The God-Particle

I like clarifications. Ergo, I will begin with two clarifications:

1) Blatant statement of fact: "I am a nerd. I have no problems with admitting this fact."

2) Half of this blog is about physics, so parts of the post may seem to be in a different language. Do not fear gentle reader, it is merely physics. Do not worry, I will translate it. :-)

That being said, the other day, I was reading an article in the New York Times entitled "The Race is on for the 'God Particle'", about an experiment at Fermilab (in Illinois) which potentially has data demonstrating the existence of the Higgs boson, a particle sometimes known as the 'God particle.' In addition to the delightfully non-scientific language of "bumpiness" in the data, prompting a good chuckle from my end, the article made me stop in my tracks, to take a second and think about the colloquialism, labeling this particular particle as the 'God particle.'

For those of you not familiar with the Higgs particle, allow me to be freakishly dorky for a moment and clarify, quoting the article cited above: "According to the Standard Model, a suite of equations that describe all the forces but gravity, elementary particles and forces are born equal and without mass. Some then acquire mass by wading through a sort of cosmic molasses called the Higgs field (named after the physicist Peter Higgs) the way that a VIP acquires an entourage pushing through a cocktail party." In other words, the Higgs boson would theoretically explain why some particles acquire mass and others don't.

Side note, for the non-physics students, mass is the key word here. What is mass? Mass is roughly a measure of the amount of matter, or "stuff" existing in an object. It's similar to weight, except that it is not affected by gravity. It is not to be confused with a Catholic Eucharist, a large tumor, a play commissioned by Jackie Kennedy, or an Austro-Bavarian unit for measuring beer, as Google.com so helpfully defines it.

But back to the point. Why would a particle that confers mass be called the "God particle"? Physicists would answer that it came from a tongue-in-cheek book about the Standard Model, by Leon Lederman, entitled: "The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?" While that title in and of itself would be a blog of its own, allow me to stick to my original topic....

You see, theoretically, if the Higgs boson does exist, when mass-less particles come into contact with a Higgs field, they would acquire mass. In other words, they would contain "stuff." Perhaps inadvertently, physicists have aptly titled the particle. In the same way, when we come into contact with God, we acquire something of meaning. Exodus 2:18-20 tells the story of Moses viewing God's glory... "Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." You see, the Hebrew word which is used in this passage to mean "glory" is the word "Kabod" which literally means the "weightiness" or the "substance" of God. In this passage, Moses could not encounter the glory of God fully, because the weightiness of it, in light of his sin, would be too much for him to bear. He could only see in part. It's like the great example that C.S. Lewis gives in the "Great Divorce" of the shadow people, for whom heaven was too weighty...

But our story does not stop there... 2 Corinthians 3:13,18 tells us, "13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away....Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." In other words, we can encounter God, with unveiled faces, being transformed into his weightiness. Like a particle that encounters the theoretical Higgs field, we encounter the living God, and that transforms us, gives us substance, mass and meaning.

No longer do we live in the fruitless ways of our pasts, but we are entreated (Eph. 4:1) to "live a life worthy of our calling" and not to be "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind" (4:14). In other words, encountering God gives us meaning, or "matter" different from the "fruitless" and "empty" ways of sin, which are described in Ephesians 2 as belonging to the spirit of the air.

So, as to whether or not the Higgs boson exists, I don't know. Neither do physicists. But I would say that is quite aptly named... The articles quotes, "Unfortunately, the model (standard model) does not say how heavy the Higgs boson itself... should be." Physicists are trying to figure that out (as well as trying to ascertain its existence)... likewise, we as believers have no idea how glory-full God is, yet we daily delve deeper, seeking to see more of that glory (of the God we know exists). Worthwhile? I think so...