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Congratulations on "The Story of Hubble / Man's Insatiable Quest to the Stars "! We did find that the dusty eye of the Helix Nebula in particular, was really awesome. Would you care to comment on the “genesis” of your documentary?
The documentary is based on a book “Hubble Reveals Creation” that I wrote after 5-years of research on the discoveries of the Hubble telescope. What I discovered from my research is that Hubble has given Mankind a front row seat to the grandest cinematic drama in human history; the birth and formation of a Universe nearly 14-billion years in the making, emanating from a source of energy so powerful that can only be described as supernatural in nature. That fact is what I felt compelled to show by doing the documentary.
Although you did not use to be, according to your bio, you are now a Jehovah witness. May we ask what bearing your religious beliefs have had on your vision of the universe? Can religion and science go hand in hand in the 21st century?
As one of Jehovah’s I believe in the statement made at Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth”. When recording Genesis, Moses told us who created the universe, but left out the fine details of how it was done, which is what I think our creator intended, knowing that we have the intelligence to figure it all out. However, the Hubble telescope is now giving us those details.
One of the most intriguing things I learned from my research was that in 2004, the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes discovered that planets form inside vast, dark clouds of stardust called proto-planetary disks. This planet forming process corresponds exactly to what Moses wrote 3500 years ago at Genesis 1:2. Now the earth was formless and desolate, and there was darkness upon the surface, then he goes on to say, “Let There Be Light.” Then there was light. This planet-building process was explained by the late Stephen Hawking in his film “Formation of the Solar System”.
Moses never had a space telescope, but his description about earth’s formation was spot on, showing that the bible is scientifically accurate when it comes to science. It is clear to me that the 6 days of creation mentioned in Genesis are not literal 24-hour days as some believe, but rather 6-creative phases that took place over millions of years, that prepared earth for human life.
As a writer and a director, you have a very important role to play. We are fans of David Attenborough and his great work to raise awareness on the state of our planet and biodiversity. How do you envision your role to disseminate scientific information to the general public?
This wonderful planet that we all are privileged to occupy is our space capsule traveling through time and space. As a race, if we were to be allowed to destroy this precious spaceship all would be lost, and its creator saddened. My belief is that that will never be allowed to happen.
If earth is the cradle of civilization for the rest of the infinitely vast universe and if humanity gets to explore these once hidden worlds, what could be humanity’s heritage, in a few words if that’s at all possible? We are aware that this is a huge generalization of course!
Just as the Euphrates River valley is the cradle of civilization for the earth, I believe the earth is the cradle of civilization to the universe. Just as mankind used his imagination to invent forms of travel that formerly did not exist and the desire to know what lies beyond his current boundaries to eventually go to all corners of the earth; one day humankind will be compelled to go beyond the boundaries of earth to explore and inhabit other planets throughout this grand universe that Hubble is revealing to us. What a wonderful adventure that will be.
Let’s go back to earth! Can planet earth be a model planet in the days of “global boiling”, according to the UN’s Secretary General and how atrocious would be the replication of global warming on such a vast universal scale – based on the rationale that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on the earth? Can we even think or digress in those terms?!
The problem with the earth and global warming, not to mention a host of other problems is not caused by the earth, but by manmade government. If man were removed from the earth for a 100-years, the planet would cleanse itself of the problems man has caused. When Jesus was on earth, he performed miracles of healing the sick, feeding the hungry, even raising the dead, and taught his followers to pray for God’s kingdom to come and to love your neighbor as yourself. It is only through such a government ruled by love that the earth can survive the presence of man.
At the end of your documentary, you quoted Sir Isaac Newton who indeed formulated the law of universal gravitation. If he were to come back today, what would he say to us now that would be different from the 17th Century in the context of the scientific revolution at that time?
He would no doubt be amazed and appalled! Amazed at the Universe that Hubble has discovered, but appalled at how man is rapidly destroying the earth we live on, and say to us “what are you thinking”?
Before the pandemic, and in Europe more than in America, people used to go to cinema theatres to view documentaries. This is hardly ever the case now. Do you think mobile devices have changed documentaries and/or the public’s cinema-going habits? Do you have any upcoming plans for documentaries in the foreseeable future?
Just as black and white, and silent motion pictures were gradually replaced with color and sound, the way we view movies today will not be how we view them in the future. The world is changing at a rapid pace with new technology driving it. I don’t currently have plans for another documentary, but I never say never.
What is your vision of post-Covid cinema? A short statement.
I think man’s creative imagination will compel us into a future with new ways to create and view cinema in ways we have not yet imagined. Imagination is the greatest gift man has been given. It is the driving force that shapes the world around us and is what will compel us to explore the universe, opening to us a formally unknown world of endless possibilities!
BIO
Paul Hutchin
Writer, Director & Producer
In his late teens Paul found himself living a life without purpose, out of control, on drugs, living a life of crime, and being chased and shot at by the local sheriff. His friend who he was riding with that day was later featured on America's most wanted for a double murder. His brother who was also his partner in crime was shot in the head and killed at a young age. As a teen he had become disillusioned by religion and often found himself partying with his friends at night in the graveyard of the church he attended as a kid. They would get high, drink beer, Boones Farm Strawberry hill wine, and make fun of people on Sunday morning as they went into church, sometimes tossing beer cans at them. His friends back then called him Junkie because when he would get high and get the munchies, he would always drink cream soda, and munch on twinkies. By the age of nineteen he found himself without purpose, thinking of just ending it all, spiraling toward self- destruction when he met one of Jehovah's Witnesses. From the Bible, they showed him what hope they have, and that God's name is Jehovah. They told him his purpose is to soon remove wickedness from the earth and transform it into a paradise where we can live forever. This gave him a renewed purpose for living that saved his life. After making drastic changes in his life, he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses and finally began to live a productive life. he had always been fascinated with imagination and in 2007 he felt compelled to write about how imagination is an invisible force that shapes our world. We can't see it, but we see the results of its use all around, from how the great pyramids were built, to cellphone technology, great works of art, music, and every conceivable thing that has come into existence since the beginning of man. As he began to do research on imagination, he came across an image taken by the Hubble telescope called the Sombrero Galaxy. He learned that its glowing center bulge of light was made from the energy of 800-billion stars. He was so impressed by it that he had it enlarged and printed onto a 40" x 60" canvas. When he got it back from the printer, he suddenly realized the hundreds of dots of light in the background were not stars but other Galaxies like the one in the foreground. At that point he was hooked and drawn into a 5-year study of the discoveries of the Hubble Telescope. That deep dive into astronomy compelled him to do a study on the history of the telescope. He discovered that the invention of that simple device in 1609 sparked a telescope race and put mankind on an insatiable quest to the stars, that is only hindered by the depth of his pockets. That quest and the collective imagination of countless men and women lead to the invention of the Hubble Telescope which has captured the greatest cinematic drama in human history, the birth and formation of an Awe- Inspiring Universe, emanating from an energy source so powerful that it is beyond comprehension, and human imagination! (The only word to describe it is Supernational in nature) From his in-depth study of the History of the telescope it became abundantly clear that from Galileo onward, man's knowledge and understanding of the universe grew exponentially with each new generation of telescopes as they came online, and it will continue that way with the new James Webb telescope and others to follow. The future generations of telescopes will only deepen our glimpse into an Awe-inspiring Universe! After completing his intensive research into the discoveries of Hubble, he felt compelled to come to this conclusion. For anyone to entertain the thought that the universe came into existent void of intelligent design and supreme imagination would be equivalent of saying that the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes came into existence void of intelligent design, creative imagination, the hard work and dedication of thousands of men and women who are on an insatiable quest to the stars, millions of man hours, and tens of billions of dollars is an absurd thought!
FILMOGRAPHY
The story of Hubble - Man's Insatiable Quest to the Stars (2023): Writer, Director & Producer.
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