When Frederick Larson was setting up Christmas lights and figurines of the three wise men in his front yard one winter, he was inspired to use modern technology to develop images of the stars to see how the sky looked during the time of Jesus’ birth.
“It’s a fascinating mystery that’s 2,000 years old,” Larson said, “mystery of astronomy and science and the Bible.”
Larson, a lawyer and former visiting assistant professor of law at Texas A&M said he used computer programs that incorporate mathematical methods that can map star configurations from different time periods. He will be presenting images of his findings at 7 p.m. Thursday in Rudder Auditorium.
The presentation will be sponsored by the Philadelphia Sisters and the Brotherhood of Christian Aggies (BCA). Vice President of BCA Nathan Russell, a junior civil engineering major, said he has been to the presentation before and appreciated Larson’s scientific facts that support the story of Jesus Christ.
“It’s a really neat thing to show … that this isn’t just a story, but to be able to prove that (the things that were talked about in the Bible pertaining to the stars) actually happened,” Russell said.
The story behind the Bethlehem star involves the three wise men who saw a star they’d never seen before. It was brighter than other stars, and they took it to be a sign that a new king had been born. They followed the star to find him, and it brought them to Jesus in Bethlehem, Russell said.
“What I’m doing is not really disputable,” Larson said. “The images I show people in the auditorium are based on science – they’re objective.”
Larson said he doesn’t believe that Christians or anyone who believes in the Bible should be afraid of any kind of truth. He said that sometimes agnostic or atheistic people come up to him after his presentations to argue.
Taylor Bolinger, an agnostic and freshman general studies major, said he probably will not attend the presentation.
“I’m not offended by (the topic of the presentation) or anything,” Bolinger said. “I find (the topic) a little bit interesting.”
Bolinger said he favors science and frequently gets into arguments with his roommates about religious topics.
“I think a lot of people are deluded into thinking things that are true by religion,” Bolinger said. “I saw statistics somewhere that said 49 percent of Americans think that God created us in our present form.”
Larson said that agnostics and atheists have some of the most fun at his presentations.
“This presentation is fascinating,” Larson said, “whether (people) believe in the Bible or not.”