The Star

I was absent the day the initial post was assigned on this matter, but I quickly skimmed the story before we discussed it the next day in class. This is what I got from it...
"The Star" is a short science fiction story that raises the issue of science vs. religion. I found this story hard to follow at first, but after carefully re-reading it I got the gist of it. It is very detailed and the author's choice of vocabulary is quite challenging. I didn't grasp the underlying message of the story until the very end, in the last couple paragraphs. "The Star" is about a group of scientists who discover a planet that was once the stomping ground of human civilization. It appears that a supernova completely destroyed the planet and took the lives of many intelligent human beings. Amongst the group, there is a Jesuit Priest who is alarmed by what they found. He wonders why God would do this to so many people and wonders if the supernova that appeared thousands of years ago was the light that was shone above Bethlehem when Baby Jesus was born. All of this makes him question his own faith. Did God cause the Supernova to inform everyone that his son was born? OR Did the star just blow up and the existence of God is unreal? It's up to you to decide...