Dr. Michael Guillen speaks on “The End of Life as We Know It” and the significance of faith in today’s world
Is it possible to unscramble an egg?
The audience of 21 Christian professionals, part of Mastermedia International, waited for an answer from Dr. Michael Guillen, a famed author and renowned Christian scientist. Guillen made them wait for half an hour as he delivered his story and spoke about his new book.
"The End of Life as We Know It" was just released on Oct. 16. It examines the outlook on four areas that present ethical dilemmas to society. These four topics are the web, privacy, genetic engineering and robots.
"This was one of the hardest books I've had to write. I hope it opens up people's eyes," Guillen said. "I wanted to write to help people understand all of these things."
Guillen delved into some of the experiments scientists across the country are doing, including three scientists in Minnesota and California that are attempting to make a human-animal hybrid, what he called a "human pig chimera." He said they are doing this explicitly against the wishes of the National Institutes of Health and are completely privately funded.
““This is the world we’re creating for ourselves. It’s real now, folks. This is no longer science fiction,” ”
The implications of these experiments could be severe. Members of the audience put down their Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in shock as Guillen talked about the possible ramifications.
"I reference this quote from Arthur C. Clarke a lot, 'It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value,'" Guillen said. "Our intelligence could do us in as a species. Reason can only take us so far. We have to have wisdom too. I find wisdom in the Bible. With wisdom we can say: we can do this, but should we?"
This story has been told over and over in pop culture. From "Jurassic Park" to "Terminator" and "Ex Machina," the theme of technology and science overpowering its creators is almost cliché. However, according to Guillen, this isn't just the movies any more.
Guillen talked about scientists working to resurrect extinct species, including the wooly mammoth. Besides that, robots have made leaps and bounds in the past decade. Just last year, the famous robot "Sophia" was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia. According to Guillen, European legislators are considering giving human rights to robots.
"This is the world we're creating for ourselves. It's real now, folks. This is no longer science fiction," Guillen said.
It's not all dark news though. Guillen said Christians are more important than ever right now, with the chance to provide wisdom to a world so obsessed with scientific progress without considering the ramifications of their work.
If anyone would know how to bridge the gap between science and faith, it would be Guillen.
Of the five other books that Guillen has written, two fall on this subject, including "Amazing Truths: How Science and the Bible Agree." This book explores 10 deep concepts where Christianity and science converge.
"You will be shocked by how much science and the bible agree," Guillen said. "People get so hung up on silly things like the age of the universe and don't focus on the fundamental areas where they agree."
For Guillen, the path to finding God took an atypical path. He became enamored with science at a young age before getting his B.S. in physics from UCLA and then his Ph.D. in physics, mathematics and astronomy from Cornell.
At Cornell he worked in a lab "21/7," from 6 a.m. until 3 a.m. every day. He met his wife, Laurel, while at Cornell. Guillen was in love with his work but he was unsatisfied. He explored Hinduism, Buddhism and even briefly Judaism trying to find answers. Laurel asked if he had read the Bible. He scoffed at first, but they ended up reading it together over the course of two years.
"We assume young people go to college and lose their faith. For me, it was the opposite," Guillen said. "I'll never forget the day we finished the Old Testament and started the New Testament. It was like we were sitting in the dark and someone turned the lights on."
Guillen was taken aback by the paradoxical way Jesus spoke (the meek shall inherit the earth, bless those who curse you). This struck him because he was seeing the same kind of paradoxes in his study of quantum mechanics.
Guillen and his wife accepted Christ and he never looked back. His research has strengthened his beliefs. He went on to serve as the science editor for ABC News for 14 years, appearing regularly on shows like “20/20” and “Good Morning America.”
Members of the audience marveled at Guillen’s words, serious food for thought. He ended by telling them the answer to his opening riddle. It is possible to unscramble an egg, if you feed the scramble to a chicken.
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