Any attempt to explain religion today must address the issue of science.
It is simply impossible to communicate with any reasonably informed person today about religion and not be able to relate what is said to what science says.
This means we have to being with what we understand science to be about. I would identify three important characteristics of science:
1. A scientific theory exists within a community of expertise, and it enables the community to work collectively on its area of expertise, in such a way that the community is able to objectively evaluate new theories. So, for example, an experiment must be reproducible, a theory must say something that is capable of being disproved, and a theory must make sense of the available relevant data.
2. Any theory is liable to change - because some new experiment suggests a different explanation to the current data, or because a new paradigm explains the existing data in a more elegant way, and perhaps is able to explain data that had not previously been included in previous scientific paradigms. Data by itself does not disprove a theory - a theory may continue to be held by scientists, even if there exist experiments that "disprove" the theory if there is no suitable new paradigm available to better explain both the new data and the old.
3. The idea of purely objective knowledge does not exist in science - scientific knowledge is always provisional, and liable to change, it is simply the best explanation we have at any one time, and it is expected that in time the current theory will be discarded for a better theory.
This makes it very difficult to "build" what we usually understand by theology into any relationship with science. Theology deals with the eternal and unchanging revelation of God. Unlike science it is not expected that this revelation will continually change and develop, and that new revelations will replace previous ones.
This means if we suggest some theological explanation X for a scientific theory, we may in time need to revise X if the scientific theory it was built on now changes. We can't propose some theology that will always be true when we make that theology dependent on science, because that science will change.
So how then do we do theology? Do we not let it have any relationship with science? Some people would do this - it would keep "unchanging" theology away from "changeable" science. But if we do this, theology no longer relates to the world around us.
So instead, do we relate theology to science? Of course, but if we do this we must immediately recognise that theology now becomes as provisional and changeable as science. Indeed, more so that science - science can change based on the views of the scientific community, but theology then needs to change itself, if the science it was based on was faulty in some way, or has now been succeeded by some new science.
But here is the problem - theology isn't a science - it doesn't provide an objective explanation of the data using a theory that is shared by the theological community. Instead theology is simply interpretation - it is speculation - as one person's argument is as good as anyone else's. There is no established method to objectively change and develop theology, so its worth or merit lies in how we make sense of what we know from science, plus other areas that are not completely under the rule of science - e.g. ethics.
So now theology becomes as changeable and variable as any other part of modern society. We have to make what sense we can from science, and then build on that with our understanding of the rest of the world. That understanding may and will change - if the past is anything to go by.
Therefore theology becomes a story to explain our lives, given the discoveries of science. Theology is a human creation - no more objective than a novel or a poem - and we need to see those who attempt to practise theology as creative artists - who are able to wrestle with language and make some sense of our lives.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Life - the pull into Being
We might think of life or culture as some sort of "pull" into Being - the attraction of life - what we lose ourselves in. This could be relationships, nature, ethics, work, art, culture, sport, politics, science, superstition, religion, hobbies, care of the self, the home, comedy, music, drugs, families, friendship, peers, travel, achievement, education, film, creation, shopping, reading, dreaming, sleep, driving, subcultures, dancing, cooking, playing video games... the list goes on. All these activities call out to us, some we listen to, some we like the way they call us.
So our life is overloaded with good things, we don't have enough time for them all. Then "religion" - which is itself one of these activities - is presented to us as something more important than these other activities. In other words, we now have to swap something we like doing for this new activity. What is the deal? What is the exchange? What can I give up to have time for religion? What will religion give me?
I know what cooking gives me, what walks in the country give me, what playing video games give me... or do I? Am I able to articulate and explain why I do things? Do I just do them because I feel a some desire, some pull towards that activity?
We have lost time - we have no time for what we want. Reality is too complex for us to understand it - there is a fractalization of our taxonomy of reality. Is it even healthy to give up something for religion?
But perhaps a better paradigm is the story. We explain what we do to ourselves with a story. We have a story about any activity and our life we try to make into a story of all these stories. We have a story of our political activity, a story of our family life, a story of our career, so we also try to make a story out of all these stories, to make our life understandable - if not understandable at least communicable to some imaginary other.
To err is to wake up. It is to come across a reality that we didn't anticipate or didn't know existed. When we err, we bump into something, and have at last an opportunity to engage with a new reality. Mostly we never take it, we try to ignore our errors, but error can be the source of art, our imagination, of a new story. We need a new story to make sense of the error. We have to be careful in case we stop looking at the error - "I wasn't really so wrong, I was nearly right" - the error can be fresh air, it can be a doorway to some new world.
Sometimes we are overcome with our life story - Richard Dawkins has a vision of a world without religious differences - or at least without religious bigotry. The story possesses him and animates him. He has a clear vision and is able to communicate that vision with passion and certainty.
The nihil is the lack of a story. It is not being able to put a story together - to narrate what is happening - we might have the pieces, we don't have the narrative.
With realist religion the story comes from God or it is written in the stars - everyone has the same story and the story never changes.
With non-realism we discover our own story, the story is a creative process of discovery - we appropriate our story, we all have different stories, the story changes, it is told and retold and changes in the telling.
Perhaps there are two paths to the light of the world - to the vision - to your story. One is a blinding light - the angels appearing to the shepherds, the road to Damascus - the sudden dawning realisation of what the story is.
The other is the slow journey of the wise men, following the star - not sure where it will lead. At first they are led to the wrong palace - they take a wrong turn. Eventually they arrive, to behold the light - the truth, to know their story.
Perhaps both ways end in a sort of worship, an awe of the numinous, the sublime experience of being. The ineffable where the truth of the story overcomes you and words are no longer enough.
So our life is overloaded with good things, we don't have enough time for them all. Then "religion" - which is itself one of these activities - is presented to us as something more important than these other activities. In other words, we now have to swap something we like doing for this new activity. What is the deal? What is the exchange? What can I give up to have time for religion? What will religion give me?
I know what cooking gives me, what walks in the country give me, what playing video games give me... or do I? Am I able to articulate and explain why I do things? Do I just do them because I feel a some desire, some pull towards that activity?
We have lost time - we have no time for what we want. Reality is too complex for us to understand it - there is a fractalization of our taxonomy of reality. Is it even healthy to give up something for religion?
But perhaps a better paradigm is the story. We explain what we do to ourselves with a story. We have a story about any activity and our life we try to make into a story of all these stories. We have a story of our political activity, a story of our family life, a story of our career, so we also try to make a story out of all these stories, to make our life understandable - if not understandable at least communicable to some imaginary other.
To err is to wake up. It is to come across a reality that we didn't anticipate or didn't know existed. When we err, we bump into something, and have at last an opportunity to engage with a new reality. Mostly we never take it, we try to ignore our errors, but error can be the source of art, our imagination, of a new story. We need a new story to make sense of the error. We have to be careful in case we stop looking at the error - "I wasn't really so wrong, I was nearly right" - the error can be fresh air, it can be a doorway to some new world.
Sometimes we are overcome with our life story - Richard Dawkins has a vision of a world without religious differences - or at least without religious bigotry. The story possesses him and animates him. He has a clear vision and is able to communicate that vision with passion and certainty.
The nihil is the lack of a story. It is not being able to put a story together - to narrate what is happening - we might have the pieces, we don't have the narrative.
With realist religion the story comes from God or it is written in the stars - everyone has the same story and the story never changes.
With non-realism we discover our own story, the story is a creative process of discovery - we appropriate our story, we all have different stories, the story changes, it is told and retold and changes in the telling.
Perhaps there are two paths to the light of the world - to the vision - to your story. One is a blinding light - the angels appearing to the shepherds, the road to Damascus - the sudden dawning realisation of what the story is.
The other is the slow journey of the wise men, following the star - not sure where it will lead. At first they are led to the wrong palace - they take a wrong turn. Eventually they arrive, to behold the light - the truth, to know their story.
Perhaps both ways end in a sort of worship, an awe of the numinous, the sublime experience of being. The ineffable where the truth of the story overcomes you and words are no longer enough.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Door to the Spiritual Life
The main question anyone asks about God is why is there suffering if there is a God, but it is equally valid to ask why is there love if there isn't a God?
There are important signposts in life that point beyond themselves to the spiritual dimension, and teach us what that dimension is like. These signposts all "grab" us and take us out of ourselves. They tell us something important about ourselves, and about our purpose in life.
These signposts are as follows.
Relationships - perhaps the most important part of human life is our relationships - with our friends, family, lovers, people we work with, our neighbours, visitors, strangers even enemies. Getting relationships right is an important part of having a meaningful and happy life. Relationships take us out of ourselves, make us think beyond ourselves, they make demands on us and give us purpose and significance. Relationships are difficult, and people talk about "keys" to successful relationships, or "secrets" to finding the right partner.
Spiritual traditions have a lot to say about relationships and it isn't about "keys" and "secrets" but about learning an ancient wisdom to meditate on and enlighten your mind. Spirituality also speaks about the fundamental brokenness of our relationships with each other, and the need to return to the ground of our relationships, to find our relationship with God. Yet we don't just find each other when we find God, we find God in each other: learning to relate with each other, to love and accept each other, to value, to care for, to listen to, to understand and share with each other is fundamental to any meaningful relationship with God.
If we have understood something about relationships we have begun to understand something about God. Relating to each other is a path to relating to God.
The next signpost is culture - but perhaps that isn't quite the right word. What I mean is not just art, theatre, opera and sculpture but all creative and engaging human activity - music, concerts, clubs, films, busking, performance art, events, festivals, games, sport, design, fashion, shopping, the internet... basically our human world. There is so much here that engages us, we have our favourite rock stars, singers, styles of music, favourite films, favourite TV shows. In today's society much of this experience is about consumerism - consuming these pleasures through spending money - but our human world isn't just about consumption, we can envision a world of pleasure and creativity that doesn't revolve around spending money.
We can create and enjoy things of significance and value not just to make money but to create a world of joy and pleasure for everyone. When we stop thinking about individual consumerism - what makes me happy - and think of the groups we belong to and the relationships we have, and instead ask what makes the people I care about happy, we can take pleasure in giving pleasure. In religion pleasure and fun have sometimes been seen as "wrong" but the true spiritual path is about finding joy and happiness that can be shared and enjoyed together. Creating a beautiful, happy, rocking, joyful culture for our society is a spiritual path. Experiencing pleasure and significance in culture -the human world - can be a way of experiencing God. Again, spiritual traditions have much to teach us about the joy of giving pleasure to others, there are ancient words of wisdom that can give depth and purpose to our lives today.
A related, but separate, signpost is ethics: right and wrong, justice, politics, creating a fairer, better society. Society isn't just about pleasure, culture, meaning, it is about treating people with respect and dignity, giving people a fair chance, helping those in need, sharing with others today because you might need help tomorrow. When we work for a better society, fight injustice, stand up for what is right, we are finding purpose and meaning in our own lives.
These signposts are about understanding what it really means to be human - the challenges we have and the opportunities we have. Standing up for what is right, speaking out against injustice, oppression and evil, are core parts of our human spirit. No worthwhile spiritual tradition is silent on how to love our neighbour in a practical and meaningful way. It isn't about giving money to those in need - although of course that isn't wrong - it is about asking why society is structured in such a way that it produces some people with too much and others with not enough, and working to create mechanisms to give everyone a fair share and opportunity be someone.
Many people have found their faith gave them a voice to speak up against injustice, and their faith community gave them a platform to fight that injustice. In the Bible many prophets are told by God to speak out against injustice and oppression, and anyone following God today should listen to what God is saying now about injustice in our society. Similarly anyone who cares about human rights has found a dimension of God, the strength of feeling to stand up for what is right can also be a connection to the God of justice.
Another signpost is our experience of nature. Some people call this the experience of the sublime - the feeling of our life in the context of the universe - when we look up at the stars, when we think about the size of the universe, when we think about how long our lives are, when we look out at the ocean, gaze at a landscape, contemplate an old tree, watch wildlife and animals, that experience of ourselves in this cosmos, tells us something significant.
When we really think about many of these signposts, to say what the ultimately mean is impossible, yet it is equally impossible to finish speaking about them. Many words have been written about the beauty and glory of nature, some people spend their whole lives dedicated to working with nature in some way, whether to care for animals, plants or areas of land, there is something about nature that attracts us and engages us. It gives us meaning and purpose, yet it also questions our meaning and purpose. It makes us ask "what are we doing here?", "what is my purpose?" For many people experiencing nature is the most direct way they experience God - that awesome, indescribable splendor of being a part of something vast and beautiful. The universe is a temple too small to hold God, yet through it we can know God has visited us.
And this leads me to my last signpost - the spiritual dimension of life. Those experiences of God, or something or someone beyond ourselves, of a grace and love reaching out to us from beyond ourselves. For many today that dimension is closed because they have not given God any space in their lives, yet as we have seen from the other signposts, God can find a way in to speak to us anyway. But being open to God isn't about leaving out all those other signposts, engaging with God, starting a spiritual journey, is about engaging with all of life - loving God means loving those around us - valuing our relationships, it means enjoying the pleasures of life in a way that isn't selfish, it is about standing up for what is right, treating people with dignity, being a part of the universe and experiencing it as something valuable and wonderful.
Engaging with God should be about experiencing more of life, not less. It is about living life as it should be lived, with joy and purpose. Knowing the love of God expands your reality and completes it.
There are important signposts in life that point beyond themselves to the spiritual dimension, and teach us what that dimension is like. These signposts all "grab" us and take us out of ourselves. They tell us something important about ourselves, and about our purpose in life.
These signposts are as follows.
Relationships - perhaps the most important part of human life is our relationships - with our friends, family, lovers, people we work with, our neighbours, visitors, strangers even enemies. Getting relationships right is an important part of having a meaningful and happy life. Relationships take us out of ourselves, make us think beyond ourselves, they make demands on us and give us purpose and significance. Relationships are difficult, and people talk about "keys" to successful relationships, or "secrets" to finding the right partner.
Spiritual traditions have a lot to say about relationships and it isn't about "keys" and "secrets" but about learning an ancient wisdom to meditate on and enlighten your mind. Spirituality also speaks about the fundamental brokenness of our relationships with each other, and the need to return to the ground of our relationships, to find our relationship with God. Yet we don't just find each other when we find God, we find God in each other: learning to relate with each other, to love and accept each other, to value, to care for, to listen to, to understand and share with each other is fundamental to any meaningful relationship with God.
If we have understood something about relationships we have begun to understand something about God. Relating to each other is a path to relating to God.
The next signpost is culture - but perhaps that isn't quite the right word. What I mean is not just art, theatre, opera and sculpture but all creative and engaging human activity - music, concerts, clubs, films, busking, performance art, events, festivals, games, sport, design, fashion, shopping, the internet... basically our human world. There is so much here that engages us, we have our favourite rock stars, singers, styles of music, favourite films, favourite TV shows. In today's society much of this experience is about consumerism - consuming these pleasures through spending money - but our human world isn't just about consumption, we can envision a world of pleasure and creativity that doesn't revolve around spending money.
We can create and enjoy things of significance and value not just to make money but to create a world of joy and pleasure for everyone. When we stop thinking about individual consumerism - what makes me happy - and think of the groups we belong to and the relationships we have, and instead ask what makes the people I care about happy, we can take pleasure in giving pleasure. In religion pleasure and fun have sometimes been seen as "wrong" but the true spiritual path is about finding joy and happiness that can be shared and enjoyed together. Creating a beautiful, happy, rocking, joyful culture for our society is a spiritual path. Experiencing pleasure and significance in culture -the human world - can be a way of experiencing God. Again, spiritual traditions have much to teach us about the joy of giving pleasure to others, there are ancient words of wisdom that can give depth and purpose to our lives today.
A related, but separate, signpost is ethics: right and wrong, justice, politics, creating a fairer, better society. Society isn't just about pleasure, culture, meaning, it is about treating people with respect and dignity, giving people a fair chance, helping those in need, sharing with others today because you might need help tomorrow. When we work for a better society, fight injustice, stand up for what is right, we are finding purpose and meaning in our own lives.
These signposts are about understanding what it really means to be human - the challenges we have and the opportunities we have. Standing up for what is right, speaking out against injustice, oppression and evil, are core parts of our human spirit. No worthwhile spiritual tradition is silent on how to love our neighbour in a practical and meaningful way. It isn't about giving money to those in need - although of course that isn't wrong - it is about asking why society is structured in such a way that it produces some people with too much and others with not enough, and working to create mechanisms to give everyone a fair share and opportunity be someone.
Many people have found their faith gave them a voice to speak up against injustice, and their faith community gave them a platform to fight that injustice. In the Bible many prophets are told by God to speak out against injustice and oppression, and anyone following God today should listen to what God is saying now about injustice in our society. Similarly anyone who cares about human rights has found a dimension of God, the strength of feeling to stand up for what is right can also be a connection to the God of justice.
Another signpost is our experience of nature. Some people call this the experience of the sublime - the feeling of our life in the context of the universe - when we look up at the stars, when we think about the size of the universe, when we think about how long our lives are, when we look out at the ocean, gaze at a landscape, contemplate an old tree, watch wildlife and animals, that experience of ourselves in this cosmos, tells us something significant.
When we really think about many of these signposts, to say what the ultimately mean is impossible, yet it is equally impossible to finish speaking about them. Many words have been written about the beauty and glory of nature, some people spend their whole lives dedicated to working with nature in some way, whether to care for animals, plants or areas of land, there is something about nature that attracts us and engages us. It gives us meaning and purpose, yet it also questions our meaning and purpose. It makes us ask "what are we doing here?", "what is my purpose?" For many people experiencing nature is the most direct way they experience God - that awesome, indescribable splendor of being a part of something vast and beautiful. The universe is a temple too small to hold God, yet through it we can know God has visited us.
And this leads me to my last signpost - the spiritual dimension of life. Those experiences of God, or something or someone beyond ourselves, of a grace and love reaching out to us from beyond ourselves. For many today that dimension is closed because they have not given God any space in their lives, yet as we have seen from the other signposts, God can find a way in to speak to us anyway. But being open to God isn't about leaving out all those other signposts, engaging with God, starting a spiritual journey, is about engaging with all of life - loving God means loving those around us - valuing our relationships, it means enjoying the pleasures of life in a way that isn't selfish, it is about standing up for what is right, treating people with dignity, being a part of the universe and experiencing it as something valuable and wonderful.
Engaging with God should be about experiencing more of life, not less. It is about living life as it should be lived, with joy and purpose. Knowing the love of God expands your reality and completes it.
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