In his book One Final Hour, Martin Rees argues that possibility of the human race becoming extinct by the end of the 21st Century could be as high as 50 percent. This figure has been highly controversial since the book's publication. What is your opinion of this?
He argues that it could happen in a number of ways, such as runaway applications of nanotechnology, for example. What can we do as a society to try to insure ourselves in the midst of many worrying developments? After reading some of this, I'm left with a sense of impending doom for my own future, being only 19 years of age. I'm trying as best I can to retain the hope that I do have, which, being a Christian, naturally comes from my belief in God. And yet, I can't seem to overcome the anxiety that I experience in light of these speculations. So, let's suppose these speculations became true at some point in the future. What would that mean for the Christian hope for the future? Since we generally believe the Last Judgment to be for the living and the dead, how much of a difference would it make on this belief if the human race were eradicated? Can our hope remain valid?
I saw Martin the other day and he pointed out that he’s talking about a major setback to civilisation rather than the extinction of the human race.
Historically disasters to civilisation have been quite common – think of the sack of Rome or the Black Death – and whilst Christians should work to avert them if possible, God is still God even when humanity recedes. “Progress” is not where Christian hope resides.
No comments:
Post a Comment