From Sand to Solar Power

Silicon (Si – 14) is the eighth most common element. It is found primarily as Silicon Dioxide, in sand or quartz, which is the most common compound in the Earth's Crust. It also is present in a number of other crystalline forms in amethyst, flint and jasper. Used in glass, semiconductors (computer chips, hence the name Silicon Valley), solar cells and silicones – synthetic plastics.



Silicon is in the same group or column as Carbon in the Periodic Table; it also has four bonding electrons in its outer 3p shell. It is, however, considered a metalloid rather than a non-metal due to its greater mass. Silicon has been considered as a possible carbon replacement as a basis for life. Life on Earth is Carbon based but since Silicon has similar properties, it is postulated that there may be other worlds where Silicon, or a Silicon-Oxygen chain, has replaced Carbon in all life forms.

Diatoms, a form of plankton – a major oceanic food source, use Silicon to build their shells. These shells are being studied for possible use within nanotechnology since Diatoms can reliably manufacture microscopic valves of specific shapes.

Silicon is the main component of soda-lime glass, the most common form of glass, which consists of about 75% Silicon Dioxide. Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid material, typically brittle and optically transparent, but can be formed and colored by glass blowing or forming techniques into an unlimited variety of shapes.

Silicon has a higher density as a liquid so the solid floats in liquid Silicon much like ice floats in water. This is at a significantly higher temperature, however, as Silicon melts at 2577°F.

Silicon is used extensively in electronic integrated circuits such as computers since its electric conductive properties can be regulated to allow extremely small circuits to be built on the surface of pure silicon. Silicon wafers can also be used to generate electricity from light as light energizes the outer electrons causing a flow of electrons through the wafer to be passed to attached electrodes.

Finally Silicon is used as an oil, grease, rubber or resin in the form of Silicone. Silicone is a compound based on polysiloxane which is a long chain molecule based on a -Si-O-Si-O-backbone with two organic side chains on each Silicon atom. This makes it similar to Hydrocarbon molecules but with more versatility due to the many configurations afforded by varying the organic side chains to produce products ranging from an oil to a rubber to a hard plastic. Since Silicones are for the most part non-toxic, they are used in foods, personal care items, such as hair products, and implanted medical devices.

Silicon is an extremely abundant element as well as an extremely versatile one. New uses are continually being developed for this exceptional element and its compounds.

Magnesium & Aluminum

After Sodium come Magnesium, with two electrons in the 3s shell. It wants to give up those two so it can have the same stable electron configuration as Neon. With two electrons to donate it is key to many electrical functions in the body. Magnesium is an Alkaline Earth. It is the 9th most abundant element and is highly reactive with water, forming Magnesium Oxide.

Magnesium hydroxide, better known as Milk of Magnesia or MOM, is used as a laxative. Magnesium ions are sour to the taste and add a natural tartness to fresh mineral waters.



Elemental Magnesium is a light metal and can be combined or alloyed with other metals, frequently aluminum, to increase strength and decrease weight. This makes it useful in high performance automobiles and in other applications where strong light weight components are needed. Magnesium is very flammable and produces a brilliant white light when burned in air. This light can cause permanent eye damage due to the ultraviolet radiation it contains.

Next comes Aluminum, with a full 3s shell and one electron in the 3p orbital. Aluminum is one of the lightest true metals, with excellent electrical conduction properties, often used in electrical circuits where copper is not required. It is also very malleable and is used to create many auto and aircraft parts were reducing weight is important.

Aluminum is the most abundant element in the Earth’s crust and the third most abundant element overall. It resists corrosion by forming a thin layer of Aluminum Oxide on its surface. It is a non-magnetic, lightweight, ductile (can be easily shaped under pressure) and malleable metal.



Aluminum is used in mirrors as it is highly reflective. It is a good thermal conductor and is used in making beverage containers due to this and its limited reactivity and high malleability. Aluminum is 100% recyclable, meaning it can be purified from recycled waste without any loss of the original metal. It is much easier to recycle than to extract from bauxite, its original source.

Aluminum has no known biological function and is mostly nontoxic. High doses can cause neurotoxicity as it can cross the blood-brain barrier. It is thought it may have some causal relationship with Alzheimer’s but this has not been proven.

Adding small quantities of Magnesium to Aluminum (5% or less) creates an alloy with greater strength, better corrosion resistance and lower density than pure Aluminum. Such an alloy is more workable and easier to weld than pure Aluminum. These alloys are called Magnalium and are used in aircraft and automobile parts. Just as adding one metal (Mg) to another (Al) gives it strength, so should we add God to our lives to give us strength, reading His Word daily. 1 Corinthians 6:17 states "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (NKJV)." And Psalm 37:39b "The LORD is our strength in times of trouble (NKJV)."

Salt of the Earth

The third row of the Periodic Table contains eight elements filling the 3s and 3p electron shells. These elements are Sodium (Na – 11), Magnesium (Mg – 12), Aluminum (Al – 13), Silicon (Si – 14), Phosphorus (P – 15), Sulfur (S – 16), Chlorine (Cl – 17) and Argon (Ar – 18). These elements match with the second Period elements in terms of electron shells (2s & 2p vs 3s & 3p) and have similar properties to their lower period cousins.


The first element is Sodium with one electron in the 3s shell. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element. It is an Alkali Metal and oxidizes in air and reacts violently with water, where it forms caustic lye (NaOH) and explosive Hydrogen gas. At room temperature pure sodium is soft enough to be cut with a knife. In the body Sodium ions work opposite Potassium ions (the next heavier alkali metal) to produce an electric potential across cell membranes allowing nerve impulse transfers and muscle contractions. Sodium also regulates blood volume and pressure, helping to maintain the bodily fluid balance.

Sodium produces a characteristic yellow light when burned or electrified and is found in Sodium Vapor lamps used as streetlights. It melts at 207°F, very near the boiling point of water. It is also used in soaps as the salt of fatty acids since almost all Sodium containing compounds are water soluble.


The seventh element is Chlorine with a pair of 3s electrons and five of the six 3p electrons. Chlorine is a Halogen gas. Like many other elemental gases, other than the Noble group, Chlorine exists as a diatomic (2 atoms) molecule. It is a yellow green gas with a strong bleach smell. It is very caustic and damaging to living tissue. It is used as a disinfectant in swimming pools and municipal water systems in its diatomic form dissolved in water and in household products as Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO), more commonly known as bleach. Chlorine gas has been used as a weapon of war, most notably in WWI by the German Army. In chlorofluorocarbons (compounds containing Chlorine, Fluorine and Carbon) it is thought to deplete the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, thus increasing our exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Chlorofluorocarbons were widely used as refrigerants and as propellants in spray cans but have since been mostly banned in the United States.

Together Sodium and Chlorine form one of the most well known of all compounds, Salt. Sodium wants to release one electron and Chlorine wants to gain one so they are a perfect pair.  Salt is one of the oldest and most common food seasonings and was used to preserve meat before refrigeration. Salt is essential to life in small quantities but can be toxic if over consumed.



Saltiness is a basic human taste, generally due to the presence of Sodium ions. The tongue contains specific taste buds to detect the presence of “saltiness” in foods. Generally foods without some salt taste bland. Job 6:6-7 says “Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg? I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill (NIV).” Salt also enhances the flavor of sugar. A small amount of salt should be used in cooking anything sweetened with sugar and a small amount of sugar should be used when preparing a salty dish. One improves the flavor of the other by stimulating more of the taste buds. Salt also raises the melting and boiling points of water so it can be used to melt snow and ice from the roads or help improve cooking with boiling water.

Matt 5:13 reads "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men (NIV).” For salt to loose its flavor, it would have to be contaminated with something that removes or replaces the Sodium, such as other minerals. The salt mentioned in the Bible was not refined and did contain such minerals and other contaminants so when it got wet, it was possible for the salt to loose some of its flavor. So we as Christians must not lose our saltiness but, by our lives and our sharing of His Word, we are to flavor the world with His grace and peace and to preserve the world from sin and moral corruption. By bringing down the blessings of God in answer to our prayers, and by our influence and example, we can direct those in the world that hear us to Jesus Christ.

His Elemental Glory

Of the most common elements in the Universe the top five are from the first ten elements listed in the Periodic Table (H, He, O, C, Ne) with Nitrogen close behind at number seven. Hydrogen and Helium make up 94% of all elements by mass. From just four of the first ten elements: Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen; the majority of compounds found in all living things can be built.

God, in His creation, has taken just a few and created the multitude. If we look at the world from the vastness of the heavens to the smallest of atomic structures, we see a pattern of design that could not occur randomly. It is through this lens we come to learn of His divine glory and power. Romans 1:20 says "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." (NLT) We just need to open our eyes to know Him.

Batteries to Beer Signs - Part Three

The next three elements in the second Period are the most significant of all elements. They, along with Hydrogen, comprise the backbone of all life structures. They are atomic numbers 6, 7 and 8: Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen. Carbon is a solid and Nitrogen and Oxygen are gases. We talk about our Carbon footprint, put Nitrogen in our tires to make them ride smoother and last longer, and we go to Oxygen Bars for a quick pick me up in flavors no less! We will look at each of these elements in more detail later.

The last two elements in the second Period are Fluorine (9) and Neon (10). Fluorine is short one electron from the 2p shell and thus forms strong bonds with other elements that can give it an electron. One such compound, Sodium Fluoride (NaF) is used in some toothpastes to help strengthen tooth enamel. Fluorine is highly corrosive due to this need to attract an additional electron. It is toxic to human life.

The last element is Neon. It is the second Noble gas and is very stable. The 2s and 2p shells are completely full. When Neon is sealed into a hollow glass tube and then subject to a high voltage it will become ionized and exhibit a bright orange glow. These glass tubes can be bent into almost any shape and these "Neon lights" are the basis of Neon signs such as those found in liquor store windows advertising your favorite beer.

Batteries to Beer Signs - Part Two

Some of the synthetic elements are named after the city in which they were discovered. Berkelium (97) and Darmstadtium (110) are two such examples. Some Cities were named after an element, such as Mercury, Nevada and Platinum, Alaska. One unlikely town is named after Boron, the next element in the second Period. Boron, California is located on the edge of the Mojave Desert, within a days drive of Death Valley, the lowest and hottest place in America. The city of Boron got its name because it is the location of one of the world’s largest sources of the boron compound, boric acid.

The element Boron is best known as one of the primary constituents of Borax – the natural cleaner hauled out of the California desert by the famous “20-Mule Teams” in the 1800's. Borax is also useful as a fungicide and insecticide. Boron has an atomic number of five and is considered a metalloid. Boron is relatively stable with three outer electrons in the 2s (2) and 2p (1) shells and tends to form stable compounds with three covalent bonds. Boron is difficult to manufacture in a pure state and is usually found as a mineral. One use is in borosilicate glass which is very resistant to thermal shock. Another use is in the manufacture of fiberglass.

Batteries to Beer Signs - Part One

The elements of the second Period of the Periodic Table are those with their outermost elections in the second orbital, namely the 2s and 2p orbitals.



The elements in this period are Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine and Neon. The first three are metals and solids. Carbon is also a solid but is not considered a metal. The remaining four are gases. The first two elements, Lithium and Beryllium, have one and two electrons in the 2s orbital respectively. The remaining six fill the 2p orbitals.

Lithium is an alkali metal. It contains one electron in its outermost shell and wants to release that electron to have a more stable electron structure. It is highly reactive and flammable. It is also very light and is one of only two elemental metals that can float in water. Because it has only one electron in the 2s shell, Lithium is an excellent electron donor and is used extensively in batteries. Lithium batteries have a high energy density and a high electrochemical potential. Thus they can hold a greater charge with less weight. This makes them useful for portable applications. Because of Lithium's reactivity with Oxygen and Water, with a release of Hydrogen gas, Lithium batteries have been known to catch fire or explode when they leak.

Beryllium is an alkaline earth metal. it has two electrons in each of its 1s and 2s shells. As with all the alkaline earths, Beryllium wants to lose two electrons to have a stable electron shell. Thus it is only found naturally in minerals. Beryllium is found in the Beryl family of minerals, which includes Aquamarine and Emerald. Beryllium is also very corrosive and toxic to living tissues and has no function in living systems.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells - Hindenburg under control

The principle of the fuel cell was discovered by German scientist Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1838. It converts hydrogen gas and oxygen gas into water and electricity. This is similar to the reaction that burned the Hindenburg but in a controlled process with the collection of energy as electricity which can be used as a power source. As long as fuel (hydrogen and oxygen) are supplied, the fuel cell is like a perpetual battery, supplying electricity on demand. The fuel cell operates with a special membrane that controls the reaction and gathers the electricity to transport it away where it can be used or stored in batteries.

God reveals things to us through science in His timing and for His pleasure. He enjoys our work to discover the things He has hidden for us to find.

Deuteronomy 29:29 - "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (NIV)"

It's Elementary

Lets take just two elements, hydrogen and helium. They are the only elements in the first period, with only the two electron containing 1s shell. Hydrogen has one proton and one electron. Helium has two of each and a full 1s shell. Both elements are gases, lighter than air. Hydrogen is very reactive, it explosively reacts with the oxygen in the air in an attempt to lose that one electron.

Remember the Hindenburg?



It was a German passenger airship or blimp filled with hydrogen so it could fly. When landing in New Jersey in 1937 a fire started when it was connecting to its mooring tower and the ship exploded, burning up in just a few minutes. Although the exact cause of the fire is still unknown, the hydrogen certainly accelerated the rate at which the ship was destroyed.

Helium on the other hand is very stable and does not react with other atoms. Airships are now filled with helium and will not burn like the Hindenburg. Helium is so safe due to its stable electron shell that we use it to fill our party balloons.

Hydrogen and Helium are the two main elements on the Sun. Hydrogen atoms are fused together (nuclear fusion) to produce Helium atoms. This produces energy in the form of heat and light. It is this reaction that allows for the possibility of life on Earth. Without this heat from the Sun, our planet would be a frozen wasteland.

God's Elemental Creation

On the surface the elements seem simple, composed of three parts, with competing polarities. However, they are much more intricate. Not only do other sub-atomic particles exist not found in the initial discovery, there are significant forces required to hold them together (remember Einstien's equation). The filling of the different electron shells alters each successive element's chemical reactions. The addition of one electron, one proton and possibly one or more neutrons radically changes the next element's properties from the one that came before.

I believe that this is another confirmation of the Creator. What seems like a small change (one more proton-electron pair) makes large differences in atomic properties. For example, adding one proton, electron and neutron to Helium gives Lithium, a highly reactive alkali metal. God has designed the elements to be the basis of His creative handiwork, the foundation of all of the chemical and biological materials and systems He has designed. With just a few elements He has created literally millions of possible compounds and ultimately all life itself. He also has allowed man to be involved in His creative process by empowering us, through science, with the ability to understand how chemicals react and to synthesize compounds on our own.

Psalm 89:11 - "The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, Thou hast founded them. (KJV)"
Psalm 115:16b - "...but the earth hath He given to the children of men. (KJV)"

Atomic Solar System

Just like the solar system has the Sun at the center and Planets orbiting around it, so the atom has a nucleus of protons and neutrons circled by orbiting electrons. In the case of the atom, however, the electron orbits are not nice clear paths but shells or clouds where the electrons can exist. Some clouds are spherical and some are more complex. Some hold only two electrons and some as many as 14. They also can overlap.

The first three periods of the periodic table represent the first three orbits or electron shells. The first period is quite simple. It contains one level and is a spherical shape filled with a maximum of just two electrons. This is labeled as the 1s level. The second period has two levels, the 2s and the 2p. The 2s also has two electrons but the 2p can hold up to six electrons. The third period also has two levels similar to the second period, the 3s and the 3p. They also hold two and six electrons respectively. Thus the largest element in the first three periods has 18 electrons and 18 protons for an atomic number of 18. This is the noble gas Argon.

In the fourth period it begins to get more complicated. The fourth period also has two levels, a 4s and a 4p, with two and six electrons but after the 4s level is filled, then a 3d electron level starts to fill with up to 10 electrons. Since most of the elements we will look at as we move forward fall into the first four periods, this should be enough to give a picture of the layout of the atomic solar system. Here is a simple drawing of the levels and the electrons in each, without going into the complexities of their size, shape and order. The filling of the electron shells influences the type and number of chemical bonds an element may make with other elements.

Periodic Table Part 2

Periodic Table


The elements in any given column are chemically similar. Thus the first row, the Alkali Metals, contains a group of elements that all want to lose one electron to be more stable. They all contain only one electron in their outer electron shell. Lithium, the smallest of the group, has three electrons. Two are in the first electron shell (all that it can hold) and one is in the second shell. Lithium is used in computer and other advanced batteries since it likes to give up this lone electron. The flow of electrons through a substance is called electricity and electron donors like Lithium make great batteries.

On the other side of the table, in the second to last column, are the Halogens. These elements would like to gain an electron to fill their last electron shell as they are one electron short. Elements in the first column like to bond with elements in the second to last column so as to balance their electron shells. Such a compound is Salt or Sodium Chloride - NaCl. The extra electron in Sodium is shared with electron poor Chlorine to make Salt. The last column contains the Noble gases which do not form chemical bonds since their last electron shell is full and they are stable.

Most of the elements in the first 4 rows, or "periods", are found in living beings with very few above this functioning in physiological chemicals.

The exquisite design of the elements shows the handiwork of the designer. Although I have greatly simplified it here, the structure of the atom is very intricate with other sub-atomic particles, complex electron orbits, numerous isotopes and radioactive decay to name a few details. I believe Man has just scratched the surface of what God has placed inside.

Periodic Table

The Periodic Table helps predict the chemical properties of the elements. Elements in the same column will have similar chemical properties since they have the same number of electrons in their outer shell available for chemical bonding.

Besides the atomic number (number of protons) the atomic mass is also listed on the table. This is the number of protons and electrons in the element. Since elements all have more then one isotope (atoms with a varying number of neutrons) the atomic mass is not a whole number but usually is very close.

Elements can exist in one of three states: solid, liquid, or gas. Of the 118 known elements, only two are liquid at Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP), Bromine and Mercury. Standard temperature is defined as 0 degrees Centigrade or 32 degrees Fahrenheit (the freezing point of water) and 14.5 psi which is standard atmospheric pressure at sea level. All other elements are solid or gas.

Elements with an atomic number 40 (zirconium) and under are considered stable (do not decompose to smaller elements). Those from 41 to 82 (Lead) are apparently stable (can decompose but it takes billions of years). All above 82 are unstable and decompose at a known rate.

Of Atoms and Elements

Atoms are the building blocks of all matter. The name atom comes from the Greek "atomos" which means "unable to be cut" or "indivisible". An atom is measured in picometers or 1 trillionth of a meter. This is 25 billionths of an inch. The smallest atom is Helium which is about 64 picometers or slightly less than two millionth of an inch in diameter. Another measurement used is an Angstrom which is equal to 100 picometers. Atoms are very small indeed! A single strand of hair is about one million atoms wide and a drop of water contains about 2 sextillion (10 to the 21st power) oxygen atoms.

A single atom represents one of the 92 natural Elements on the Periodic Table. Each atom consists of a varying combination of three main components, Protons, Neutrons and Electrons. Although science has identified many other particles inside the atom, for these discussions these three will be all we need to know.

Here is a picture of a Helium atom.


Public Domain

An atom can be likened to a golf ball. One type of golf ball consists of a small core, usually liquid filled, surrounded by a large wrapping of rubber bands and covered with a thin shell. The liquid filled core of the golf ball represents the nucleus of the atom. This is made up of protons and neutrons. The rubber band and shell represents the electron cloud that circles and encloses the atom. The electrons move around the nucleus so fast so as not to be identified as to their exact location. They are represented by a cloud. Just as the rubber band winds continuously around the core of the golf ball, so too, the electrons wrap around the nucleus. Depending on the number of electrons and their energy state, there are different defined orbits in which they reside.

A bucket full of identical golf balls would be similar to a bucket containing a single element. If you could see the individual atoms of the element, each one would be independent of all of the others, much like the golf balls.

An individual atom is characterized by the number of protons it contains. All atoms in an element, defined as a substance consisting of only one type of atom, have the same number of protons. The number of neutrons may vary in these atoms but the element will still be the same. Normally the number of neutrons is the same or almost the same as the number of protons. When the number of neutrons vary between similar atoms in a specific element, the different atoms are "isotopes" of that element. An isotope is still the same element but may have some different properties. An example of this is the element Carbon. Carbon has 12 protons in each of its atoms. It can have different numbers of neutrons. In carbon, the most common number of neutrons is 12 but it can also be 13 or 14. Carbon-14 can be used to date fossils as it decays back to carbon-12 at a known rate, thus allowing scientists to determine approximately the age of the fossil.

Elements are organized into a chart or table called the "Periodic Table". Here they are listed by their "atomic number" or number of protons but are placed in rows and columns based on their "period" which is the number of shells occupied by their electrons. The first row, or shell, has 2 electrons, the second 8 electrons and on up in successive shells to the 118 elements currently listed. The number and shell of the outermost electrons plays a big role in the physical properties of the element.

Matter and Energy

Another point is the Conservation of of Matter and Energy. The Universe is a closed system and as such, contains a finite amount of matter and energy. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Matter and energy are interconnected by Einstein's famous equation, e = mc². E or energy equals the mass (m) of a substance (similar to its weight) times the square of the speed of light (c). Each atom contains a great amount of energy that holds it together. Some of this energy is released or is increased when atoms join together to make molecules or participate in chemical reactions.

A Scientific Definition

Before we move on, I would like to look at a definition of Science. Science is the logical, analytical, systematic study of God's creation. It helps us understand how our world functions and allows us to use it more fully as God intended. God created man to reign over His creation and to subdue it (Genesis 1:26-30). Science uses reason to uncover the hidden secrets of this World. In Psalm 25:2 it says "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the honor of man to search it out" (paraphrase).

Without the scientific method of analysis we would not be able to understand and utilize fully the majestic work of God in which we live.

Universal Options Part 2

Let's look at the four options again more closely to explain the existence of the Universe in a little more depth.

> The Universe is an illusion.
> The Universe is self-existent.
> The Universe was self-created.
> The Universe was created by a self-existent being or force

There are two possibilities for the Universe - it either exists or it doesn't exist; it is an illusion. If it is an illusion, then we also are illusions and the Universe has to be an illusion for some being or force outside of itself, possibly God. This may be possible but from our perspective, the Universe does exist so this possibility must be eliminated (Descartes - I think, therefore I am).

Then, if the Universe does exist, it must either be self-existent (has always existed) or created. If it is self-existent, then it has been here infinitely long. If it has existed in its current state forever, then life would have been here forever. This does not seem likely based on our current state of existence. The Universe also could have expanded and collapsed over and over, restarting the evolutionary cycle with each new "Big Bang". Scientists seem to have negated this possibility due to the size and amount of matter currently found in the Universe. There is not sufficient mass to cause the Universe to collapse in on itself over and over.

So this leaves us with the theory that the Universe was created and we are now at the current debate - Big Bang vs God. In the Big Bang theory it is now thought that first there was nothing and then it exploded. The Universe created itself. Based on certain physical laws, the Universe came into existence on its own. This seems unlikely to me though it is believed by many. I find it much more difficult to believe this than the view of an outside, self-existent being, God, creating the Universe. Both of these are theories, in spite of what your teacher may have taught you. Neither can be proven by a strict scientific method of observation. Many let the "religious" tone of the word "God" lead them to reject the possibility of a Creator but to me it takes more "faith" to believe it happened on its own than that there was an intelligent being or force behind it.

We are now back to where we started, Big Bang/Evolution vs Creation/Intelligent Design. As I stated in my first entry, I believe in a God created Universe and a world full of life created in His marvelous wisdom and love.

One thing both sides agree on is that the world as we know it is a complex place. So the next step is to look at the tiny building blocks of all matter, the Atoms.

Universal Options

There are four options to explain the existence of the Universe.
> The Universe is an illusion.
> The Universe is self-existent.
> The Universe was self-created.
> The Universe was created by a self-existent being or force.

All other possible explanations can be reduced to one of these possibilities. All can be believed but only one of these can be true. Science has developed theories around these over the years and dismissed some of them. The current debate over Evolution and Intelligent Design fits this model. This includes the "Big Bang" theory. I will look at each of these options next time.

God's Chemistry Set

I am a Christian. I believe in the God of the Bible, in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. I believe in Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." I believe we see God in His creation - Psalm 19:1 "the heavens declare the glory of God" and Psalm 139:14 "I am fearfully and wonderfully made (NIV)".

I am a biochemist and a pharmacist by education. As such I have a desire to understand nature. I believe that God "created" is more likely than nothing "created" (Big Bang). I believe that the irreversible complexity found in nature requires a designer, one who happens to have created this world for us. I am writing this blog as my way to express the facts of true science as I understand them, from the perspective of one who believes that all things were created by God, for God and for His purposes.

Feel free to comment or offer your perspective or suggestions for subjects. I am not here to debate the existence of God as Creator, however. If you believe Genesis 1:1 then we are on the same page. If not, then you are welcome but please respect my believe as I will respect yours. Genesis 1:1 is not open for debate in my book.