In 1997, the movie Contact was released.  This movie was based on the novel by the same name written by Carl Sagan.

I’ve watched this movie several times in the past – I think I even have it on DVD – but it was on one of the encore channels this morning and I couldn’t help watch it again.

As I watched the opening sequence it hit me how well that the film makers had captured the relationship between distance and time.  I found that sequence on YouTube just now, so please take three minutes and watch it yourselves:

As I sat there and watched that movie, I came to understand the deeper meaning of the movie.  It’s not simply a movie about radio astronomy and our search for extraterrestrial life.  This movie is about our struggle with science and religion – something that I have been dealing with all my life.

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