Why x 2

Soren Kierkegaard wrote a small book in the 19^th century; its main point was that purity of heart was to will one thing.  In recent times the virtue of “purity” has lost some of its luster among the people of many western cultures.  But if purity of heart is to will one thing, most of us are in trouble because we have a dozen different major agendas.  And that is the beginning of the problem.  Trying to balance the requirements of many different agendas necessarily leads to inner conflict.  Conflict begets much frustration and suffering.  If we could will only one thing, many of our problems would never make it on the radar screen.  This difficult integration of many agendas into one integrating ideal requires not only a great deal of time, introspection, and will power, but also a working knowledge of two very different realms.  These realms are the natural, studied most exhaustively by scientists, and the spiritual or supernatural, studied by many, including, but not limited to, clergy and theologians.  Representatives of these two very different subcultures rarely converse in any protracted or serious manner.  But for those who are serious about creating within themselves the necessary integration that would allow them to develop a pure and unburdened heart, an earnest discussion needs to begin between religion and science.

*************

The implication of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle on the free will debate is only a single example of what physics has to tell us about theology and religion.  We will be considering some of the following ideas where knowledge of science and physics will be a great asset:

(1)    The more we know about the nature of creation and the universe, the more we will know about the creator.

(2)    As mentioned above, the more we know why things are the way they are, the less we will hold on to simple ideas of how we wish things might be, but aren’t.

(3)    Physics can reintroduce us to the total and seemingly miraculous wonder of the universe.

(4)    Certain prayers of petition may contain logical contradictions.  Physics might assist us in avoiding some of those contradictions.

(5)    Physics might suggest a possible scientific framework to be able to understand certain para-normal phenomena such as mental telepathy.

(6)    As our scientific knowledge expands, especially in the area of physics, what constitutes the realm of the natural and the supernatural may very well shift significantly.  And this knowledge might well throw significant light on the miracles described in such detail in scripture.