God explains until We comprehend.

I. People of the Dawn

     In the beginning, the people were barely human. We lived like animals, and could barely speak a thousand words. Our camps were crude and temporary, since we followed the animals we hunted and gathered only what we found that we could eat. Our tools were very basic, and mostly degradable. But we had the power to make fire. So we were evidently clever, and just a little dangerous.

We required large territories to live, especially in less bountiful seasons, so our clans were small and we rarely saw other people. And when we did meet, that's when we were really dangerous. The only thing another clan had that we needed was women, so a meeting could be friendly, or not so friendly. If all turned out well, we would trade and learn from each other, and swap female children before we went our separate ways. Those were the good times, but it didn't always go so well. There was conflict as often as not. Those were also the times when life could be dirty, nasty, brutish and short. It soon became obvious that larger clans had an advantage over smaller ones, and could take what they wanted. We needed a way to band together, for our own protection.

And then, the gods had pity on us.

II. Myth, Allegory, Parable & Metaphor 

     Of course, the meager minds of such primitive people could not possibly grasp the glory of another world full of people so advanced that they could come to visit us. To them, every little action of "the Angels" would be so amazing and otherworldly that they could only be explained as gods from the lands of spirits. Even the answers we were given only served to confirm the belief that they were nothing like us. If they said they lived far above the sky among the stars, of course, that's Heaven, where the beloved dead go.

Seeing how everything they told us only confused us more, they decided to keep their answers vague, or to tell us simple stories that even the children could understand. They began with myths, to tell us just enough to let us know that we are special, and that we would one day have a grand destiny. They told us that we would have to learn how to behave properly, with laws to tell us how we are supposed to treat each other. They wanted to give us a sense of discipline. But everything they told us had to be couched in phrases and stories told within the milieu of our primal, simple lives. Basically, every idea had to be translated into images and actions that we could understand.

As the ages passed, they would return on occasion, and add some new insights, or correct misunderstandings. But always they had to remain obscure, working only behind the scenes. Their favorite methods seemed to be telepathic in nature, inspiring prophets who could better teach their own peoples in terms they could comprehend.

III. Incremental Leading, Imagination & Encouragement 

     Eventually, we grew in understanding to build upon the revelations and create our own religions. Some of us developed cults of personality and collected them into a pantheon of equals, while others realized that moral consistency requires a singular,  supreme god. It required a leap of faith to get past a legalistic collection of culturally bound rules, to simplify morality into an ideal principle that could be applied more broadly across many cultures. It became a hope that we could potentially unify the whole world behind one faith and religious tradition. The sacrifices that would require were worthy of the rescue of such brave spirits, and their immediate induction into transcendence.

But even as we chose a single faith to follow, we did not forget the ideals of  other cultures worthy of remembrance. From that point, our native intelligence, given enough time, could reach for ever greater understanding of our world, and our spiritual nature. Then we would come into our adolescence as a species, and an enlightenment sufficient to allow us to seek our own Truth. Unfortunately, like many adolescents, some would follow the assertions of pride and contrariness and retain less healthy, violent behaviors.

IV. Reinterpretation & Illumination: Emerging Independence 

     With the development of nature studies  and a philosophy of experimental truths, we would begin to see the benefits of incremental advances in knowledge and technology. The "Angels" were happy to see us advancing, but worried that we were still so warlike. They chose only to slow the ones who favored violence, however, with doubts about science and mathematics, while encouraging those who would try to spread the values, if not the practice, of peace. It was a considered choice, but every planet has an unknown time limit in which to let its life emerge into the wider Cosmos.

The real test would come later, when we were very nearly ready to take our first steps away from our Cradle of Origin. The very same technologies that would open the way for our release would also be so dangerous for us to handle that we might misuse them to our own destruction. But fortunately, much of the imagery of the stories told for our spirituality involved some references to the Heavens, so that, at least subconsciously, we felt compelled to reach for the stars.

As we go out to establish our first hopeful footholds in space, we will be building the possibilities for our salvation. If we can accomplish this in a spirit of peace and cooperation, we will gain an extension of our longevity as a species. Having once removed the natural threats to our survival, only our own lack of good sense would condemn us.

V. Explore, Adventure & Do It Yourself

     The very first thing we noticed about space was that it is nothing like what we know down here. It isn't perfectly suited to us, or to our ideas. In some places, it's a blank slate; in others it's terrifying, and it's always dangerous. We have so much to discover, many brave new worlds, full of riches. But it will be a challenge for us to learn, not just the technology, but how to adapt the ways we will live.

Our own solar system is full of wonders, waiting  for us to come and see them. The views exceed anything we have here on our cozy, green and blue earth. And, yes, there are "dragons," but there are also fantastic treasures. No great adventure is ever offered without risk, both of great cost and of possible failure. However, we have many brave souls among us, who know that it is the adventure itself, and how it makes us grow, that is the real prize.

For most of us, however, the biggest prize will be the opening of new liebensraum, new space for living. Planets, yes, but it's an old adage that "the one thing they aren't making any more of is land," and that won't be true any more. We can learn how to build new open landscapes, many islands floating in space, ready for us to move in and settle down. We can build each one exactly to our own specifications, from the ground up. And not just the lands, but new societies, too! Places to try out new ideas, to be free to build eutopia to fit our best ideals. We can finally try out our "faith in society" experiments without interference, and without displacing anyone who was already there.

VI. Welcome to Paradise 

     One day, we may fill up the vastness of our solar system, and be ready to try the deeps between the stars. By that time, we should have learned how to accept the differences among ourselves, and be truly ready to meet real strangers. Living in the fragile worlds we can create is already enough of a challenge. No one needs any violence in the interstellar community. That may be the simplest solution to the Fermi paradox: the zoo hypothesis. We are still too primitive and violent to be told that we are not alone.

But in another thousand years, or so, when we have the technology to leave, they may reveal themselves. If we are worthy, we may be welcomed as a mature member of the community. And by that time, we may have also learned how to organize our societies so as to live in harmony with each other. Whether that may be only one kind of happiness, or several ways to live and let live, is probably just fine with them. Surely, they must know the value of variety, and that everyone learns something from the successes, or failures, of everyone else.

Imagine, finally having a world where everyone has a place, where each one is valued and cared for, and where all you need is enough ambition to make your own happiness. Whether you want to gather and acquire wealth for your community, or explore far and wide for knowledge and territory, or research for better technology to solve problems, or maybe you just want to pass on the wisdom of the ages and encourage others to use their talents for everyone to enjoy, you will have so many choices. You can do almost anything you want to have a meaningful life, so long as it doesn't threaten anyone.

Wouldn't that be Heaven?

Evolution as God's Methodology

I find myself irritated by "religious" people who want to argue that their faith tells them to reject the clear findings of science and the theories that reason constructs from those. Do you have to believe that fossils are the work of the Devil in order to accept what the Bible says? NO! Too many supposedly intelligent people argue that humans, and life in general, did not evolve, because the Bible says God created them.

One guy even quoted the dictionary definitions of evolution and creation and declared them irreconcilable. For me, this is nothing but a "straw man" argument, proposed by someone who doesn't want to think too much. Honestly, science and faith CANNOT be irreconcilable, because, quite simply, they are speaking different languages. Science is looking at material facts and drawing theoretical conclusions. But any decent religion is talking about meaning and purpose, so that people can live better. The central points of either discourse are unrelated. They have different aims.

Put as clearly as possible, purpose and causation are not mutually exclusive terms. If I'm building a house, I use a hammer, and where the nails go depend on two factors, my skill with a hammer, and my planning and drawing a blueprint of the structure. The blueprint reflects my aim and purpose, but the immediate causation of its growing construction in four physical dimensions is the repeated striking of my hammer. So now, the distinction between purpose and causation should  be nice and clear.

We shall assume that God is outside of this universe, so speculation as to why He exists is moot, as being outside of the scope of argument, but it leaves open the question of why He would want to create a universe to begin with.

As for the atheists who insist that life is only an emergent property of plain physics and matter, I answer simply: "How do you think any God would do it? Anything else would be magic, and incompatible with faith." So, yeah, life, and humanity evolved. But evolution is not only a gradual iterative process; it is also stochastic in trying to adapt to a niche, and teleological under the guidance of divine intention.

God uses the material at hand, which He created according to his design and choice of physical constants. Everything since the Big Bang has followed from the way He started it. Hydrogen and helium, stars and galaxies, planets and moons, the origin of life, etc. All of these run as He intended, without too much interference or divine meddling. If you think we can build good machines, God can do even better.

God imposes evolutionary changes through genetic mutations via the impact of "hammers," e.g., cosmic rays. Genetic drift is the result of many successful adaptations to the stochastic influence of the environment and the species' niches, which He also planned. And sexual selection only reinforces the intentional factors of adaptation, or the domestication of the species. The culling of some undesirable individuals only removes those who failed to adapt, either to natural or social conditions. Clearly, God is trying to work from behind the curtain, so as not to give away the game. The development of faith is apparently also one of those things He wants us to grow, so He doesn't want to force us to admit his too obvious involvement in the process.

The argument that this materialistic process takes millions of years, instead of the few thousand spoken of in the Bible is just another straw man, set up to be easy to knock down. Think. The 6,000 years from the beginning of the Biblical story up to today very nearly matches the period beginning with the first cities that our archaeologists have found. The story isn't about the creation of the Cosmos, it's a record coming from the creation of human civilization. Every story needs a beginning, and a good one will tell some kind of truth. God created the Cosmos, and everything in it.

Now, I just know someone is going to complain about genetic mutations that are flaws, instead of improving the species. Even an all powerful God has to accept the qualities of the materials He has to work with. Matter is pretty tough stuff. And the system has to be able to run on its own. So, not everything happens because of intervention. When was the last time you built anything that just went perfectly? No slightly off measures, no slips of your tools, no sloppy drips of glue, no cleaning up afterwards? The best creative people still have to deal with these. Just look at the complexity and difficulty of making a Cosmos capable of supporting life! It's totally amazing!

So, creation and evolution are two sides of the same coin, and definitely not mutually exclusive. And of course, if you don't believe in God then you don't believe in eternity either, so ... nothing lost, I might suppose. But if you do believe, then it would be a good idea to figure out what He wants. Why would God want to create a universe, and people to talk to, in the first place? Maybe the purpose of having "people to talk to" would be one good reason.

Trying to Understand the Trinity

I've been listening to someone trying to argue for the Trinity, against the idea of a strict monotheism that asserts that God can only be and have One self/person. It seems like an argument between a crazy ultra-rationalist and a theologian having a bad case of heartburn. For myself, I tend to be a mystical experientialist, while (hopefully) staying within the bounds of orthodoxy. So, let's look at this from a new perspective.

What is the orthodox opinion of the Trinity being understood as a wholly healthy (not crazy) example of triplet schizophrenia? Can we even say that without sounding pejorative? We speak of God as having three persons in one being. And, of course, as God, He has the power to be in multiple locations at one (eternal) time, so it can get plenty confusing. A single essence (being), spread to three separate places, each with a distinct (not separate) person-ality, doing different but harmonious activities, all at the same time.

The difference from a human person with schizophrenia, is that a human would be totally insane to even imagine doing this. But with God, being divine, all things are possible.

Of course, I'll bet everyone thinks that is a crazy, heretical idea. But try to explain the Trinity any better.

To start the whole thing off, the Father likes to present Himself as the power behind the natural world, and as being its creator. He appears to people as a whirlwind, a pillar of fire, a volcano, an earthquake, or maybe just a burning bush that isn't being burnt or consumed. His voice can be overwhelming, scary like thunder, or silent as the stillness in our hearts. But one thing is for sure, He is way beyond our comprehension.

And yet, He comes to us to give us Laws to guide our lives, and to share some of his power with a few who become his favorites. And He has a plan: to save the whole human race, because obviously we are broken and unable to behave as we should. We are slaves to sin (claimed by Satan), and need to be set free. So God is going to send for us a Messiah, a teacher who will sacrifice Himself, to save everyone who will believe in Him.

And then, it gets even more weird. How does God, as the Holy Spirit conceive his Word into Mary, so that Jesus, the Messiah, can be born? It isn't sex, because she's still a virgin. So we can't accuse God of incest, having sex with His own mother, but still it leaves us with a big problem. Even when Jesus says that in Heaven there will be neither male nor female, so there isn't any sex, it's strange.

And then, what is God going to do with Jesus' human body, after the crucifixion and resurrection? He has to remain (eternally) wholly human and simultaneously wholly divine, if the orthodox creeds are as infallible as they claim to be. And, at the same time, the Son and the Father are One, distinct but not separate, of a single undivided essence (being). But the Father doesn't have a body, unless you imagine a bodily image of Him sitting on a throne with the Earth as his footstool. (Metaphors having any actual essence get really messy, really fast.) So, now, God is stuck with being forced to remain undivided, but in two distinct places at the same time: in/being a human, and Being God on his Throne, while also being at His Own right hand and sitting in another throne.

But wait! We are not finished! The Holy Spirit emanates from both, the Father and the Son, from their holy, loving relationship, as a Spirit of Love and Wisdom. However, the Holy Spirit is its own person in the Trinity, and able to act independently in accord with the divine will shared by the Father and the Son. He (She?) is tasked with our guidance and the teaching of all Wisdom to those who believe. The Holy Spirit is the person (distinct but not separate) of God who spoke to the prophets, teaching and admonishing the people of Israel and Judaea, to obey the Law of Moses, and to expect the coming of the Messiah.

The Holy Spirit (He/She?) was given to the apostles, and then to all Christians, on the day of Pentecost, after Christ ascended into Heaven, so that we would not be left alone. So, the Holy Spirit does not (now) have a throne to sit in, but passes continually between the Father and the Son, and descends to us for our guidance and to speak for Jesus within our hearts. He does not speak for Himself, but only as Jesus or the Father speaks through Him. We cannot perceive the Spirit any more than we can know where the wind comes from, or where it is going. But the Spirit is known by the way we, as Christians, love one another as Jesus loved us, and the way we try to treat each other as we want to be treated.

But always we must remember, these three persons of God are not separated in any way. They are distinct in personality and activities, but share one undivided essence in one self-identical Being. They may be in separate and different places at the same eternal time, without ever being apart from each other, and they each have their own distinct but shared agendas about how they want to interact with us. But always, They have the same goal, to save us from ourselves and help us to avoid Hell and eternal condemnation. And He/She/They are always and continuously in communion, sharing with each other, so that their actions stay in harmonious unity and agreement.

Indeed, that is how we can know and discern what we are listening to in our hearts. If it does not agree with all that we know of the Father and the Son, and with what the Spirit has said before, then it does not come from God. And that is why it is so important to learn all that we can of God from the Scriptures and from the Church, and to study and pray always. In that way, we can share in the divine communion, and understand what the Spirit is speaking to us, for our re-formation into the renewed image and likeness of God in Christ. God is trying to fix our brokenness, so that we can be accepted into Heaven.

So this goes around and around, like a game of musical chairs, when the music stops the three of them try to sit in two thrones, except no one gets left out, because there's only one God, and He get to sit in both seats as distinct but not separate persons. And the music probably never stops anyway, because they are too busy down here trying to save us. And we have no idea of what we are looking at because, whatever God is, He is way beyond our comprehension. That's where we started, and that's where we end up. But with God, all things are possible.

Archangels' Names, and a Rebel (Redux)

These are the names of the greater Angel's, who have generally been recognized in our traditions as Archangels. Each name also has a theological meaning. They tell us something about the nature of God.

Michael - Who is like God?
Gabriel  - The Strength of God
Raphael - The Healing of God
Uriel        - My Light is of God
Selaphiel - He Prays to God
Jeremiel - The Mercy of God
Zerachiel - The Command of God
    also:
Phanuel - He Brings God's Presence
This last one is not a commander, but has an important role as a messenger. He may be next in line if ever called upon, since he is the prototype of the prophet/apostle.

Tradition says that the rebel's name was
Lucifer - A Fiery Zeal for God,
and places him to the left of the Throne, across from the Christ. It is a position of trust and authority, where he stands to accuse us of being unworthy of Heaven. We might wonder why he is still allowed to be there, representing his rebellion and betrayal, but there are really supposed to be eight Archangels. The number seven stands for perfection, but eight is completion. And really, Lucifer used to be the first of all, adoring God's glory and majesty up close and personally.

So the heavenly attributes of God are known by the company He keeps, just as we human beings are also known by those whom we choose as friends:
Zeal (Devotion)
Likeness
Strength
Healing
Light (Vision)
Prayer
Mercy
Command (Obedience)
These names still represent the ways in which we should relate to God, to show our respect and reverence. And the Archangels each have a role to play in the Lord's court.

Perhaps Lucifer has chosen to call himself Allah, and claims all those who could not discern good from evil. If a man can be deceived by temptation, and be willing to practice violence and cruelty, slavery and oppression in Allah's name, and dare to call that good, then perhaps being outcast is justice. For in this way, it is revealed who is not worthy, and who knowingly follows the Liar, just because it suits him.

Then there are those who turn away from what they know is good, and despise their own consciences, refusing to turn back from selfishness and ask God for mercy. They too see the way of the world as cruel and open to those who would take any advantage, and they don't care about the unfortunate and oppressed. They will be surprised to find out that there is more than this one life, and that our choices do have consequences.

But what happens to people who would want to be good, but can't find the strength to follow what their conscience says is right? Perhaps for them the only hope is faith in the Lord, to confess contritely and beg for mercy. Jesus has promised to save all who believe and follow Him. Hopefully, our Lord will be merciful to all who would try to keep a good conscience, who admit their failures, and come in faith to ask for mercy. This might turn out to be the great majority of humanity, especially if God has had a hand in the world's other religions.

And what shall be Lucifer's just due, if he proves his point? What if humans can't be made worthy of Heaven? Is this all merely a test, passing judgment on each age and generation, to see how far we have yet to progress? Will this world continue until the process is satisfied, when finally we have learned, and now we are worthy to be welcomed into the Heavens? Perhaps, it is our capacity to discern the truth of good and evil, to let faith reshape our own conscience and character, and to know when we fall short, that is being tested. So our hope in Jesus is all that saves us, and all that we need. When the rebel kneels, repentant and contrite, and vows renewed obedience, will he not also be forgiven?

Is there some way to fix our minds, or to redirect our wills without taking away our freedom? Would doing that diminish us, or perfect us? Should we devise some brain-machine interface that we can wear, to retrain the way we think?  Could such a thing even be possible? Would it give us access to the powers of faith when we are ready to be truly the children of God?

I might really be willing to wear a cap, or a headband, until I can learn how to live as I should. It would be better than the Devil's  alternative, that we should be cast out and destroyed. Especially if we will receive an extension of our lives, instead of harsh judgement, that would be its own kind of justice, but with mercy - probation for a thousand years. And then? We receive the freedom to love God in the spirit of truth, with all of our patiently earned wisdom forever, without counting the time.

Biocentrism vs. the Multi-Universe Hypothesis

Biocentrism asserts that our Universe exists the way it does because we are here. Whereas the Multi-Universe hypothesis states that we are here because an infinity of universes exist, and this is the one where our kind of life can evolve.

However, the study of quantum physics has put this latter idea into a bind. The Multi-Universe idea is only proposed as a way to exclude any possibility of the existence of God. But that doesn't work. Quantum physics has shown that consciousness is essential to existence.

This is the resulting argument:

1. Quantum physics shows that reality is "fuzzy" until phenomena are observed.

2. Any universe that remains "fuzzy" cannot sustain itself, and will eventually fall apart. (At some point, the conditions for that universe to sustain itself will fail because they did not actualize as and when needed.)

3. Observation requires a reactive series of following consequences.

4. Reactive consequences require particular sets of natural laws & constants.

5. Certain sets of natural laws & constants allow for the development of life, as a result of reactive consequences.

6. The phenomena of life thrive only when performing observant behavior.

7. Linear relativistic time is not a restraint for quantum physical phenomena.

8. The potential to be observed is approximately equivalent to having been observed, insofar as such a condition prolongs the sustainability of the system.

9. No universe lacking any potential for being observed will continue to exist.

10. Only those universes that have natural laws & constants capable of producing life have the potential for being observed and will therefore continue in existence.

11. No universe can be observed by any series of reactive observations which are not compatible with its own set of natural laws & constants.

12. Only those universes compatible with the existence of any particular life form can be observed by that life form. (Any universe can only be observed by a life form which is compatible within that universe.)

13. Therefore: only those universes which we are able to observe actually exist for us.

Aside:
Heaven does not exist "for us" because we can not observe it. If it exists (an article of faith), it exists for God. And if He wants us to be able to live there, He will have to "save" and transform us into a compatible form in order to translate us into that existence.

Therefore, only if another consciousness exists can there be any other universe that exists. Any universe that we will be able to discover and observe will be merely one more part of our own universe, or in some way identical with it.

Until we discover some life forms that have originated from somewhere other than Earth, we won't know if other life forms can even exist in this universe. At this point, we only assume that they can, and probably do, but we can't guess how different they could possibly be.

And a second, logically decisive argument:

The multiverse theory leads inevitably to the absurdity of asserting that everything, even the impossible, has happened somewhere. It's not worth discussing, since we can never access other universes. And since, if it's true, the impossible has happened, we then have another "Fermi Paradox" because none of those other universes has contacted us.

So, the theory contains its own refutation: there are no other universes, for exactly the same reason that we are sure that time travel into the past is impossible. Where are they? No one from elsewhere has visited us, even if the impossible and improbable must have already happened.