continued from my examiner column http://www.examiner.com/interfaith-spirituality-in-columbus/spirituality-infinity-and-thankfulness'You are infinite'. Examining the sciences further . . . findings from both recent months and hundreds of years . . . beyond pre-modern thinking is necessary. Let's review a few more scientific categories- (there are many fields we could apply to religious thinking.: Agronomy, Anthropology, History, Psychology, Neurology, Sociology, Art, Music) You get the picture: we have knowledge beyond the 1st, 15th, 16th centuries; why then have a pre-modern faith?
‘Geography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography 'as a discipline can be split broadly into two main subsidiary fields: human geography and physical geography. The former focuses largely on the built environment and how space is created, viewed and managed by humans as well as the influence humans have on the space they occupy. The latter examines the natural environment and how the climate, vegetation & life, soil, water, and landforms are produced and interact. As a result of the two subfields using different approaches a third field has emerged, which is environmental geography. Environmental geography combines physical and human geography and looks at the interactions between the environment and humans.’ Hayes-Bohanan, James. "What is Environmental Geography, Anyway?". http://webhost.bridgew.edu/jhayesboh/environmentalgeography.htm. October 9, 2006.
We overlook how dynamic the influence and interaction actually is between humans and geography! Rivers have shaped us; we attempt to control them and certainly pollute these veins of the body of our planet which are seen by Native Americans, Hindus and many others as sacred. Mountains were the very abode of God to Greeks, Hebrews and Buddhist alike; we still aspire to the mastery of climbing them. Early humans (Aztec, Inca) threw sacrificial victims into volcanoes to placate or propitiate ‘the Gods’ who could wreak havoc upon them. We now send a National Geographic team down the slopes into the active volcano with instrumentation.
Ecology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology ‘is the scientific study of the relation of living organisms to each other and their surroundings. Ecology includes the study of plant and animal populations, plant and animal communities and ecosystems.’ We've been altering the planet, as has each species and player in the interdependent drama of life. Its just that we're conscious and have the ability to think, plan, create, engineer and avert disaster. Our world doesn't have to be exploited and trashed. A new way of thinking has been emerging for quite some time, in competition with the ancient forces of greed, deceit, power and avarice- which religion DOES address. This is important not to lose sight of!
Chemistry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry ‘is the science of matter and the changes it undergoes’ (and is) ‘concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions’. Chemistry. Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. August 19, 2007 ‘Chemistry is the scientific study of interaction of chemical substances that are constituted of atoms or the subatomic particles: protons, electrons and neutrons. Atoms combine to produce molecules or crystals. Chemistry is often called ‘the central science’ because it connects the other natural sciences such as astronomy, physics, material science, biology and geology . . . The transformations that are studied in chemistry are a result of interaction either between different chemical substances or between matter and energy.’ Muslim scientists were significant contributors to our understanding of many of the sciences including chemistry in a golden age of discovery beyond artificial religious boundaries.
The ancients did not know chemistry; they did know some of it’s results as ‘alchemy’ or ‘magic’. Illnesses were caused by devils and demons, not genetic mutation, bacteria or viruses. Pay attention: 'interactions between matter and energy can lead to transformation'. Both Candace Pert (Molecules of Emotion)and Bruce Lipton PhD (Biology of Belief) have plenty to say about the energy of thoughts and intention based upon their research at the cellular level and smaller.
Ecology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology ‘is the scientific study of the relation of living organisms to each other and their surroundings. Ecology includes the study of plant and animal populations, plant and animal communities and ecosystems.’ We've been altering the planet, as has each species and player in the interdependent drama of life. Its just that we're conscious and have the ability to think, plan, create, engineer and avert disaster. Our world doesn't have to be exploited and trashed. A new way of thinking has been emerging for quite some time, in competition with the ancient forces of greed, deceit, power and avarice- which religion DOES address. This is important not to lose sight of!
Chemistry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry ‘is the science of matter and the changes it undergoes’ (and is) ‘concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions’. Chemistry. Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. August 19, 2007 ‘Chemistry is the scientific study of interaction of chemical substances that are constituted of atoms or the subatomic particles: protons, electrons and neutrons. Atoms combine to produce molecules or crystals. Chemistry is often called ‘the central science’ because it connects the other natural sciences such as astronomy, physics, material science, biology and geology . . . The transformations that are studied in chemistry are a result of interaction either between different chemical substances or between matter and energy.’ Muslim scientists were significant contributors to our understanding of many of the sciences including chemistry in a golden age of discovery beyond artificial religious boundaries.
The ancients did not know chemistry; they did know some of it’s results as ‘alchemy’ or ‘magic’. Illnesses were caused by devils and demons, not genetic mutation, bacteria or viruses. Pay attention: 'interactions between matter and energy can lead to transformation'. Both Candace Pert (Molecules of Emotion)and Bruce Lipton PhD (Biology of Belief) have plenty to say about the energy of thoughts and intention based upon their research at the cellular level and smaller.
Physics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics ‘is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space-time, as well as all related concepts, including energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves. . . . Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines . . . physics aims to both connect the things observable to humans to root causes, and then to try to connect these causes together.’ Many of the findings emerging from physics contribute to our understanding of humans as energetic beings, wave fields, frozen light or collections of particles; ideas both sophisticated, and mind expanding at once. We become happenings/doings constantly changing form, attitude, atmosphere. Life is not static; nor should our belief systems & practices be.
Mathematics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics ‘is the study of quantity, structure, space, and change. . . . The first abstraction, which is shared by many animals, was probably that of numbers: the realization that a collection of two apples and a collection of two oranges (for example) have something in common, namely quantity of their members . . . . In addition to recognizing how to count physical objects, prehistoric peoples also recognized how to count abstract quantities, like time – days, seasons, years. Elementary arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) naturally followed.’ Forty days and forty nights for the ancient Hebrews meant a long time; three days meant a short, significant time. All numbers are symbolic representations, which help us organize and communicate. This is why the TV preacher who has 'end times' all figured out with elaborate charts and predictions based on pre-modern never-intended-to-be-literal-but-metaphoric Biblical bsymbols is as guilty as the New Ager flipping through Nostradomous making prophecies of religious malpractice.
Ian Lawton of 3C says this: 'It’s tempting as an inclusive spiritual leader to say “live and let live” in this marketplace of religious and moral preferences. If people choose beliefs different to mine, that’s fine. But does this stretch to include all beliefs? The problem is that not all beliefs are equal and not all beliefs are harmless. Some beliefs lead to violence and innocent suffering. If children die from diseases that could be cured but their parents believe in faith healing, then this is an irresponsible belief.' (this from his 11-29-2010 Aussie Heretic post).
'You are infinite' implies that 'your impact is infinite'. Your impact is not all equally great, but integral given each individual's gifts, potentiality and the interdependence of this sophisticated intelligent, living breathing, cosmic organism/Life . . . . for sure damn important in the evolving (or devolving) fabric of things. That belief should lead us to behave/live differently. It matters one hell of a lot.
photo from my archives, Ash Cave, Hocking Hills in winter
No comments:
Post a Comment