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| Fr. Robert Spitzer presents the topic of “The New Evangelization: From Physics to the Existence of Love and God” to a packed auditorium at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison. Father Spitzer’s talk was the third of three St. Thérèse lectures during the Year of Faith presented by the Diocese of Madison Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
MADISON — For the second time this month, the auditorium inside the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison was packed with a Friday night audience.
Back on November 1, All Saints Day, hundreds gathered to hear Fr. Michael Gaitley talk on 33 Days to Morning Glory and the consecration to Jesus through Mary.
On November 15, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Madison held its third of three semi-annual St. Thérèse lectures during the Year of Faith.
The speaker was Fr. Robert Spitzer, who spoke on “The New Evangelization: From Physics to the Existence and Love of God.”
Father Spitzer, the former president of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., is the current president of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith, based in Irvine, Calif. Its mission is to explore and share the close connection between reason and faith as revealed by new discoveries in physics and philosophy.
Father Spitzer has been a guest on numerous TV shows, including Larry King Live, where he would often appear with noted physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking.
Bishop’s blessing
Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison began the evening with a blessing.
“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people, and kindle in us the fire of your divine love,” he prayed.
He asked the Holy Spirit for everyone to become more strong, more unselfish, and more wise.
He marveled at the crowd, calling it the “largest gathering to date.” He promised everyone’s sacrifice to attend would be well worth it.
Bishop Morlino then thanked Father Spitzer for coming to Madison in the middle of a busy schedule that takes him “to a different city every night.”
The bishop then wished for everyone to listen meditatively and to strive for “the rightful respect for science and the rightful respect for religion, since both of them can only lead to the one Truth.”
Scientific evidence for God
At the start of this talk, Father Spitzer addressed the question “Can science disprove God, and if it can’t, where can we find evidence for God?”
He commented on a recent wave of physicists who feel they have proven there is no God and many young people are following this belief.
Father Spitzer said, “Nothing could be further from the truth . . . Science simply cannot disprove the existence of God. It’s not possible within scientific methodology.”
He said it’s much harder to disprove something from observational evidence than it is to prove something.
“God transcends our universe,” he said. If we can only observe what’s in our own universe, we can’t observe what is beyond the universe.
He used the analogy of a cartoon character trying to use all the evidence inside the cartoon to disprove the existence of a cartoonist. Father Spitzer said it’s not possible.
He also spoke about physicists who claim everything is known about the universe to prove a creator is not necessary. Father Spitzer said this can’t be proven either.
He said, “Science can’t know whether it knows everything about the universe” because science is bound by data and theories which could be disproven as quickly as tomorrow when new facts are discovered.
As far as science proving there is a God, Father Spitzer said current scientific theories on the makeup of the universe show there had to be a beginning to the universe — since “nothing can come from nothing.” This was a point he repeatedly emphasized.
If nothing can come from nothing and nothing can do nothing, something or someone had to perform an action to create the universe, thus proving there had to be a creator.
The “something that had to move the universe” to create it, Father Spitzer said, is something that “transcends the universe.” He added, “this transcendent reality sounds like a creator” with the intelligence to create a universe and space-time, or as he summed up, “let’s just shorthand call it ‘God.’”
He said science is close to probabilistically theorizing that point.
With a PowerPoint-style presentation, Father Spitzer used scientific theorems and formulas to show the universe as we know it today, with life on Earth and the order of the stars, planets, and other celestial matter, was a highly improbable result if left to random chance. This again, he said, points to the existence of a creator that had to set everything in motion.
Father Spitzer’s energy and humor in explaining the complicated subject matter were met with applause and a standing ovation at the end of his presentation.
Learning more
After his talk, Father Spitzer took time to answer a few questions from the audience. He also met people and signed some of his books during a reception held afterward.
For more information on Fr. Robert Spitzer and the topics he discusses, visit the Magis Center of Reason and Faith website at www.magisreasonfaith.org
The next St. Thérèse lecture is scheduled for April 11, 2014. It will feature Dr. Carolyn Woo, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services. For more information, visit www.madisondiocese.org/stls