Who Can't Use a Good "Vacuum?"

Yesterday’s theme resumes tomorrow, although today's posting is related.  But first a joke: Ole (as in the bumblers Ole and Sven) was playing “Trivial Pursuit” when he got a question from the science category.  “If you are in a vacuum and someone is talking to you, can you hear him?”  Ole thought about this for a moment and then asked, “Is the vacuum on?, or off? “

The planet Jupiter is in the middle of the night sky these days.  And it is lovely to look at, especially with a telescope.  But take notice: If Jupiter was not out there we would not be here to reflect on its absence.  Jupiter is not only beautiful and bright.  Its presence is absolutely necessary for the possibility of life, certainly advanced life, to exist anywhere in our solar system.  Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and it is actually larger than all of the other planets combined, including Pluto!  Wait a minute, Pluto is no longer officially a planet, but even if it were added, it is so small that it wouldn’t make a hair’s difference to the equation.

No why is this important?  Is it important to you personally?  Is this practical knowledge?  The answer is, it is even more important than being able to freshen up the living room carpet with a “Hoover.”  Jupiter’s presence is a matter of life and death.  There are different kinds of vacuums.  There is the carpet vacuum.  A vacuum is also defined as a space that is completely empty of matter.  The former depends on the principle of the latter in order to suck up dirt from the carpet.

Yet there is another phenomenon that, practically speaking, also sucks up unwanted matter.  That is where Jupiter comes in.  Because Jupiter is so amazingly huge, its gravity force effectively sucks up the dangerous cosmic debris (meteors, etc.) that is constantly flying through our solar system.  Were the bulk of them to hit our planet, it would completely destroy our atmosphere.  But instead, Jupiter sucks them up so that this debris instead lands in its atmosphere.  And we can take a deep breath.  Take note of this phenomenon at http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/11/explosion-on-jupiter-did-the-planet-take-a-hit-for-earth/.

Our existence on earth is not a matter of just a few factors, but a multitude of them.  There are so many factors that must be just right concerning our placement in the universe that the evidence adds up to the existence of our providential God who designed our home.  Check out these extensive requirements which are actually fulfilled at the “Reasons to Believe” website: www.reasons.org.