Los Alamos Faith & Science Forum will present ‘Interactions With The Divine – A Statistical View’ by Dr. Chick Keller Wednesday at Kelly Hall. Image Courtesy/LAFSF

BY MORRIS PONGRATZ
LAFSF

This lecture asks the question whether science can elucidate aspects of interactions with the Divine, which involve a reaction. Does God answer prayers, are miracles still happening, does God allow Satan to possess people, are near death experiences spiritual or just the brain shutting down, etc.

To study these and other questions we ask if such events are widespread among faiths and cultures or limited to faithful Christians. Comparing statistics with beliefs seems to assist the faithful in understanding the nature of our interactions with the Divine and the spiritual aspects of ourselves.

Bio – Charles F. “Chick” Keller entered Catholic seminary after high school. After four years of philosophy and theology he was worried that theologians did not know enough about what science had shown, that might require updating of traditional theology. He studied Physics and Mathematics at Penn State and received a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Indiana University in 1969.

Keller joined Los Alamos National Laboratory where he worked in a variety of computer-based studies, including climate change. He eventually became the highly respected director of the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Los Alamos. Chick was one of the founders of PEEC, the Pajarito Environmental Education Center, locally known as the “Nature Center.”

In 2017, Keller was named one of the “Living Treasures” of Los Alamos. He has read widely about aspects of science as it impacts theological concepts and is a founding member of Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum, where, over the years, he has given a number of talks on issues where faith and science intersect. He is a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.

The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m., preceded by a free dinner at 6 p.m., Wednesday July 27, in Kelly Hall at 3900 Trinity Dr. or via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/GodCosmos

For more information on upcoming lectures, go to losalamosfaithandscienceforum.org.