Quantum Theology

[Varner-LaPrade]

It gotto Chirstianity because all religions like languages are from the same place.

That place is SUMERIA.

[Gandalf]

I read somewhere that the amazing revelations that scientists are discovering about the quantum universe are such that some think there is an imminent 'paradigm shift' on the way, like the discovery of the atom or the theory of relativity, except this paradigm shift will probably be the biggest one yet. Does anyone know more about this?

I read somewhere that scientists have found evidence that certain quantum particles react in various ways depending on whether they are being observed or not, lending weight to the idea of consciousness creating matter, rather than the current theory of matter creating consciousness.

Douglas

[GhostRider]

Cool thread Beth... you're going to raise my I.Q. if I keep reading yours' and Gandalf's work...lol!

[Beth]

Quantum Theology:

Where to begin?  Well...this will definitely require some background info.  But let's start with biblical scripture.  In the Gospel of John 1:1, we read:

quote:In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word.  This was the beginning with God.

For readers today, and quantum explorers, this one verse holds perhaps more "truth" than any other verse found in the Bible.  Not via the "true" meaning according to Christian dogma, but rather the "true" meaning in the language(s) from which it was originally written.  

Now, several languages removed, the original idea behind "The Word" was the Aramaic "dabhar" which simply means "wisdom as a creative, divine energy."  But, to go straight to the heart of this rather poetic Semitic meaning, the writer of the Gospel of John chose the Greek term "Logos."  

The earliest Christians were Hellenized Jews. Greek culture had been pervasive in the ancient near east (Palestine, Egypt, etc.) for several hundred years.  Greek was the primary language spoken, even for Semitic people; Hebrew scripture had even been translated into Greek. Most Jewish scholars knew that their scripture utilized mythos as a vehicle of preserving Hebrew thought, and to teach the meanings of their cultural myths, Greek Philosophy was a very capable tool.  In other words, to be able to rationally understand and communicate the very poetic nature of Semitic ideas, Greek philosophical thought worked beautifully! Now everyone during that period, even the Gentiles, could finally understand the wisdom embedded within Hebrew scripture--This was very good news for the earliest Christians, or, as in the Greek term for "good news"—This was "The Gospel."    

So, by examining this verse in its Greek form, the actual verse would read:

quote:In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and God was the Logos.  This was the beginning with God.

Within the Greek language, the word "Logos" carries within it many different applications or manifestations of the term, such as "discourse," "conversation," and "argument" and it's verbal form which means "to say or to reason."  But lying beneath these different applications of the term is a much richer meaning, a meaning which could not be understood by many people and could not be captured in most other languages. This meaning is: Principle or cause, of cosmological proportions, which encompasses all things and all meaning and refers to the underlying Order of the Universe, or the blueprint upon which creation is based.  

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher from the 5th century b.c.e. was probably the first one to coin the term "logos" (which by the way has a long history within the Greek philosophical movement that would come after Heraclitus.) With this word, Heraclitus sought to communicate an answer to the problem of the "One and The Many" i.e., how could The Many also be ONE? To him, this idea seemed quite simple "the Many" were but manifestations of "the ONE." Hence, the term "logos."  So, for Heraclitus, "The Logos"—as both the creative energy with which all things were made and the very things that were made with it, was quite simple and actually self evident.  Everything was ONE.  But he soon became exasperated that so many people could not see it as such.  Fragments from the works Heraclitus states:

quote:"...the many do not understand such things...Though the logos is, as I have said, men always fail to comprehend it both before they hear it and when they hear it for the first time.  For though all things come into being in accordance with this logos they seem like men without experience."  

"Though they are in daily contact with the logos they are at variance with it, and what they meet appears alien to them."

"To those who are awake the world-order is one, common to all; but the sleeping turn aside each into a world of his own."

"We ought to follow what is common to all; but though the logos is common to all, the many live as though their thoughts were private to themselves."

So, the "Logos" is NOT static.  As a First Cause--it is impossible to concretize. Only its effects or its manifestations are concrete.  But both the cause and its effects are "Logos." So it is with "The Word" in the Gospel of John, that is where Quantum Theology as theology begins.  But Quantum Theology as a new science begins with discussions about "The Quantum World."  

Because this subject is covered in entire books, and I am the first to admit that I only understand quantum theory from an instinctual and deep knowing of its truths, I would like to invite all those quantum geeks out there to begin to contribute what they know and have learned about he quantum world, and I, as a religion geek will jump in with scriptural references or religious observations as I see an appropriate place for them.  My background however, it primarily in western religions, so if there is anyone who has an eastern religion background, please join-in with eastern thoughts on this topic.  

I personally feel that Quantum theory is a wonderful way to begin to "re-understand" what religion is all about.  So, we can begin with Quantum theory itself, or even the broader and the "somewhat easier to wrap our heads around" topic of—Consciousness.  It really doesn't matter where we start!  If these things are indeed "ONE" then either way, we can't miss our mark!!

There is SO much to share and discover... I am excited...[]
   
But before I close, you may be wondering "How did this get so messed up within Christianity?"  Well, the translators of the Greek texts into Latin did not have an appropriate word that would encapsulate the full implications of the Greek meaning. So they were forced to choose the closest thing that they had—a word which reflected only Logos's manifestations--"verbum."  "Verbum" means "to speak" or "an expression" or "to talk" but it also means "word."  So when the English translation of the Latin came along, "word" is what we ended up with. This then, over time, came to be Biblical Scripture itself (instead of what scripture was trying to teach us,) concretized as "The Word of God," to the point that no other could ever speak of or for God.  SO, in my opinion, this loss of meaning was a very grave error for the future of Christian theology.  

So, back to the topic at hand...somebody jump in!


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Quotes from Heraclitus were taken from:
Norman Melchert, The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy, (Mountain View CA: Mayfield Publishing, 1995), pg. 19.

Suggested reading on this Topic:

Murchu, Diarmuid. Quantum Theology, (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company) 1997.  
   
Wolf, Fred Allen. The Spiritual Universe: How Quantum Physics Proves the Existence of the Soul. (New York: Simon and Schuster), 1996.

Goswami, Amit.  The Self Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates the Material World. (New York: G.P. Putnam) 1993.
   
Davis, Paul. God & The New Physics. (New York: Simon and Schuster)1983.