Chapter 27
Proof of God?
The drive home to Wildwood seemed much longer than the one hour it usually took. Chris felt Haley was making the right choice for her, but couldn’t imagine spending so much time apart. And how did this relate to the dreams he interpreted as visions of him in school with Haley and his friends?
He prayed, but there seemed to be no good answers. A perfectly preserved 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air was parked in the driveway when he arrived home. Strangely, the canary-yellow classic was the ideal accompaniment for the flamboyant purple house. Mom has a new car, he thought.
“Nice car Mom.” Chris yelled as he entered the house.
“We’re in here,” Sanya replied from the Florida room. The house had an elegant living room, but Sanya insisted on taking guests to her own personal creation, the Florida room she called “the Jamaica room.”
Tropical plants packed the room from one end to the other: Gingers, Frangipanis, Bananas, and even a large Mango tree touched the raised ceiling. The furniture was waterproof and glass doors were added to protect the rest of the house from the humidity.
“I think you have met Mr. Gautier. That’s his car in the driveway,” Sanya said.
“Your mother has created a wonderful sanctuary. I think we should offer her a job as landscape designer,” Claude joked as Chris entered.
“Claude is here to see you Chris,” Sanya announced. “He says he wants to offer you a scholarship.”
“I don’t need a scholarship Mom. I’ve been accepted at Duke. They have the best Department of Religious Studies in the country, and Aunt Leslie made sure I could afford it.”
“Just because you have money in your pocket doesn’t mean you have to spend it. You should at least listen to what Mr. Gautier has to say.”
“I will Mom, but it won’t make any difference.”
“Well, at least you have an open mind,” Claude said with a smile. He pulled out a sealed letter from Dr. Kevin Flanagan. Dr. Flanagan was an esteemed alumnus of Duke University. He was a friend of Chris’s father, pastor of the largest Catholic Church in Orlando, and Chris’s primary reference for admission to Duke.
“What’s this?” Chris asked.
“It’s a personal letter to you from Dr. Flanagan. I haven’t read it, but I hope it will help you decide what to do.”
“Excuse me for a minute,” Chris said as he opened the letter and began to read.
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Dear Chris,
Duke is a superb school and their Department of Religious Studies is second to none. They will provide you with the finest education available and open doors to the most prestigious seminaries and Doctoral programs in the world.
The ORION Institute is a small obscure enterprise that may add little to your resume and find you pursuing outrageous theories which could bring ridicule and alienate you from your peers.
Having said that, the path to finding God is not always a straight line. If it were my decision at your age, I would jump at the chance to join Mr. Gautier and the ORION Institute. I have known Claude for many years and believe his love for God is deeper than anything you can learn in seminary.
Good luck and please know whatever you choose to do, I will support you.
Kevin
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Chris wasn’t sure what to make of the cryptic letter. Dr. Flanagan made it clear which institution he would choose, but his reason was very ambiguous. Chris put the letter away and looked at Claude.
“O.K., you’ve got my attention. This is the way I see it. The ORION Institute is dedicated to human achievement. You want to use technology to create your humanistic vision of Heaven on Earth.”
“You’re wrong Chris, it’s the exact opposite. Do you think Haley would want to be a part of anything that didn’t include God?”
It wasn’t a surprise that Claude would use Haley as an argument to convince Chris, but it still irritated him.
“I love Haley, but she’s naïve. I think you have taken advantage of her desire to uncover her heritage. She is a very trusting and vulnerable person.”
“You’re not giving Haley enough credit, and you could not be more wrong about us. We accept God as the source and center of all things. We may even have scientific evidence to support it.”
“Then why put so much emphasis on technology at the Institute?”
Claude glanced at his cell phone.
“Technology can be a wonderful thing. It can make our lives more productive and meaningful if used properly. But when Haley’s civilization reached its pinnacle thousands of years ago, technology replaced God. They forgot the meaning of life in pursuit of progress and therefore life no longer had meaning.”
Chris rolled his eyes and groaned. “Haley’s civilization? You have already labeled her before you even know her, and isn’t the ORION Institute founded on materialism? Aren’t you spending billions of dollars to uncover ancient technologies?”
“That’s precisely why we need people like you and Haley. The world is approaching a tipping point. Haley can help us recognize the mistakes of the past, and you can help us build a path to the future, a course that will take us closer to God instead of leading us away.”
Sanya was still in the room, confused by the conversation. Chris looked at her and asked playfully, “what do you think Mom?” Sanya stared back with an empty gaze. Chris turned back toward Claude.
“You said you have scientific evidence of the existence of God?” he asked.
“We have been able to use Haley’s DNA to decode thousands of ancient Nina Nizhoni documents literally overnight. Are you familiar with quantum consciousness?”
“I have read a little. It’s a theory based on quantum entanglement asserting the essential component of your mind exists separate from your brain, and continues even after the brain ceases to function.”
“That’s right,” Claude replied. “We think the Nina Nizhoni proved it. They used quantum physics to discover a force which encompasses and binds every particle of matter and anti-matter. Our best translation would be the ‘OMEGA Quotient.’ It’s a little like string-theory.”
Chris struggled to comprehend what Claude was saying.
“O.K., let’s assume the Higgs Theory is correct and we find proof that everything in the universe comes from a single source. Why would you assume it is God instead of a random physical phenomenon as many scientists argue?”
“This is where it gets interesting.” Claude answered. “Once the Nina Nizhoni scientists were able to identify OMEGA Quotient impulses, they discovered a concentration directed at the human brain in a very non-random manner. They theorized it might be a compendium of all knowledge encoded on a spiritual plane like the Akashic records.”
Chris rubbed his eyes, “How does that prove anything?”
“The impulses were composed of incomprehensibly complex equations. They were able to decipher only two words, ‘I am.’”
“Wow!” Chris mouthed the word. He was overwhelmed and thought, maybe the Institute is where I belong. Instead of studying history, I can be a part of it. Is that what Dr. Flanagan was trying to tell me?
“Claude,” Chris said as he reached out to shake hands. “I’d like to take some time to think it over and pray.”
“Of course, take as much time as you need. I know you’ll make the right choice whatever you decide.”