Day 534- If A Tree Falls In A Forest…
I’m amazed that some of my Christian universalist buddies love saying “ALL things are possible with God”–yet they balk at the notion of God speaking and supernaturally acting NOW. So they live in the gray world of doctrinal head-knowledge. Then, I have my charismatic buddies who love saying “ALL things are possible with God”–yet they balk at the notion that Jesus will actually SUCCEED in His mission to save the World! ???
LORD HELP US ALL TO NOT LIMIT YOU NOW–OR EVER!
As a (former) Christian Universalist, a person who holds scripture in high regard (but not inerrant), and a man of science, but a believer in the spirit world, this quote from my Facebook friend really resonated with me. I do believe God is still speaking, still acting and that not one will be permanently lost. And, I am excited by the discoveries being made by science and how those dovetail with what philosophers and theologians have been telling us for centuries. Man has known since the beginning of consciousness that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Ironically, with the coming of the “modern age” and the rise of materialism, we have forgotten who we are and are starting from scratch trying to figure it out. This quote reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend just a few days ago.
I was telling him how some scientists are going beyond materialism to find that consciousness is actually the ground of being (that is what Paul Tillich called God). Max Planck discovered this 100 years ago, but scientists are finally beginning to accept the material universe would not exist without consciousness. Several, not most- yet are figuring this out. I thought this would thrill my conservative Christian, Bible literalist, friend. But, no. He thought it sounded self-centered and rejected it. I tried again. I said “consciousness, as in our collective consciousness, not individually. Without consciousness, the material doesn’t even exist. The question of whether a tree falls in forest making a sound if there is no-one there to hear it actually goes beyond an exercise in philosophy. I always thought that was a stupid question. Of course, it makes a sound. But, if consciousness isn’t here to observe the universe, the tree doesn’t even exist. I told him that “consciousness is another word for ‘God’. Scientists are discovering that God is the ground of all being.” Still, he resisted. He doesn’t need science. Doesn’t need any new discoveries. He has scripture. I went further “The universe existed long before scripture started to be recorded a few thousand years ago. God revealed himself in other ways during the time they were writing scripture. God continues to reveal Godself through nature now. You can learn about God by looking at the way the seasons progress or the way the sunlight provides all of the energy to the Earth, or through modern scientific discoveries.” Still, he wasn’t interested. He has scripture and that is enough.
:::: deep sigh ::::: Next subject.
