A machine universe needs a God, but what about a truly creative one?

 

Science tends to view the universe as a giant machine, but machines need someone to design them, build them and then a energy source to power their operation.  If the universe is seen in these terms- as consisting of inanimate matter that somehow arranges itself due to fixed laws- then clearly the need for a designer, builder and power source exists.

There is, of course, another way of conceiving of the universe that does away with the need for a separate creator God and that is the idea that the universe is a living, conscious, self-regulating entity, that is self-creating and functions from its own self-generated power source.

This "creative universe" view would imply that the universe itself is intelligent and aware of its various functioning parts and able to create laws or patterns of behavior to support it's continued existence and unfolding. 

This view is in opposition to the mechanical universe idea made popular in recent centuries as man became enamoured with his ability to create machines.  However, this view has lost favor since the advent of quantum physics, which suggests a wholly more creative and unpredictable process going on, at least at the subatomic level.

 Sharka Todd

The evidence of God/Good for me

For me, the evidence of God or underlying Good is: (1) (the existence of) everything, (2) my existence, (3) the beauty of the world, (4) the extreme beauty of the sky, (5) the perceived unfolding of life in a generous and just* manner.

Interestingly, none of these things can be measured by a scientist in a lab.  Without invoking one's feeling nature there is no way to measure quality, only quantity!

*This is my perception of life given my understanding of universal laws and observing my own life and those around me.  I understand that many think life is unfair but I believe this is based on a mistaken, partial view that will be corrected when the "big picture" is seen.

Sharka Todd

The beauty of the sky above is love...

Photo by Sharka Todd

and if your heart is open you will see God/Good is the sky and in the world around you!

Sharka Todd

What is evidence of God?

I have often said that either the whole universe is evidence of God's existence or nothing is.

For many of us it takes a personal experience where we perceive an "invisible hand" operating in our lives for us to accept that there is some invisible force or presence guiding what happens in this world.  That doesn't mean this invisible force is in charge of what happens on earth, far from it.  Humans are in charge and it is clear to anyone that we have the free will to make choices in our own life free of the compulsion of some invisible "outside" agency.

How we choose to understand the invisible entities or forces that help shape our lives is up to us.  There is no obligation to attribute a conventional religious meaning to these things.  It is our life and it is up to us to understand it as we see fit including our view of what invisible presences or forces may or may not be influencing it.

Only by close observation of everything we encounter can we come to conclusions about the nature of life and our place in it.  Whether we choose to accept that unseen forces can play a role in our lives or not is up to us.

Sharka Todd

Randi's new $1 million challenge- proof of God

Randi the magician has a new $1 million challenge.

This one is aimed at both scientists and layman, alike.

All they have to do is come up with one reasonable idea about how God could provide unequivocal evidence of His existence, that all reasonable people would accept as proof, and share this with the world!

This is a very simple challenge which would be especially attractive to those atheists who believe God just hasn't provided enough evidence of His existence for them to believe.  Therefore, I am sure they can think of something that would rectify this situation!

We are tired of the "plausible deniability" of God's existence and we want ideas for what irrefutable evidence of His existence might look like! 

Sharka Todd

The plausible deniability of God

If the evidence for God was "irrefutable" it would interfere with human free will to decide whether to believe or not believe.  Exactly what that irrefutable evidence might look like, I don't know, and I would love for someone to tell me.  For many people the universe is itself evidence enough to believe in an almighty creator, the qualities of whom are reflected in the creation.  And for those who are unconvinced or don't wish to believe in such a creator then "plausible deniability" allows them to do so.  Ultimately, the situation is a win-win for everybody!

Sharka Todd

A cosmic near-death experience

by Mellen Thomas Benedict

In 1982 I died from terminal cancer. The condition I had was inoperable, and any kind of chemotherapy they could give me would just have made me more of a vegetable. I was given six to eight months to live.

I had been an information freak in the 1970’s, and I had become increasingly despondent over the nuclear crisis, the ecology crisis, and so forth. So, since I did not have a spiritual basis, I began to believe that nature had made a mistake, and that we were probably a cancerous organism on the planet. I saw no way that we could get out from all the problems we had created for ourselves and the planet. I perceived all humans as cancer, and that is what I got.

That is what killed me. Be careful what your world view is. It can feed back on you, especially if it is a negative world view. I had a seriously negative one. That is what led me into my death. I tried all sorts of alternative healing methods, but nothing helped.

So I determined that this was really just between me and God. I had never really faced God before, or even dealt with God. I was not into any kind of spirituality at the time, but I began a journey into learning about spirituality and alternative healing. I set out to do all the reading I could and bone up on the subject, because I did not want to be surprised on the other side. So I started reading on various religions and philosophies. They were all very interesting, and gave hope that there was something on the other side. I ended up in hospice care.