So, what is a Higgs boson and does it spell the end of religion?

Things have changed a lot since I took physics in 11th grade. It was Spaulding High School circa 1971 and Mr. Ricker did his best teaching us Newton's laws and Einstein's theories and, for the briefest of moments, we understood physics. But, c'mon...who in the world remembers any of that stuff? And it's not like we were learning quantum physics anyway.

The Standard Model of Particle Physics

In the world of particle physics, the Higgs boson is a very big deal. You see, in the field of research of subatomic particles there is something called The Standard Model of particle physics. People that study this know all about things with very funny names...quarks, leptons, neutrinos, mesons, guage bosons, and the like. And, trust me,  proof of the existence of the Higgs boson is a very big deal.

Without boring you with all of the science that I certainly don't even understand anyway, let me tell you about the Higgs boson, commonly referred to by the media as the "God particle."

After the so-called Big Bang scientists have fomented that the formation of stars, planets and even living beings required something to exist that allowed random particles floating around to acquire mass and become something. In the mid-1960's really smart guys including a guy named Peter Higgs theorized the existence of a field (now referred to as the Higgs field) that pervades the universe. As other particles pass through this field they acquire mass. All of the particles defined in the Standard Model have been discovered...except one...the Higgs boson. If it is finally discovered it will validate that the current theories around particle physics are correct. If it doesn't exist, or can't be discovered (is that the same thing? hmmmm) then physicists may need to go back to the drawing board. There are other theories out there that do not require the existence of the Higgs boson and would be seriously considered at some point in time if this elusive boson is never found. Not surprisingly, these other ideas are called Higgless models.

particle collisions

The Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland is busy smashing protons into each other at near the speed of light hopeful that the side effect of these collisions will reveal this elusive boson in the 125 GeV mass range. (GeV= giga-electron-volt) If discovered, it would also promote gains in the theories of supersymmetry.

will they find the Higgs boson?

Referring to the Higgs boson as the "God particle" stems from a book written by Leon Lederman entitled "The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?" Some might suggest that if the Higgs mechanism can be observed and proved, then it would explain how the universe and everything in it came into being and was formed, presumably excluding the need for God to have done it. This description of the boson is a description made by the media...not really one made by the science community.

So the million dollar question is, should people of faith be afraid of all this experimentation into the subatomic particle world, attempting to discover the hows and whys of the universe? My answer? Of course not.

The reaction by many "religious folks" to the reports out of Geneva has bordered on hysterical and sounds like something out of the 1600's. I am not in the least concerned nor do I really believe that these physicists are out to prove that there is no God. Let's not allow the media's attempt to sensationalize the scientific efforts by referring to the Higgs boson as the "God particle" make us react with hyperventilation because it might suggest that science is trying to prove that the creation of all things didn't involve or require God. I don't think we really need to worry about that.