Rocco Martino - Rocket Ships and God: A Rocket Scientist Puts Faith to the Test

Rocco Leonard Martino, Ph.D.

Rocket Ships and God

A Scientist Puts
Faith to the Test

SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS
Manchester, New Hampshire

Copyright 2015 by Rocco Leonard Martino

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved

Cover design: Coronation Media in collaboration with Perceptions Design Studio.

On the cover: Interacting Galaxies Arp 273, NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).

No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, photographic, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Sophia Institute Press
Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
1-800-888-9344

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Sophia Institute Press is a registered trademark of Sophia Institute.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Martino, R. L.

Rocket ships and God : a scientist puts faith to the test / Rocco Leonard Martino, Ph.D.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-62282-209-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ePub ISBN 978-1-622822-10-2 1. Religion and science. I. Title.

BL240.3.M3985 2015

201'.65 dc23

2015000901

Contents

Foreword

Rocket Ships and God is a valuable book to possess. I have read it carefully, and it is obvious that the author, my good friend Dr. Rocco Leonard Martino or Rocky, as I prefer is a strong Catholic and proud of that fact. Rocky has been in the forefront of rocket and computer science almost from their inception. He also told me years ago that his oldest son ridiculed an early computer that he considered archaic in design concept. Rocky said that he had invented it as a major technical advance for that day!

This book tackles the question of truth and how it affects our belief structures in both science and theology. Rocky has successfully bridged the gap between the ways in which we express truth in the different disciplines of knowledge. As he says it, Truth is truth; and he goes on to show how descriptions might appear different until examined closely. In a very rational way he presents the case for using reason to the point of acceptance or rejection, with faith buttressed by revelation as a final determinant for acceptance. I suggest you read the whole book of how a rocket scientist looked for God and then at God. For him, the tools of the Cyber Age have been a boon to forging new linkages between different segments of knowledge, leading more and more to a unified explanation of who and what we are and how we came to be. This undercurrent of logic and scientific developments provide the reason aspect that, together with faith, permeates acceptance of our religious beliefs.

Along the way, the reader will come to be informed about all the creation, growth, accomplishments, and future potential of our Cyber Age.

Cardinal William H. Keeler
Archbishop Emeritus of Baltimore

Preface

The genesis of this book was an exchange of e-mails with Father Patrick Heelan, S.J., a professor and fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University and a past provost of the university. I met Fr. Heelan at a dinner I hosted at the University Club in Washington in the spring of 2005. It was to be a group of eight thinkers who would meet to discuss current problems of the day. By happenstance, Fr. Heelan sat on my right. I apologize to the person who was on my left, because Fr. Heelan and I engaged in a spirited discussion throughout the evening.

Rocket Ships and God was written for two reasons. First, in a selfish way perhaps, as a personal justification to myself that there is no gap between the truths of science and religion. Secondly, I wanted to share these findings with others.

Innumerable papers and books have been written about a supposed gap between science and religion. Nonsense! Truth is truth, no matter what the discipline. However, the description of a truth may vary widely according to the describers language, jargon, and training. Also, many theologians freeze their intellects at the sight of an equation, no matter how simple; and scientists are often too deeply involved in a rigid process of discovery, discussion, and description to consider alternative methods of approach and presentation. The gap is within our methods, not with the truth.

I am a scientist and a student of philosophy and theology. All my adult life, I have wondered and pondered about God. Does God exist? Can we prove that existence? Can we establish some facts about the nature of God? Is there more than one God? In this book, I attempt to provide a logical basis for establishing answers to these questions based on fact, which should be acceptable even to unbelievers.

The question of the existence of God has been in the forefront of human thought since the beginning of history. There are hundreds of proofs for Gods existence, and in these pages I attempt yet another proof that uses the findings of science. But only faith can fully bridge the gap from reasoning to acceptance.

The answers that I have proposed do not attempt to answer the how and the why of each phenomenon. My inability to understand how something works does not in any way diminish my ability to accept its workings as true. I do not know how an afterlife works but I can accept that it is true; nor do I know how electricity and light work, even though I know they exist and I know how to use them.

Science has no corner on the truth, despite what many modern pied pipers have claimed to a credulous public. It is true that scientific assertions are tested by a long, tedious process designed to be replicated and confirmed by other reliable scientists. But life is simpler than what pied pipers would have us believe. Often we know what is true even if we do not have the proof at hand. Common sense often precedes process and sometimes precludes it. One way or another, we will find truth. When we do, the sensible thing is to accept it, put your faith in it, and follow it.

Indeed, accept even what you cannot understand, so long as you know it is true. Thats how scientists are forced to handle the mysteries of light, electricity, magnetism, and countless other cornerstones of the universe. The open secret is that no scientist yet understands many of the day-to-day phenomena that we all must accept about the universe. What they cannot fully explain, scientists learn to work with. If a thing is true whether it is magnetism or the majesty of creation around us why be hung up on how it is so? Of course, we continue to ponder and explore these mysteries and sometimes solve one or two. But do not, on sciences account, stop using the truth because you cannot totally comprehend it!

We accept, live, and enjoy life. We were created to be happy. Our God-given hope tells us that full understanding will come later.

Rocco Leonard Martino
Villanova, Pennsylvania

Acknowledgments

No book of this nature can be completed without significant research and continual typing and retyping as the text is changed. I am indebted to my son, Joseph Martino, for his patience, energy, good humor, and never-say-die attitude, no matter how I changed wording, structure, and created, eliminated, and moved paragraphs. My sincerest thanks to Sister Joan Dugan, S.S.J., who was meticulous in smoothing my word flow and in checking my logic and clarity. My thanks also to Rebecca Brown and Patricia Popelack for retyping the final manuscript and Adrienne Holcombe for doing the final diagrams.