Tree of Life

During the long weekend I made this pendant, and it's had me thinking.

The design is the "Tree of Life" - it's very popular in the beading world right now. What I love most about it is its symbolism. It represents something different to many different people, from many different cultures. Personally, I see two main symbols in it, with an interesting contrast. Firstly there is the Christian symbol, coming from the tree of life in Genesis. (The tree is also a symbol of God - I am the vine and you are the branches). The second meaning is found in modern biology - that of the phylogenetic tree, representing evolution. The tree, first drawn by Darwin, shows the branching of all species from a center trunk.

The conflict between science and religion is age old. However, as I'm glad to note, humans are beginning to realize that the two do not cancel each other out. Most Christians, including myself, accept that Genesis is not a historical account of facts. It has symbolic meaning, not literal. It tells us that God created the universe and everything in it. If we look at this meaning, not just the literal meaning, evolution fits right in. Evolution was, I think, a tool used by God to create all living things.

A key question in Biology today is as to the origins of life. Urey and Miller, to give one example, proved that chemicals could combine to make organic compounds, and perhaps living things. But is that really life? Is all we are a series of chemical reactions? I believe that in the beginning of life, and the evolution of the species of the world, we can see God's hand guiding and shaping it all.

That's what this pendant represents to me - the joining of science and religion. It's a fascinating topic, and one that I hope the world will explore further in the years to come. My necklace just reminds me that science and faith can be one - they don't have to be torn apart.

Let's start here

Here's who I am: Someone living in a crazy world trying to make sense out of it. Along the way, I plan to enjoy myself. Will I sort everything out? No. But it'll be an awesome ride. This is my blog. It'll have a good bit of knitting on it, I expect. Lots of making. I'll talk about my music, and my books. I'll talk about politics, and you'll probably hear more about whatever the current debate topic is than you care to know. I'm sure that baking will sneak its way in somehow, and school can never be far away.

This is my attempt to chronicle a life. This is my way of making sense of the insanities of the world. This is a world put into words.