Famed mathematical physicist Sir Roger Penrose, who worked alongside Stephen Hawking for many years on furthering the developing Big Bang theory, has debunked Hawking’s ‘no-God-needed’ theory of the universe as “hardly science” and “not even a theory” on Premier Christian Radio.
Speaking on the station’s weekly faith debate program Unbelievable? on Saturday 25 September, Penrose described Hawking’s new book The Grand Design as “misleading” adding that M-theory, which Hawking claims has made God redundant as a cause of the universe, was “not even a theory” and “hardly science” but instead “a collection of hopes, ideas and aspirations.”
Penrose was in dialogue on the program with Alister McGrath, professor of theology at Kings College London. The two men joined host Justin Brierley to respond to the question of whether Hawking’s new theory had made God redundant as a potential explanation of the origin of the universe.
Criticizing M-theory, Penrose said: “It’s a collection of ideas, hopes, aspirations. The book is a bit misleading. It gives you this impression of a theory that is going to explain everything; it’s nothing of the sort. It’s not even a theory.”
Our Universe has not been shown to “create itself from nothing.”
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Asked whether science shows that the universe could “create itself from nothing” as claimed in the book, Penrose was strong in his condemnation of the ‘string’ theory that lies behind Hawking’s statement: “It’s certainly not doing it yet. I think the book suffers rather more strongly than many. It’s not an uncommon thing in popular descriptions of science to latch onto an idea, particularly things to do with string theory, which have absolutely no support from observation. They are just nice ideas.” He added that such ideas are “very far from any testability. They are hardly science.”
As a former colleague who worked closely alongside Hawking in developing gravitational singularity theorems, Penrose is perhaps the most high profile scientist yet to dismiss Hawking’s views.
“Multi-verse” has not superseded God
He also responded to the so-called “multi-verse” hypothesis that Hawking’s theory also posits. Christians, including Professor McGrath, have pointed towards the fact that our universe is incredibly “fine-tuned” for life to come into existence, thus providing evidence of a transcendent designer. Hawking’s “multi-verse” hypothesis is a form of the ‘anthropic principle’: since ours is one in an array of universes, we inevitably only observe a universe with the correct ‘settings’ that support conscious life.
Responding to the ‘multi-verse’ hypothesis, Penrose, a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association who describes himself as having “no religious beliefs,” said: “Its overused, and this is a place where its overused. It’s an excuse for not having a good theory.” [These ideas are not supportive of ‘no God is needed’ ideas either — although sometimes put forth in such a manner as to shed doubt on the God idea.]
Premier presenter Justin Brierley said: “What’s interesting is that Penrose’s criticisms of Hawking are not driven by any faith position. Instead he simply recognizes that the science does not justify making statements about God’s non-existence, which is a much more honest position than other well-known scientists, such as Dawkins, who want to equate science with atheism.”
Penrose’s own alternative view of the universe is detailed in his new book “Cycles of Time” published by The Bodley Head. As for myself, I am convinced that matter is connected together — every single subatomic particle of it — with its source — by a directedness energy that the source is — some call it love; I do.
You fell into a black hole…
oh, my, that’s not so good…
here is Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson to explain:
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Program Description Our Milky Way may harbor millions of black holes… the ultra dense remnants of dead stars. But now, in the universe far beyond our galaxy, there’s evidence of something far more ominous. A breed of black holes that has reached incomprehensible size and destructive power. Just how large, and violent, and strange can they get?
A new era in astronomy has revealed a universe long hidden to us. High-tech instruments sent into space have been tuned to sense high-energy forms of light — x-rays and gamma rays — that are invisible to our eyes and do not penetrate our atmosphere. On the ground, precision telescopes are equipped with technologies that allow them to cancel out the blurring effects of the atmosphere. They are peering into the far reaches of the universe, and into distant caldrons of light and energy. In some distant galaxies, astronomers are now finding evidence that space and time are being shattered by eruptions so vast they boggle the mind.
We are just beginning to understand the impact these outbursts have had on the universe: On the shapes of galaxies, the spread of elements that make up stars and planets, and ultimately the very existence of Earth. The discovery of what causes these eruptions has led to a new understanding of cosmic history. Back in 1995, the Hubble space telescope was enlisted to begin filling in the details of that history. Astronomers selected tiny regions in the sky, between the stars. For days at a time, they focused Hubble’s gaze on remote regions of the universe.
These Hubble Deep Field images offered incredibly clear views of the cosmos in its infancy. What drew astronomers’ attention were the tiniest galaxies, covering only a few pixels on Hubble’s detector. Most of them do not have the grand spiral or elliptical shapes of large galaxies we see close to us today.
Instead, they are irregular, scrappy collections of stars. The Hubble Deep Field confirmed a long-standing idea that the universe must have evolved in a series of building blocks, with small galaxies gradually merging and assembling into larger ones.
“Life as we know it
is a thin layer of events
covering a deeper reality.”
~ Deepak Chopra
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Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
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Let there be light… Religious believe that God willed it, and at once there was light.
Quantum theory tells us that both light and matter consist of tiny particles which have wavelike properties associated with them. Light can be thought of as an electromagnetic wave that travels at the speed of light. However, light is also particles called photons. Albert Einstein first explained the photoelectric effect is proof that light exists in tiny packets of particles, which he called photons.
With Max Planck’s work on quanta of heat, Einstein went on to propose the most stunning idea of twentieth century physics. We live in a quantum universe, one built out of tiny, discrete chunks of energy and matter that seem to alternate as waves and particles. Light is composed of particles called photons, and matter is composed of particles of an atom called electrons, protons, and neutrons.
In 1919, six years before the invention of quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle, Einstein showed that there would be a problem with the theories of cause and effect. The peculiar dual nature of quanta as both waves and particles might make it impossible, he warned, to definitively tie effects to their causes
Materialism is an atheistic philosophy that says that all of reality is reducible to matter and its interactions. It has gained ground because many people think that it’s supported by science. In reality, quantum mechanics says that even if we have complete information about the state of a physical system, the laws of physics typically only predict probabilities of future outcomes. These probabilities are called the “wave function” of the system.
Personally, I love it… that the real analysis; the actual science supports that something unnatural occurs and that is what forms matter. If you are a believer that science can explain precisely how it works… well, it can’t. It is still a bit of a mystery. In fact its a mystery that science may never solve.
The astrophysicist speculates on where our science will be happening.
Question: Are Americans still leading in scientific innovation?
DeGrasse Tyson: If I put on my pure scientist hat as opposed to my American scientist hat, pure scientist hat, I say, if we don’t build the land, somebody else will and the science will get discovered. If we don’t explore the moons, somebody else will. It will get discovered. That’s one of the hallmarks of science that distinguishes it from art. In science, if you don’t do it, somebody else will. Whereas in art, if Beethoven didn’t compose the Ninth Symphony, no one else before or after is going to compose the Ninth Symphony that he composed, no one else is going to paint Starry Night by van Gogh. So science, when done properly, is never owned by one nation or another. .
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So… That’s what happened with particle physics in America. We were building the largest super collider ever was, the Superconducting Super Collider, to be based in Texas. Two hundred mile circumference ring, we accelerate particles, smash them and explore the conditions that were common in the early universe. That budget got cancelled by congress as we were winding down out of the Cold War. So no longer was the physicist [IB] the way they were after the Second World War going into the Cold War because it was the innovations of physicists that created the bomb in the Manhattan Project. Physics basically ended the war.
So, without a war, certainly without a Cold War, there is a question as to what the value of the Super Collider was to the nation. Now, I don’t know how many people you get to admit that fact but my [read] of history is that when nations spent huge amounts of money on things, it’s hardly ever for the pure value of exploration, there’s usually secondary motives. Primary motives that are presented secondarily like military, like economics or some other sort of factor that matters to national security.
So what happened? Europe took up the task. So, at CERN, which is the acronym for the super collider [The Large Hadron Collider], the European consortiumm super collider in Switzerland, they now have the most powerful collider in the world. They are the ones who are going to be probing the conditions near the Big Bang, not us.
So my pure scientist hat is I don’t care who does it as long it’s done, long as somebody does it. The American scientist in me, ’cause I’m born and raised in America and I care deeply for this nation, is I kind of prefer that we did it because I know we can.
If we weren’t wealthy or if we had… I’d say, you know, now is not the time. Let some other wealthier, more powerful nation do it than us. But is it time for me to say that? Are we really that poor? Are we really that… without means of a 3 trillion dollar budget to spend? It’s about the balance of that portfolio of spending that makes a nation, how much do you spend on art, health care, poverty, research and development, the veterans, military. You layout the portfolio, that is the country that you live in.
Three trillion is enough to buy, as far as I’m concerned, anything we want, anything we choose to. And so, I wish it was here because if we make it here, the opportunities arise here, the engineering opportunities, the engineering solutions to problem we never seen before, that then create a climate, a landscape of innovation that… I remember growing up, America had, like, the longest bridge, the longest tunnel, the fastest planes. And for awhile there, I thought, well, it’s just [bragging] rights, what are you doing. And then, I realize, in order to create the extremes of these technologies, you have to innovate.
You can’t just step there, it’s not… it’s hardly ever just make it a little longer. This was longer so it’s more stress on the structure, there’s… so we have to invent something new to accommodate this need or this desire. And there, [you know,] the seeds of innovation.
I love science. However, I do believe that science is meant to partner with (hold hands with) faith and the two ought, in my opinion, be like dear friends. Science once was working in harmony with the faithful — however, we know that the Church many times suppressed scientific findings and there were and continue to be numerous conflicts between religious and scientists. Its wrongful use of authority in the churches to suppress real science.
I think its wrong for religion and science to be popping off against one or the other. What I have to say isn’t to violate science.
Real science is good work making our lives more healthy and making our world a better and safer place to live. We need more responsible science… not less.
I want to take exception with marketing practices of scientism (not science).
Famed theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, was trending after he dismissed the idea of Heaven as “a fairy story.” In an interview with The Guardian, Hawking said, “There is no heaven or afterlife … that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”
He has been under fire from religious circles before, most recently after his book, The Grand Design argued that god did not create the universe and that The Big Bang was a natural event that created everything from nothing. That didn’t irk me. It made no real difference to me. Most Christians and religious ignored that it can’t be correct. We’ve heard this sort of thing before… its no biggie.
The thing that irks me is his blatant brashness is getting him in the news. His brash ‘fairy story’ statements are being run as news from a scientist; as if we ought therefore fall away from our beliefs.
He made this up and its making it into science news pages! Wow!
The other thing I didn’t find is that his motive isn’t just to sell his books and gain publicity for his shows and for lasting fame. I found all that. What I didn’t find is that this is an effort to put an end to scientific investigating, by real scientists, of the actual rightful scientific origin of our universe and of our own human lives. Hawking is doing what before his brashness was called using pseudo-science. His recent announcements of theories are not science.
This is what he’s up too… misuse of his power and position… and if I am the first to say so, I surely won’t be the last.
Hawking is misusing his position to misrepresent a few scientific findings with a mix of non-scientific mumbo-jumbo and its to promote his atheist books and papers and his influence with youthful scientist. He’s hiding a mountain size lack of evidence with his scant science and he’s proclaiming there isn’t a creator — saying exactly what science cannot prove as though it were proven.
Since Hawking reduces science to scientism (reductionist materialism), it isn’t a surprise that he began stating his findings with brash unscientific statements.
He is now more famous for criticism of religious beliefs than for his early work as an excellent scientist. He’s reducing himself as a charlatan (impostor, fake, pretender, or swindler); lowering himself like a snake oil remedy salesman proclaims he has the cure for every ailment.
Hawking is practicing scientism,
as much as science. Its wrongful..
I want to put the focus where I believe that it belongs, on science that is bringing great benefit to mankind. For example, here are two of the articles that I’ve posted.
My previous articles discuss how we can change our own brains (as God intends) to improve our brain function and for being compassionate loving men and women.
I myself fix my sights on being loving right here; but I am sure there is a place called Heaven for those that believe.
Here are a couple of guys that say there is an afterlife and heaven is real:
Stephen Hawking, eminent physicist says: no god; nor is there fate; no heaven. He is stating an opinion for effect – for press time. He is misusing his position to stir up controversy.
Here is an article based on real facts of science that proves that science cannot support even one of Hawking’s claims… here is why…
Interactive Universe Take a journey through the universe and explore planets, nebulas, black holes, comets and more.
When it comes right down to it, science can’t so far even prove that you and I are “real” in some sense of the definition. There are many competing theories that explore what is real. However, if a person really wants to grow in happiness, it makes good sense to follow high moral and ethical standards and to invest plenty of time in developing of higher awareness (spiritual growth), intuitively knowing that this is best.
What is the most astounding scientific fact about the Universe — of all time?
Program Description Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is asked by a reader of TIME magazine, “What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?” This was his answer. NOTE: I typed the transcript at the end of this post.
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I posted several articles previously that highlight some tremendous accomplishments by Albert Einstein (listed below). This one is about dreams that Albert Einstein could not transform into a unifying theory for reality — evidence strongly indicates this was his greatest desire.
His work and the stimulation that he applied in vigorous debates and with encouragements for his colleagues did however make the pain tolerable.
First, lets review his momentum.
In 1905, Einstein published exceptional papers that proposed the existence of the photon as an elementary particle associated with electromagnetic radiation (light), detailed photoelectric effect, demonstrated the existence of atoms, wrote an introduction to special relativity, and published the paper that led to the famous E=MC² equation that defines matter as condensed energy. He continued work and in 1907, he developed the first quantum theory of specific heats and from 1907 to 1915, Einstein developed the theory of general relativity.
The Danish physicist, Niels Bohr provided in 1913 a quantum idea to explain the actions of electrons inside atoms. Einstein recognized that a quantum theory may be used to explain the characteristic light as emitted by atoms and that a great discovery had been made. He referred to Bohr’s work as “the highest form of musicality in the sphere of thought.”
In 1915, Einstein introduced the General Theory of Relativity. According to this revolutionary theory space and time are not Absolute. Space-time is not a fixed background for events. Instead, dynamic quantities of matter and energy form matter in ways that are unclear to this day. Einstein’s finding proves that space-time are defined within the universe — only. Further, his findings also prove matter is highly concentrated energy.
Matter is actually energy condensed to a slow vibration. Watch this:
Program Description
With his famous equation E=MC², Albert Einstein proved that when you come right down to it everything in the universe is energy. Both in the physical plane of our reality of matter and the abstract reality of our mind are made up of energy patterns.
The concept of a universal energy flow is not a new one. The ancient Chinese called this flow chi; the ancient Hindus called it prana. The disciplines that developed in those two cultures – t’ai chi and yoga, respectively- are based on the art of tuning in to the flow of energy and using it to centre the self.
Particle physicists try to understand the nature of nature at the smallest scales possible. Today, we know that atoms do not represent the smallest unit of matter. Particles called quarks and leptons seem to be the fundamental building blocks – but perhaps there is something even smaller.
Empty space, we have discovered, is actually not empty at all.
Astrophysicists have found that less than 10 percent of the mass of the entire universe consists of the kind of “luminous” matter that we can see. What is the dark matter that makes up the rest of the universe? How can we find out? Though we understand many important properties of the fundamental building blocks of our universe, there are untold mysteries still to solve.
Advances in technology allow physicists to build more powerful and sophisticated instruments to look deeper and deeper inside matter. Like adventurers entering unknown territory, physicists forge ahead into ever smaller dimensions.
What will be their next discovery?
Spoken by Deepak Chopra
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It took many years to finish and then prove general relativity. Indeed however, the effort paid off. The GPS on your phone couldn’t work without General Relativity. He made discovery possible for the mathematics of using redshifts (traces of movements) of distant galaxies to discover how the universe is expanding. General Relativity includes Einstein’s 10 field equations (EFE) that aided Monseigneur Georges Lemaître‘s proposal of what’s known as the Big Bang theory and also for predictions for the existence of black holes. Without his equations there would not be gravitational lensing that is presently being used to do research as to how dark matter may influence the universe. Other areas such a nuclear power and discovery of massive objects that distort space-time such as neutron stars that have too little luminosity also are managed because of Einstein’s General Relativity mathematics.
As Einstein was becoming aware of what was a new atomic theory, by 1915 having the Bohr (quantum) model of the atom, he understood that energy levels of electrons are predictably discrete and that electrons revolve in orbits around an atomic nucleus but that the electron can jump from one energy level (or orbit) to another. So, by 1916 Einstein devised a vastly improved fundamental statistical theory of heat that proved itself based on the quantum of energy. His theory predicted that as light passed through a substance it could stimulate the emission of more light. This effect is at the heart of the modern laser.
Einstein’s studies revealed the possibility of making a powerful light amplifier.
Modern lasers have thousands of practical applications based on this. Lasers are great aids in research as scientists explore theories and work further to discover the nature of our universe.
By 1925 a quantum theory of physics emerged by the collective creation of a generation of theoretical physicists from many nations. Scientists were collaborating and debating how to interpret the mechanics of quantum atoms. They already sensed the vast importance of the work they were doing.
Einstein took an active role in these discussions. Heisenberg, Bohr, and other creators of the theory insisted that the new theory provided for no meaningful way to discuss certain details of an atom’s behavior. For example, one could never predict the precise moment when an atom would emit a quantum of light. Einstein could not accept this lack of certainty; and he raised one objection after another. At the Solvay Conferences of 1927 and 1930 the debate between Bohr and Einstein went on day and night, neither man conceding defeat. Momentum slowed. Herein is the basis for the title.
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Einstein was there at the 1927 conference of physics. So was Bohr and many other famous scientists. Said Einstein, “Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not really bring us closer to the secret of the ‘Old One.’ I, at any rate, am convinced that He is not playing at dice.”
However, by the mid 1930s, Einstein accepted quantum mechanics as a consistent theory for understanding behavior of atoms. He recognized that it was “the most successful physical theory of our time.” However, Einstein could not accept quantum mechanics as a completed theory since its mathematics did not describe individual events. He hoped his own general theory of relativity would benefit by his investigations of quantum mechanics.
The search for a unified theory would occupy much of the rest of his life. However, the unified theory still eludes scientist to this day. Yet, much has been our benefit as the science of the early 1900s is still generating stimulating interests, technology and scientific milestones.
Check back frequently. I love learning with you.
I hope everyone is enjoying my series on Einstein and its side tracks with me. Its been a great review for me and actually, its been helpful for some school children as well. Links to the other articles and a couple of side tacks are listed below.
What is the most astounding scientific
fact about the Universe — of all time?
video transcript:
“The most astounding fact… the most astounding fact is the knowledge; that the atoms comprise life on earth; the atoms that make up the human body, are traceable to the crucibles, that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core, under extreme temperatures and pressures.
These stars, the high mass ones among them, went unstable in their later years. They collapsed and then exploded, scattering their enriched guts, across the galaxy.
Guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become part of gas clouds, that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems – stars with orbiting planets and those planets now have ingredients for life itself.
So that when I look up at the night sky, and I know that yes, we are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the universe is in us.
When I reflect on that fact, I look up – many people feel small, because they’re small and the universe is big, but I feel big; because my atoms, came from those stars.
There is a level of connectivity.
That’s really what you want in life, you want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant. You want to feel like your a participant in the goings on of activities and events around you. That’s precisely what we are, just by being alive.”
~ Neil DeGrasse Tyson
I just love what Tyson said in answer to this question.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (Paul) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
Here is the video story of Colton’s and family claims that he had a near death experience of the afterlife. This is the first story that fascinated me about NDEs. I went on to do some research on NDEs and I’ll share some more about what I’ve found in future posts. Interestingly, science is also taken by this and other stories from NDE survivors and we can probably count on far more being revealed about how these experiences occur.
During his experience, Colton says that he remembers things that make his story more believable since as his family reports that he shouldn’t have known what he claims to have learned in Heaven.
video1
During the course of surgery for a ruptured appendix, the little boy from Nebraska says that he sat in the lap of Jesus. He saw streets of gold. He says that Angels sang to him. He says that he met his great grandfather that had died thirty years before Colton was born. He claims that he’d met a second sister “there” in what Colton refers to as Heaven.
Colton was only four at the time of his sudden brush with death.” In this second video, the hospital scene is presented. There, the family discovers that Colton is perhaps going to die. Four months after recovery, Colton began to tell his parents about what he remembered from the hospital. His story was very different from theirs. Colton claims that Jesus and some Angels came to him and that they all flew up to Heaven. As he relates the story, Colton says that his visit to Heaven began in the Throne room. He says that he was upset and that God brought out his great grandfather to help him to get calm. Later, he claims that he also met his unborn sister. Colton says that she is waiting there for her parents to come to Heaven. Colton’s message to us: “I learned that heaven is for real and that you’re gonna like it…
When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn’t exist before the big bang, so there is no time for god to make the universe in.” (Stephen Hawking)
In this video, Colton relates his story in contrast toStephen Hawking’s declaration that Heaven is “a fairy story for people who are afraid of the dark.” Hawking will admit that it cannot be proved that God does not exist but rather than leave it alone at that, he claims that science makes God unnecessary. Hawking claims that “laws of physics can prove the existence of the universe without the need for a creation.
Stephen Hawking seemed to want to disprove God. He can not. Science is “supposed” to demonstrate facts. Scientists know this. Hawking disregards that he is speaking to the world as an eminent scientist when he made the declaration (as quoted) regarding Heaven. Whatever he believes, he cannot prove what he said. His position that intelligent life came about by chance is fine and so may he believe whatever he chooses about the supernatural and spirits and so on. His opinions on that are just his opinions.
According to the Oxford dictionary, naturalism refers to the viewpoint that laws of nature operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe. The supernatural is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature. The afterlife is of the supernatural.
Viewed as entertainment, fact, or fiction, this is an interesting story.
Thanks for reading.
Eric
Here is a summary from the timeline published in the book “Heaven is For Real”
July 1976—Todd Burpo’s grandpa, whom he calls “Pop” (Lawrence Edelbert Barber), dies in a car accident between Ulysses and Liberal, Kansas.
1982—Todd as a thirteen-year-old hears and accepts Christ’s call into ministry as a preacher of the gospel.
December 29, 1990—Todd and Sonja Burpo are married.
August 16, 1996—Cassie Burpo, Colton’s older sister, is born.
July 1997—Pastor Todd and Sonja Burpo accept a call to the Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Nebraska.
June 20, 1998—Sonja Burpo miscarries their second child. She is two months along.
May 19, 1999—Colton Burpo is born.
August 2002—Todd shatters his leg in a coed softball tournament game.
October 2002—Todd develops kidney stones.
November 2002—Todd feels a lump in his chest that is diagnosed as hyperplasia.
February 27, 2003—Colton complains of stomach pain and has a high fever that is misdiagnosed as stomach flu.
February 28, 2003—Colton’s fever breaks. His parents rejoice, thinking that Colton is well, when in fact this is a sign of the rupturing of his appendix.
March 1, 2003—The Burpo family visits the Denver Butterfly Pavilion to celebrate Todd’s recovery. That night Colton begins vomiting uncontrollably.
March 3, 2003—Colton is examined by a doctor in Imperial, Nebraska, who dismisses suggestions of appendicitis.
March 5, 2003—Todd and Sonja personally check Colton out of the Imperial, Nebraska, hospital and take their son by car to North Platte, Nebraska’s Great Plains Regional Medical Center. Dr. Timothy O’Holleran prepares for surgery.
March 5, 2003—Colton undergoes his first surgery, an appendectomy. He has both a ruptured appendix and an abscess.
March 13, 2003—Colton is discharged from the hospital. But as Todd and Sonja wheel him into the elevator, Dr. O’Holleran shouts down the hallway for them to return. Blood tests reveal Colton’s white blood cell count has spiked. A CT scan reveals two more abscesses in his abdomen.
March 13, 2003—Colton undergoes a second surgery—a celiotomy [incision]—to drain the abscess. During surgery a total of three abscesses are found.
March 17, 2003—Dr. O’Holleran advises Todd and Sonja that there is nothing more he can do for Colton. He recommends that Colton be transferred to the Denver Children’s Hospital. A blizzard blocks all exits with two feet of snow. Back home in Imperial, their congregation gathers for a prayer meeting.
March 18, 2003—The next morning, Colton shows amazing signs of recovery and is soon playing like a normal kid. He skips to his CT scan, which shows no more obstruction.
March 19, 2003—After seventeen harrowing days, Colton’s family returns to Imperial.
July 3, 2003—While en route to visit his cousin in South Dakota, Colton tells the first of many accounts of heaven while parked in an Arby’s parking lot in North Platte, Nebraska. Colton progressively tells more stories of his adventures in heaven.