FIRST Things First

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Being a religion specialist in a crowd of engineers is a surreal experience. Indeed, the clash of worldviews could hardly be more apparent, shy of crossing the border into Iran. I support the efforts of FIRST Robotics because they encourage children to excel in science, math, and engineering. My own childhood, however, was dominated by an overbearing religion that forever scarred me with a fear of Hell that I still can’t quite shake. Somewhere out there behind the stars there must be a horrid place engineered for the eternal torment for sinners like me, for the Bible tells me so. Speaking of stars, the live feed to kick off the FIRST Robotics Competition is sponsored by NASA. Yesterday was the international kickoff for this year’s competition, and as president of my daughter’s robotics team, I naturally sat among the well-paid engineers and professionals as we watched Dean Kamen unveil this year’s assignment.

The kind of guy who stands alone at parties

The FIRST kickoff video is available online for those who missed the event. The organization grants millions of dollars in scholarships to deserving students, funding college careers for the future of humanity. As I watched the live feed yesterday, a profound angst settled on me. Successful guys my age working for companies flush with money described how the latest medical and humanitarian breakthroughs were being made in the sciences. I have a part-time job with no medical coverage, and know, somewhere deep inside, that if something goes seriously wrong I will be permitted to go the way of all flesh, without benefit of these great technologies. And without the benefit of spiritual reward. A lost child of the cosmos. A life spent in the pursuit of truth, yet ending up with empty hands at the end of the day.

The eye in the sky is watching you

As a child I was a charter subscriber to Discover magazine. One of my earliest career ambitions was to be a scientist. One of my favorite classes in high school was physics. I was, however, haunted by the knowledge that the clergy had divined Hell behind all of this; only those who sought the keys to the kingdom would be spared. In college I majored in religion and took classes in astronomy, still flirting with my first crush. Now, an unemployed religion professor, I watch as day by day my specialization become more and more obsolete. No matter how far our telescopes peer into the universe, they just don’t spy God in an unguarded moment, captured by candid camera. Those with the money say truth lies in the progress of science, others in the unethical life of corporate America. The future lies anywhere but here in the world of religion. As I tell my students: be very careful in choosing a career. The best of intentions will lead to the worst of anxieties unless the way of the universe is truly comprehended.

One thought on “FIRST Things First”

  1. Duh-g

    IMHO God is an orderly creator and always honors His word (law). So,when God said something like “Let there be light…” He created the laws of mathematics and science. Put on your math/physics hat and think about the equations of light (especially light generated by nuclear/anti-nuclear reaction). It embodies all of the higher order math and physics that we know. It’s interesting to me that God made light first.

    When you say “The future lies anywhere but here in the world of religion” you may be correct, since “religion” alone is just man’s attempt to reach God. I’ve often thought about my choice of being an engineer/scientist as not what God intended us to be, but in my spirit I knew this is where God had placed me for some reason. It wasn’t until I started reading the oldest available scripture and consulted with like minded engineers that I discovered that we are just applying God’s law (math/physics). And, He will honor His law (word) until the end of time (which BTW He has kept in his control). I guess I had to read The Book, instead of only watching the movie or religious stage play every week.

    Here’s my anecdotal experience with time in God’s control and F.I.R.S.T. In our rookie season (2011) and very first event, the robot was in day one of qualifying and a shaft was twisting and ready to break. If broken it would effectively destroy the robot and it’s ability to score in the game. With this happening the team would be out for the season since repair or rebuild time is limited by the rules after the construction phase is completed. Against the mechanical mentor’s (my) advice, our team decided to go ahead with full scoring ability until the shaft broke. We chose an “all or nothing approach- leaving nothing on the field of play” (except possibly a pile of shattered parts and dreams). Someone lightly commented that we had better pray that this thing makes it through the rest of the day until we can change out the shaft in the evening pit time. While waiting outside the arena in the que for the very next match, I took this literally and offered up a theologically and scientifically sound prayer…”Lord, could you please change the laws of physics just this one time so these kids aren’t disappointed!” I immediately and distinctly heard back…”I will ALWAYS honor and uphold my laws, but I remain in control of TIME!”. We continued to wait in the hall que and began to wonder why the line wasn’t moving and why it was quiet in the arena. After asking the queing volunteer what was going on, she said there was a problem with the field. After a few minutes it was announced that the field management system time clock had failed and play would resume shortly. After a few more minutes the officials could not resolve the issue and decided to postpone the remaining matches for the day and resume play the next morning, but the pits would remain open per schedule until 8pm. WHAT!!! This would give us almost 4 hours to replace the shaft for the next day. Unfortunately at that moment I failed to praise God for His word and thought it was just some sort of computer glitch. When the shaft was removed it fell into several pieces and had already broken. Had the match started the robot would have failed catastrophically and we would just pack up and go home for the season. Instead the team went on to be in the top 8 qualifiers, becoming the captain of the winning finalist alliance in our first event of our rookie year (the event was also an inaugural event for this location). Then I remembered to praise God!!!
    By the way the next morning it was announced that the field system had mysteriously corrected itself about an hour after it “failed”, but it was too late to change the decision. It’s no mystery to me!

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