"Dating" the Universe

In my single days, I “sort of” dated a number of odd characters. I say “sort of” because I only remember being actually asked out two or maybe three times. In all other cases, the young man in question and I found ourselves in deep philosophical discussions or other compromising situations without our having formalized the event with an invitation. Case in point: a gentleman who stood out on our otherwise homogenous, Christian college campus. 

“Clark” was a bit older than the majority of students, and tall enough to impress. He furthered his gravitas by wearing tweed suits, dress shirts, and ties to class. In addition, anyone in his wake was treated to a sweet, earthy smell that my friends convinced me was marijuana. (I still don’t know if they were pulling my leg, but I remember the smell distinctly and have suspected many a soul since, guilty or otherwise, of smoking weed.)

Our liaisons typically began after our shared Theatre Lit class in which discussions could devolve into taunts. After a heated debate over Shaw’s “Man and Super Man,” I told him his conclusions smelled of sulfur. He responded by bringing a book of matches to our next class, striking them and blowing the smoke my way. Thus began our theological debates.

I learned that he believed in a creator because he had “proven it mathematically.” I had never considered mathematics as a basis for belief, but have since come to understand that such proofs are possible, especially given scientists’ current ability to date the beginning of the universe.

“Clark” claimed he did not believe in a personal God because a “good, omnipotent God” would not allow suffering. To prove his point, he showed me a picture of his bed-ridden grandmother, wasting away in discomfort, and virtually unaware of her surroundings. “What do you have to say to her?” he asked.

I did not come up with a definitive answer to the problem of pain, but after considerable thought I had two responses:

1.       If I ever find myself in such a situation, I pray that God will give me grace to remain faithful and thankful.

2.       If she is a believer, I would tell her, “It won’t be long now. Your suffering will end, and heaven is worth it all.”

I do not know if our discussions ever led him to belief. Things came to an abrupt halt when he issued a matter-of-fact proposal that went something like this, “I am a genius, and you are a genius. We should get married and have perfect children.”

A couple of years later, my discussions with “Clark” did bear fruit when I found myself in debate with another weirdo, the militant atheist who is now a Christian and my husband.