Most atheists hold the common belief that science and religion are at odds with one another, irreconcilable and antithetical. But this isn't true. As a Christian, I believe that everything was divinely created. Everything in our universe was created perfectly, with purpose, intention, and forethought. God is omniscient, holy, just, and perfectly wise (to name a few attributes), and this is why our universe works the way it does. It would not function without Him guiding it, designing it, setting it into motion, and ordering it the way He wants. Because of that, religion, science, and math are not at odds, but in fact they flow together in a beautiful way. Take for example e, Euler's number. It is defined as the sum of 1/n! as n approaches infinity. A simple enough definition, but surprisingly useful in many, many applications. When you take any math class, physics class, or any kind of science class even, chances are there will be an application for e, whether that is as e raised to a power or as the base for the natural logarithm. Euler's number even applies in economics, when calculating continually compounding interest. For a universe to have as many varied applications of one number, in so many fields and so many areas, there is no way it happened out of the blue - there is no way one constant can apply to so many different physical manifestations or processes. The same is true about the golden ratio, where (a+b)/a = a/b, which shows itself in amazing ways in nature. One number, one ratio, one spiral, shows itself in ways that range from the arrangement of leaves on a plant to nautilus shells to the vast arms on a galaxy. This is a beautiful representation of intelligent design in our universe. God has decided these relationships between parts of nature, He has set the rules that define the universe, and He determines its function. These manifestations of the same constants and properties over and over in so many different places point only to the universe being created by an perfect, all-knowing God that has purposely created spiral galaxies and nautilus shells, rather than a mere coincidence. Therefore, when we pursue science and math, when we discover more and more details of the world around us, we are pointed not to the progress of man, but rather to the wondrousness of the Creator who is more powerful than we can fathom, who created everything from the largest black holes to the smallest subatomic particles. The fact that the total of what we do and don't know is dwarfed by what we don't know we don't know is an awe-inspiring tribute to the power and wisdom of the God who not only knows it all, but created it with a mere word, a humbling reminder as we consider the intersection of religion and science and math.

I am extremely lucky to never have struggled with mental health issues. In that sense, I’ll never really understand what it’s like to be depressed, to not have any motivation, to struggle to get out of bed every morning. But I have a very close friend that copes with those struggles. As we got closer, she trusted me enough to open up more and more about those issues. Talking her through her issues and episodes was initially very difficult for me. I had to learn how to put aside my tendency to take a hard, logical approach, instead empathizing with her when the solutions to the problems seemed so simple and obvious to me. I learned how to be understanding, patient, calming and honest without being harsh. Once I was able to do that, I could help her through the daunting issues she faced with her mental health. Although it may not seem like a lot, I believe this is the most significant contribution to someone in my community’s well-being. The hours I’ve spent talking to her, understanding her situation, and just being there for her have had a real, tangible effect. I can see her improving in areas where she previously struggled, with self-harm, mental breakdowns, and more. Realizing that I can have that impact is what keeps me motivated. It’s why I’m always willing to help her, day or night. While I may not have had a significant impact on the world, I did have a significant impact on a life. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”