On the subject of Christmas and astronomy: Copernicus and his successors offended theologians with evidence that the Earth was not at the center of the solar system…or the galaxy, or the universe. But, some 19th century theologians offered a rebuttal to this view: 1/3

Christ, they noted, wasn’t born to a noble wealthy family in the middle of a famous metropolis. Rather, he was born in the periphery of the Roman world. 2/3

If God chose the middle of nowhere for the birth of his son, they said, why should we be offended that our world is on the outskirts of the cosmos? Our significance is not based on our place on a map.

A lovely way to look at ourselves—and the universe—during the holidays 3/3