An alternative, non-mainstream, interpretation of this stanza of the poem.
There was an awful rainbow once in heaven:
Even as late as 1820, the reader might think of Genesis:
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
In Genesis, the rainbow is a memorial to genocide. It is “awful” in the old sense of “awe-inspiring” but also in the mid 19th century sense of “frightening”. When someone learns there is a complete reductionist understanding of the rainbow, even if they don’t understand it, that disproves the literal Genesis account. The completeness is important, as it closes out a “God of the gaps” who transforms light as it passes through water.
Aside: sometimes Christians worry less about existential risk because they think God will prevent human extinction. I remind them that this is only a covenant that the waters will not destroy all life. If an AI kills all humans that is not covered.
An alternative, non-mainstream, interpretation of this stanza of the poem.
Even as late as 1820, the reader might think of Genesis:
In Genesis, the rainbow is a memorial to genocide. It is “awful” in the old sense of “awe-inspiring” but also in the mid 19th century sense of “frightening”. When someone learns there is a complete reductionist understanding of the rainbow, even if they don’t understand it, that disproves the literal Genesis account. The completeness is important, as it closes out a “God of the gaps” who transforms light as it passes through water.
Aside: sometimes Christians worry less about existential risk because they think God will prevent human extinction. I remind them that this is only a covenant that the waters will not destroy all life. If an AI kills all humans that is not covered.