What’s Up With Science These Days?

Facts aren’t what they used to be. At least in the world of science.

Recently I read two elements – for now known only as “number 114” and “number 116” – have been added to the Periodic Table of Elements. I haven’t memorized the names of the other 114 yet, and now we have two more!

I hate to see elements sitting on this Table without names, so let me suggest: Quizium, for the one that has everyone guessing what it does; and Confusium, since we don’t know if it’s the last one or not.

Granted, I’m not a scientific guy. I did well in biology, but in high school chemistry scraped by with a C, and in college earned a D in geology. (I still can’t distinguish between a rock and a mineral.) But it bothers me that you can’t count on the certainty of things like the Periodic Table. What’s science coming to these days, anyway?

Bad enough that astronomers last year determined Pluto really isn’t a planet. (Walt Disney was right – Pluto’s a dog.) All my life I was told the solar system had nine planets. Now it only has eight. After all these years, Pluto’s removed from “Who’s Who Among Planets.” Sounds Goofy to me.

Of course, it’s always been this way. Copernicus got everyone’s skivvies in a wad when he revealed the earth revolves around the sun, instead of vice versa.

Then Christopher Columbus (and others) proved the Earth isn’t flat. (After you’ve driven around Chattanooga, Tenn. as long as I have, sometimes you wish it was!)

What’s science’s next earth-shattering revelation: The sky really isn’t blue? Cows really can fly?

Don’t worry. It won’t be debunking the theory of evolution. Admitting this theory isn’t a fact would be devastating. The scientific community might have to seriously consider the existence of God. And what scientist worth his or her protons and electrons would want to do that?

As for me, I’m fine with the alternative to evolution. Speaking of skeptics, the Bible tells us, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).

I bet additions to the Periodic Table didn’t catch God by surprise.