Black holes are in the news again. Astronomers “captured images of the unobservable: a black hole, a conic abyss so deep and dense that not even light can escape it.”

For years scientists have opined about the characteristics and importance of black holes. Empirical speculation about these massive vacuums in outer space that gobble up anything in their paths has intrigued nerds for decades. But is it just science fiction?

All the metaphysical analysis and mathematics has inspired conversations about the origins of man and the likelihood that there is life on other planets. Given that space seems limitless beyond the Milky Way, could higher life forms be controlling our destiny? And even more interesting are the debates about infinity before and after the present and the physical limits of outer space.

Two of the most common discussions relate to the role of black holes in evolution and the creation and destruction of matter. Black holes apparently clean up the cosmos. They supposedly swallow dying stars that could be millions times larger than our sun. Where the remains go and what they are converted into is unknown (maybe energy or maybe life). But scientists are trying to set parameters for such phenomena. Unfortunately these observations are about as definitive as proving the existence of God.

How old is the cosmos? Who created it? What is its destiny? Are higher beings moving earthlings around a chessboard of life? Do humans decide their own fate? Is there a heaven and hell in outer space where our souls will go to rest? And just what are the real functions of black holes?

I guess the pictures of a black hole are a good starting point in our assessment of human existence. The black hole in the news is 50 million light years away, and its corona is not light from inside the hole. Black holes don’t make light. They engulf it.

There is even speculation about what would happen if a human was to be ingested by a black hole. The simple answer is that the person would be burnt to a crisp. And the trip to the black hole (50 million light years away) would take some time to complete.

The variety of observations about black holes is not going to do much for world peace, nor will it settle contemporary feuds between religions. But the whole subject is pretty interesting to talk about with an adult beverage in your hand. And certainly nothing found to date has illuminated mankind about the existence of God and His or Her influence on our afterlife.