What could have been
I had two careers that stalked me through life: acting and oceanography/marine biology. I decided against pursuing both because my life of faith is more important to me and not particularly conducive to either profession. I knew that I couldn't pursue acting for many reasons: fame, general sleaziness of the business, but more specifically because most roles would call for me to behave (or endorse behavior) that is in direct opposition to my belief system, particularly the roles of any great substance/critical acclaim.
I chose not to pursue marine biology because I knew that:
1. I could easily become obsessed with my line of research, to the exclusion of all else.
2. In order to really do the kind of work I wanted to do, I probably would have spent a generous amount of time either at sea or in a remote location - away from my spiritual family.
What I didn't ever consider was the concept that simply believing in the Bible would not be acceptable within the scientific community. Whenever I allow myself to think about "what could have been" if I'd pursued marine biology, I see myself working out of The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. I even considered dropping by there last year when I went to Boston. This is the place where Bob Ballard works. Bob Ballard is one of the giants of oceanography. He found the Titanic. I generally try to keep up with his work and discoveries. Woods Hole is kind of the gold standard for me in marine biology.
Naturally, I was really disappointed when I read this story. Woods Hole fired a man because he believes in creation. I've gotten used to filtering out all the evolution talk when I watch nature programs or when I visit museums. But there's no way I could write a professional scientific paper based on the principles of evolution. I just never imagined that believing in creation would keep me from being able to study it.
Romans 1:20.
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I chose not to pursue marine biology because I knew that:
1. I could easily become obsessed with my line of research, to the exclusion of all else.
2. In order to really do the kind of work I wanted to do, I probably would have spent a generous amount of time either at sea or in a remote location - away from my spiritual family.
What I didn't ever consider was the concept that simply believing in the Bible would not be acceptable within the scientific community. Whenever I allow myself to think about "what could have been" if I'd pursued marine biology, I see myself working out of The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. I even considered dropping by there last year when I went to Boston. This is the place where Bob Ballard works. Bob Ballard is one of the giants of oceanography. He found the Titanic. I generally try to keep up with his work and discoveries. Woods Hole is kind of the gold standard for me in marine biology.
Naturally, I was really disappointed when I read this story. Woods Hole fired a man because he believes in creation. I've gotten used to filtering out all the evolution talk when I watch nature programs or when I visit museums. But there's no way I could write a professional scientific paper based on the principles of evolution. I just never imagined that believing in creation would keep me from being able to study it.
Romans 1:20.
[and now a word from our sponsors...]
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1 Comments:
That is really sad. In the new system you can study marine biology all you want... and just imagine what a perfect mind will be able to learn!
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