Physicist Dr. Rex Beck lectured in the Student Union last Thursday on the relationship between God and the origins of the universe. His lecture was titled "Cosmos and Theos: The How and Why of our Universe," and was sponsored by UB for Christ.
Beck started the evening by discussing "our grand universe," which consists of approximately three billion galaxies, and is about 15 billion years old, according to current scientific estimates.
According to Beck, the universe had a perfect start because all of the factors involved in the conception of the universe, including density, the three dimensions and the existence of carbon, were flawless.
This can only be attributed to God, he said.
Following his presentation, Beck opened the floor to questions from the audience, which spanned from the argument between science versus faith and science versus superstition to the theory of evolution and the purpose of life.
"I was glad (the audience was) excited about it," said Beck. "There was a wide range of different questions. I could tell some were from physicists, because I got some very educated questions, some were from non-Christians, and some were from Christians. So I was glad that this talk had a general draw for the whole campus."
John Fenz, a freshman English major, was impressed with Beck's ability to lecture to an audience with such diverse beliefs.
"It's a hard thing to do in front of so many skeptical people. He did explain a lot, as in the spirituality of Jesus - not so much Jesus as a person, but Jesus as a spirit," he said.
Some students were not as impressed by Beck's presentation.
"I thought his answers were rather shifty, and I expected more from a Ph.D.," said David Bachowski, a freshman electrical engineering major. "It was mostly based on his faith and what he thought."
Faith Thompson, a junior psychology major, said that the skeptics in the audience should read the Bible, because it will help them answer some of their questions.
"Everyone's entitled to their own opinion," said Thompson. "But I would encourage them to get into the Bible. They need to read, and find out for themselves. You can't really base your life on someone else's experiences. You have to experience it for yourself."
Beck said that he was impressed with the audience and was encouraged to be able to speak in front of an audience that was interested in the origins of the universe.
"I just like the fact that they're still exploring the whole earth, human life, and all those things out there," said Beck. "That makes the audience very vibrant."
"I would like to come back," he said. "I feel like there were some open ends that I didn't feel like I could get into, and I would like to have more time to discuss those issues, such as evolution, and some of the other topics brought up by the students."
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
