Interactions with the Divine – a statistical view
Dr. Chick Keller
This talk asks the question whether science can elucidate aspects of interactions with the Divine which involve a reaction. Does God answer prayers, are miracles still happening, does God allow Satan to possess people, are near death experiences spiritual or just the brain shutting down, etc. To study these and other question we ask if such events are wide spread among faiths and cultures or limited to faithful Christians. Comparing statistics with beliefs seems to assist the faithful in understanding the nature of our interactions with the Divine and the spiritual aspects of ourselves.
Chick Keller, PhD
Charles F. “Chick” Keller entered Catholic seminary after High School. After four years of philosophy and theology he was worried that theologians didn’t know enough about what science had shown, that might require updating of traditional theology. He studied Physics and Mathematics at Penn State and received a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Indiana University in 1969. Chick joined Los Alamos National Laboratory where he worked in a variety of computer-based studies, including climate change. He eventually became the highly respected director of the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Los Alamos. Chick was one of the founders of PEEC, the Pajarito Environmental Education Center, locally known as the “Nature Center”. In 2017, Chick was named one of the “Living Treasures” of Los Alamos. Chick has read widely about aspects of science as it impacts theological concepts, and is a founding member of Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum, where, over the years, he has given a number of talks on issues where faith and science intersect. He is a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.