Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
For astronomy is not only pleasant, but also very useful to be known: it cannot be denied that this art unfolds the admirable wisdom of God.
Interpretation
Astronomy reveals the beauty of the universe and reflects the wisdom of God.
In this quote, John Calvin emphasizes the dual nature of astronomy as both an enjoyable pursuit and a valuable one. He suggests that the study of the stars and heavens not only brings delight but also allows us to appreciate the intricate wisdom of God, thus encouraging a deepened understanding of the cosmos and our place within it.
In practice
During a lecture on the significance of astronomy in understanding our place in the universe, I quoted John Calvin's perspective.
Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
Whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of His fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil.
For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
Science is basically an inoculation against charlatans.
Space or science fiction has become a dialect for our time.
Scientific and technological progress themselves are value-neutral. They are just very good at doing what they do. If you want to do selfish, greedy, intolerant and violent things, scientific technology will provide you with by far the most efficient way of doing so. But if you want to do good, to solve the world's problems, to progress in the best value-laden sense, once again, there is no better means to those ends than the scientific way.
I suppose the one quality in an astronaut more powerful than any other is curiosity. They have to get some place nobody's ever been.
If you look at all the serious scientists in the world, there is no big disagreement on the basics of this...it would be absolute lunacy to act as if climate change is not occurring.
I give them experiments and they respond with speeches.
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