contained within the explosion after-effects of the Big Bang, then what is beyond the edge of the Universe? Nothing or Something that we cannot comprehend? Infinity is pretty big!

On a different note, I refer to a passage from the Bible. In Chapter 1 of Genesis, “God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves” (1). There is a huge problem here: God is infinite and we are not! We die. God is an Infinite Being.

I submit that in reality, Man created God in Man’s image. Mankind did not understand much as it made the transition from a hunter-and-gatherer society 5,000 years ago to small settlements. The ancient Hebrews developed the first definition of God based on what they knew at the time. We have learned a great deal in the intervening 5,000 years! For example, Mankind did not understand infinity in the slightest bit back then. Only in the 1890s did Mankind finally have a stable and robust definition of Infinity, and that was supplied by the work of Georg Cantor.

It is time to update our definition of God to include this new information.




(1) New American Standard Bible Updated Edition (1997). The Lockman Foundation, Foundation Publications, Anaheim, CA 92816 (gift from Dennis and Nancy, New Jersey, 1998)

Why are these 5 discoveries important?

I would like to take a short break from the regularly scheduled discussion to take a glance at the big picture.

Why are these 5 discoveries important? Because they are fundamental to the final point that I am attempting to make and the goal I will eventually reach in writing on this blog and on the companion website http://www.jacob2012.com/.

Please refer back to the first essay (www.jacob2012.com/essays/9yearold) and comments made in my introduction. I had a traumatic event when I was 9 years old when I was hit in the head. That night I thought very deeply about my own death as well as the death of my family, friends, and everything around me. Eventually I thought about the death of the Universe. I have now had over 40 years of continuous thinking about these subjects. I love to contemplate the meaning of Life and Death.

Additionally, I was in the Methodist Church by my mother and joined as a member in my early teens. Now, as an adult, I consider myself a Christian and try to live by the example of Jesus as described in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, & 7).

It is now time for me to share what I have learned and the perspective I have been blessed with in comprehending Life, Death, the Universe, and God. The 5 discoveries are fundamental to my discussion as well as my attempt to relay this information to you. I hope to show heuristically that God is an integral part of the Universe.

You have to realize that any discussion regarding infinity cannot be trivial, and God is an Infinite Being. It will take some time to encapsulate my entire lesson, so I hope you will all be patient with me as we continue to journey down a very exciting path!

Target Audience for Jacob2012

Since I am new to blogging, I did some background reading to help me understand the culture and requirements. Nonetheless, I’m sure I’ll screw up somewhere along the way. But then we learn so much more from our mistakes than our successes.

One of the main topics the books mentioned is to know your target audience. I’m writing about life, death, spirituality, and God – well, those are some pretty touchy subjects for some people. So I would have to say that my target is anyone and everyone with a mind open to new ideas and possibilities. I don’t mean to question anyone’s present religious or spiritual beliefs because such things are integral to everyone’s individual identity.

What I will humbly be addressing in my blog is a new interpretation of some very ancient subjects that mankind has thought about since the beginning. Mankind has learned a great deal in the last 120 years or so. Now, that’s an understatement! In reality, knowledge has exploded and information has grown exponentially in that time period. But regardless of how much we have learned, we still have so much farther to grow and develop both individually and as a species.

If your mind is not receptive to new ideas and interpretations, please do us both a favor and don’t read my blog. My ideas are just going to piss you off. As I said, I’m not here to try and convince anyone that their tightly held spiritual beliefs are, well, whatever.

I am here to offer a new interpretation appropriate for the new millennium for the 80% that are receptive to new ideas. You are my target audience, and I hope to be worthy of your time and attention.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” – John Lennon. Count me as another. I hope you’ll enjoy the dialogue.

My Introduction

Hi! My name is Jerry Jacob Woods.

I'm a philosopher and writer with a background in mathematics. I enjoy thinking about the big things in life such as Life, Death, What comes after Death, Infinity, and God. But don't worry, I also enjoy a good hamburger as well as an excellent margarita.

I had a near-death experience as a 9-year old which has had a major impact in my life (full essay can be found at www.jacob2012.com/essays/9yearold). It's why I think about these things. Now after 40+ years of mulling this stuff over, I have to start sharing my experience and interpretation with you.

I have a bachelor's degree in Pure Mathematics, and did post-graduate work in Mathematics. I have a master's degree in Education and currently working on a master's degree in Leadership.

I am very spiritual. My mother raised our family as Methodists, and now I practice living by the example of Jesus of Nazareth. I promise to always be honest and worthy of your trust.

Please join me on a journey of discovery as we venture into a discussion of Life, Death, and the depths of the Universe and Infinity.