In a Thanksgiving column for The Washington Post, Harvard astrophysicist Howard Smith reflects on the fact that modern astronomy allows us to view ourselves as cosmically special:

“Some of my colleagues strongly reject this notion . . . All the observations so far, however, are consistent with the idea that humanity is not mediocre at all and that we won’t know otherwise for a long time. It seems we might even serve some cosmic role. So this season let us be grateful for the amazing gifts of life and awareness, and acknowledge the compelling evidence to date that humanity and our home planet, Earth, are rare and cosmically precious” (“Humanity Is Cosmically Special. Here’s How We Know,” Nov. 25, 2016).

In an increasingly secular, naturalistic society, with academics all too ready to reject God as Creator and man’s place in God’s creation, it’s refreshing to see a voice stand up and proclaim, based on his experience and knowledge of the universe, that we are in fact a marvel in this vast universe and that, as he put it, “we might even serve some cosmic role.”

Christians know that role is to be children in God’s very own family—a marvelous purpose indeed. Send for or download our free study guide Why Were You Born? to learn more. (Source: The Washington Post.)