How Things Work: A Brief History of Reality
Book II – The Power of Three (#43 "Western Metaphysics and the Christian Church")
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Tuesday, August 9, 2022
“All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that ‘God is love’. But they seem not to notice that the words ‘God is love’ have no real meaning unless God contains at least two Persons. Love is something that one person has for another person. If God was a single person, then before the world was made, He was not love. Of course, what these people mean when they say that God is love is often something quite different: they really mean ‘Love is God’.”
– C.S.Lewis
CONSIDERATION #43 – Western Metaphysics and the Christian Church
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
There was once a time when the physical and spiritual aspects of human beings were equally recognized. However, Descartes divided human reason into two distinct experiences of Reality. Human Rationality, in terms of understanding concepts such as mathematics, God, and self-evident truths, was inherently a natural faculty residing in every human being. All individual human beings had equal access to these truths. However, Spiritual Truth, or Divine Revelation, could only be revealed by God Himself. Human beings were not capable of naturally understanding these truths. Truth related to the nature of God and God’s purpose were revealed only to those chosen by God.
This dichotomy of human reason essentially separated human understanding into an Empirical understanding of Reality leading to modern science and a Rational understanding of Reality leading to Christian Theology. In Christian Theology the “Power of Three” manifests itself as the Holy Trinity. This “mystery of faith” eventually becomes the paradox that encapsulates Christian theology and the possibility of faith as a remedy for the disease of dualism.
“This new modern dichotomy would manifest a new form of dualism fracturing the human experience into ‘real’ and ‘imaginary.’”
However, faith and empirical objectivity, would create an entirely new dualism. A dualism of science and religion. Science became the path for understanding the empirical objective reality of the senses. Religion became the path for understanding the rational reality of the soul, or mind. However, human beings were an expression of both. This new modern dichotomy would manifest a new form of dualism fracturing the human experience into “real” and “imaginary.” Science would come to represent the “real” world supported by objective and empirical evidence. Religion would come to represent the “imaginary” world of the spirit, supported by the abstract metaphysics related to theology.
Science would ultimately become the dominant factor in understanding and determining modern Reality. For the first time in human history, those who believed in the concept of God, or a possibility outside the experience of “objective evidence,” would be considered irrational.
CONSIDERATION #43
Western Metaphysics and the Christian Church
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
Jesus – Mathew 28:19
Descartes originally divided our ability to reason into inspired reason which came directly from God, and human rationality which was available to everyone. Reason that led to self-evident truths, such as in mathematics, was an inherent part of being human; one need only follow a process to attain results. Anyone can learn, or discover, how to use logic and reason. However, understanding spiritual truths, such as those underlying the nature of God, required divine revelation. Spiritual Truth came through the grace of God, not rational deduction.
Therefore, the metaphysical focus of religion became more and more concentrated on the “imaginary” metaphysics related to considerations not only beyond the physical world, but completely outside of it. Similar to Eastern metaphysics, the way to achieve results in the metaphysical world of Spirit was to move beyond reason into the world of spiritual awakening and understanding. In fact, the parables of Jesus in the New Testament are very similar to the koans, or paradoxical anecdotes, designed to inspire and provoke enlightenment used in Eastern traditions such as Taoism and Buddhism. The goal is not to understand the mechanics of how something works, the goal is to experience the truth about what something is.
“For the West, religion manifested the qualities of yin and science manifested the qualities of yang.”
Science became the religion of the “real” world, and religion became the “science” of the spiritual world. Metaphysics related to the spirit, soul, God, or the afterlife became irrelevant in terms of “real-life” application. For the West, religion manifested the qualities of yin and science manifested the qualities of yang. Science became focused on how to improve things in the physical world for physical human beings through direct will and intervention. Religion focused on the immortal soul and its redemption; by denying the physical world and embracing faith over certainty.
This war between science and religion over physical and spiritual truth would lead to a complete separation of physical and spiritual realities. The once common assumption that human experience was a balance of physical and spiritual components was more and more becoming a choice: Do you believe in the “spiritual world” or the “real world?” Maintaining both assumptions simultaneously was fast becoming a paradox that was impossible to sustain. No longer was there a shared metaphysics, now for the first time in human history, people were being forced to choose. Do you believe in the “real world” of science? Or the “imaginary” world of religion?
Science became the sanctuary for what was “real;” here and now, in the physical world. Religion became the refuge for those who believed there was something beyond the physical world of time, space, and corruption; something eternal. Like geometry and atoms, the symbol for understanding the experience of Christianity, the religion of the West, would also be an abstraction based on the number three: The Holy Trinity.
POSTSCRIPT
Book II attempts to consider both science and religion each from their own unique perspective. This book is not advocating a position that either is the correct or incorrect view of reality; each is considered valid from its own unique point of view. My job is to explain both realities adequately and fairly in a way that illuminates the essence of their unique arguments; such that both possibilities are evenly and fairly argued and demonstrated. The objective is increased knowledge and understanding regarding each viewpoint in a way that advocates for comprehension, appreciation, and respect for both. These two interpretations of reality have influenced our interpretation of modern reality more than any other factors in history. Our current reality is a direct result of this dualism.
“Most people don’t realize that Einstein used only high school level math in these theories, so don’t worry about the math!”
The first section of the book focuses on the scientific perspective of reality from classical physics through Einstein and Quantum Mechanics. We follow the scientific method step-by-step in our discovery of how science works and where it has led us as a species. For the non-scientists and those who hate math, this is the part you need the most! If you have always been curious, yet slightly afraid, about math and science this is for you. This is your chance to understand things like Einstein’s Special and General Relativity Theories in a way that will make sense to you! Most people don’t realize that Einstein used only high school level math in these theories, so don’t worry about the math! Also, you will finally understand what the heck Quantum Mechanics is and what it really means in practical terms. So, embrace the science! Enjoy the science!
“The three protagonists in this redemptive narrative are Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.”
The second section of the book focuses on the Judeo-Christian tradition based on a direct Biblical account. The Biblical narrative explains what happens after the Garden of Eden and God’s plan to repair the fractured relationship. The three protagonists in this redemptive narrative are Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses establish “God’s Law” through a covenant that would become Judaism. In the New Testament, Jesus fulfills and transcends “The Law,” re-establishing “Mankind’s” relationship with God, and inspiring the world’s largest religion, Christianity.
For those who feel uncomfortable dealing with religion don’t think of it as religion. Think of it as a story, often considered the greatest story ever told. A story that has been woven into the fabric of Western Civilization in ways you may never have thought about before. You cannot understand Western Reality without a basic understanding of the Bible. It is the religious narrative of the West.
Next week we begin our consideration of Science!
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