The large hadron collider. | Image credits: Wikimedia
“For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.” — Romans 1:20, NWT
The mysterious particle was discovered
Since the day of the discovery of the “Higgs Boson“ which is sometimes called the “God Particles,” it ignites a great controversial debate between faith and evidence, religion and science. The discovery was first announced on July 4, 2012. On this day, the CERN research accelerator laboratory in Switzerland detected a new particle from proton-proton collisions.
The term “God particle” was coined by Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman in his controversial book The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question? published in 1993. Although the term was not endorsed by many physicists.
Lederman explains the reason why he nicknamed the Higgs boson “The God particle”:
“This boson is so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive, that I have given it a nickname: the God Particle. Why God Particle? Two reasons. One, the publisher wouldn’t let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing. And two, there is a connection, of sorts, to another book, a much older one…” — p. 22 ¹
In the Standard Model, “the Higgs particle is a massive scalar boson with zero spins, even (positive) parity, no electric charge, and no color charge, that couples to (interacts with) mass,” as defined by Wikipedia.
The Higgs boson explains why particles have mass — and in turn why we exist. Without the boson, the universe would have no physical matter, only energy.
In this case, the cosmological implications are hotly debated. If we ask ourselves, where do all things came from? Is it by random chance or by an intelligent designer? Can God fit in the scientific field to explain the origin of the universe?
The religious and nonreligious views about the God Particle
In 2011 Christian apologist Alister McGrath called the Higgs boson the “particle of faith” due to it being something physicists believed in because it answers some important questions, though its existence could not be proven. This is like faith in God² because believers in God would say His existence also explains important things, and so we have reason to accept his existence by faith. McGrath points out:
“Science often proposes the existence of invisible (and often undetectable) entities – such as dark matter – to explain what can be seen. The reason why the Higgs boson is taken so seriously in science is not because its existence has been proved, but because it makes so much sense of observations that its existence seems assured. In other words, its power to explain is seen as an indicator of its truth. There’s an obvious and important parallel with the way religious believers think about God. While some demand proof that God exists, most see this as unrealistic. Believers argue that the existence of God gives the best framework for making sense of the world.”³
The Catholic astronomer Guy Consolmagno argued in a Washington Post column that scientifically deduced universal laws expose “the personality” of God. “The mysteries revealed by modern science are a constant reminder that reality is bigger than our day-to-day lives,” he wrote.
Other non-Christian affiliated religious personalities such as the alternative medicine guru Deepak Chopra said in a YouTube video that the [Higgs] boson hints at a spiritual divine interrelationship of all the physical realms.
“It only strengthens the notion that the universe comes out of a nothingness which is everything,” he said.
Learning the God particle helps us understand how something comes from nothing.
It is also interesting to note that other non-religious individuals and atheists use ‘religious language’ to suit their claim, said Philip Clayton, dean of Claremont School of Theology and a researcher of science and religion.
“Humans are really fascinated with what we know scientifically and what lies right at the boundaries of what we can know,” he said.⁴
While religious men may support the evidence of higher universal power or God through the complex discovery of the Higgs boson, it is contrary to non-believers such as Lawrence Kraus, an atheist, and theoretical physicist from Arizona State University.
He claims that the Higgs boson discovery “posits a new story of our creation” independent of religious belief. He’s trying to eliminate any form of religious views to consider his points toward the Higgs boson. He also admits: “If we can describe the laws of nature back to the beginning of time without any supernatural shenanigans, it becomes clear that you don’t need God.”
Driving by his atheistic attitude, Kraus disproves God and eliminates the necessity of any supernatural beings such as God.
The Bible’s views about the Higgs boson
Nowhere in the Bible can we find the word “Higgs boson” and “God particle”. But as far as we know it, God created all things — whether visible or invisible in our human sensibility.
In Romans chapter 1, verses 20, we read:
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” — King James Version
We know that all kinds of particles, such as neutrinos, are invisible. We cannot perceive it with our natural eyes without the aid of highly advanced technological instruments but we believe in their existence.
The Bible is not a science book but it is accurate in giving the details of each human life form. It speaks about the creation of all things in the beginning and declares the marvelous works of God in the universe. — Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 40:26
References:
¹ L&T p. 22
² Higgs boson god particle and the god of particle. https://answersingenesis.org/physics/higgs-boson-god-particle/the-god-particle-and-the-god-of-particles/
³ Alister McGrath, “Higgs boson: the particle of faith,” December 15, 2011. www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8956938/Higgs-boson-the-particle-of-faith.html
⁴ National on faith god particle discovery ignites debate over science and religion. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/god-particle-discovery-ignites-debate-over-science-and-religion/2012/07/13/gJQAOpaWiW_story.html?tid=usw_passupdatepg
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