Posted on 01/08/2005 1:41:34 PM PST by The Loan Arranger
The discovery of death may well be the defining moment in the evolution of our species. The knowledge that our existence is circumscribed, that it cannot be taken for granted, brought about our fall from grace, our loss of innocence. The fact of Death is the cornerstone on which all human knowledge is built. It is the source of our greatest anxiety, and of our greatest inspiration. It is a fact that even today most, if not all of us, continue to refuse to accept. That refusal has led us to search for a "work-around". It has led us to populate our world with witches, ghosts, ancestral spirits, demons, angels, devils, and gods. It has led to the creation of Heaven and Hell. It has generated the concepts of reincarnation and resurrection. And it has driven us to produce the greatest works of our civilization -- from the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the soaring cathedrals of medieval Europe.
Over the past few hundred years, Science has steadily eroded the foundations of belief. One after another the pillars of faith have been smashed by the wrecking balls of "the scientific method". God, life after death, and the human spirit , once considered "facts" as eternal and immutable as the universe itself, are now mere superstitions, ideas without substance sustained only by "faith" and the irrational workings of the limbic brain.
(Excerpt) Read more at ctraces.com ...
This does sound good.
I always suspected that as we started delving into unified theory and string theory, the supernatural would suddenly become logical.
Science started drifting only when man tried to create God in his image. When we stop trying to define God, we are sure to find him.
We are spiritual beings. All else is perception.
from "SarTrek":
Spock: Captain, there is a massive entity directly ahead
Kirk: Scan the entity... what... is it?
Spock: Readings indicate that the entity is composed entirely of Deusite
Kirk: But... Spock... that's im...possible. That would... mean...
Spock: Indeed, that would mean that this entity is God.
Kirk: Bones! Get a tricorder reading immediately!
Bones: Already have, Jim.
Kirk: And?
Bones: God is dead, Jim.
When you finish Tipler's book, you'll find that he's not espousing any view of God that a regular religious believer would recognize. So I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you.
"God, life after death, and the human spirit, once considered "facts" as eternal and immutable as the universe itself, are now mere superstitions, ideas without substance sustained only by "faith"."
Just about there .. ya lost me!! The Bible clearly says, "faith is the SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR." I don't believe GOD with my thoughts .. I believe GOD with my heart. I'd rather read what GOD says than what man says.
Human ego makes unacceptable the notion that each of us has a permanent end of consciousness and self.
If God could be "proved" with the scientific method then there would be no need of something called "faith". If there was "proof" of His existence then there would have been no need of the scriptures to speak so strongly about faith.
I, along with millions of other Christians believe that God, yes a REAL and living God, has given us the precious gift of life by creating man and a world for us to live on. He even offers us immortality and everlasting life in return for one little thing....... FAITH, faith that He exists. The concept is so simple that many people think themselves too "intellegent" to believe. To me that's the beauty of the requirement God had laid upon us. It serves as a real test of who loves Him.
There are many many theories that these same unbelieving people find so easy to believe in, that have never been actually proven by the scientific method either..... and yet they find it so hard to apply faith to God. Why is that?
Recent evidence suggests that the universal expansion is accelerating which pretty much relegates Tipler's whole thesis to the dustbin. Of course the whole thing sounds to me like a bunch of handwaving anyway.
Even without ways to subvert the speed of light, colonization of most of the known universe might take only a few billion years.
There's no way we could colonize "most of the known universe" in a few billion years. I can't imagine Tipler would make such a blunder which leads me to suspect the author of this review isn't quite getting Tipler's argument.
You know, the technology to do that isn't that far away. I don't mean right around the corner but we're talking about maybe four or five generations out, assuming we don't all kill ourselves off in the interim. Sort of a Silent Running with cloning, incubators, and robotic parents.
"Death is naked before God; Destruction lies uncovered. He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. .....And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power? (Job 26)
The most science can do is point to a need for God...and I believe that science does that quite well. The unbelieving scientist is a doubter because the science facts never allow one to reach beyond the material.
As you say "proof" for God is found in another realm than material facts. That realm is described as faith but faith to a doubter is equal to a belief in fairy tales...mere folly. So be it.
One must be willing to travel outside the material in order to be found by the Divine. Then there's all kinds of proof that is unmistakable. But science will never get you there no matter how much you discover about the material world.
I think some animals are aware of death. Certainly danger in the flight response when sensing predators.
The reason believing with your heart is so important, is that when Jesus went down into hell and paralyzed the devil, the devil still had a voice. To me that means that the devil can try to persuade me with ideas or thoughts, but if I believe in my HEART (or spirit) then I'm unshakable and the devil will not be able to deceive me.
Amen.
Only if strings can be convinced to agree to original sin and election. It's okay for religion to mix into science, as in creation theory, but if science even hints at the supernatural being natural, you'll burn in hell. Those who roll holy on the religion threads will cast you into a pit of demons. Beware!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.