Exploring the Overlapping Junctures of Science, Philosophy and Religion

I enjoy studying the overlapping junctures of science, philosophy and religion because when combined I think unlimited potential remains untapped to benefit society and the general human condition. For example, I'm fully convinced that world peace is possible if we could accept and expand on the concepts I'm about to define, but that's just scratching the surface. Affordable, universal, non-invasive healthcare without the need for expensive and toxic pharmaceuticals is another benefit that I'll write about in future articles. But before I digress too far, let's begin exploring the overlapping junctures of science, philosophy and religion.

The first important data point we need to explore is Einstein's all-important equation: e=mc², which shows that energy has a direct equivalence to mass (and an interesting relationship with light). This equation states that as the energy of an object increases, so too should its mass. This may seem hard to accept from everyday experiences, whereby we do not seem to get heavier sitting in our car as it accelerates, but in the lab scientists have proven that objects do get 'heavier' and would approach infinite mass at the speed of light. Thus, sending particles faster and faster until they approach the speed of light requires a lot of energy. For this reason, the super colliders that have been built, like the CERN Supercollider in Switzerland, are exceptionally large, expensive and use amazing amounts of energy to propel some of the smallest elements in the universe - protons - up to a fraction of a percent under the speed of light.

And it is to the results of those super collider experiments that we turn next. What happens when two protons are smashed into each other at nearly the speed of light? They break into pieces, of course. But the interesting thing here is that those pieces are not smaller; they're actually larger (net mass) than the originals! Now this is counter-intuitive. If you throw a crystal goblet against the wall it'll break into pieces, but none of those pieces is larger than the original crystal goblet, and if you could put all those pieces back together again, the combined mass of those pieces would not exceed the original unbroken goblet. So how is it that when protons crash against one another at high speed and 'break' into new 'pieces' they actually create larger subatomic particles than the originals? Where does the extra mass come from?

The simple answer is that when we look for the ultimate stuff of the universe - that 'stuff' from which everything else is made - the only 'stuff' that exists is energy. Mass is merely stabilized energy. So the extra mass that resulted from the proton collisions in the super collider came from the gigantic amount of energy input needed to speed the protons up to near the speed of light. That energy transformed into mass. Of course the opposite is also true as seen in nuclear reactors where the destruction of mass via fission, or the transformation of mass via fusion both create amazing amounts of energy; enough to create stars and heat the universe. What we think of as 'energy' is merely the dynamic, usually invisible form of "matter" and mass is the stabilized form of the same phenomenon. [Note here the relationship of energy and light is also two-sides of the same coin - both are energy, but depending on the frequency spectrum of energy may be either visible (light) or invisible. Thus it may be equally true to assert, as do many philosophers and meta-physicists, that mass is merely stabilized light(!) and lending a better understanding as to why God (or Heaven) is often described as an unbelievably bright light by those who experienced a Near Death Experience.]

To understand why this is important to philosophy and religion, you need to take two steps further. First, consider Newton's First Law of Thermodynamics: energy can be neither created nor destroyed; it merely changes form. Second, you must realize that everything in the universe, both seen and unseen, is energy, so you are nothing but stabilized energy. The energy that makes you - you, cannot be destroyed. When you die, you will merely transition from wearing a "skin suit" to being pure, free, unencumbered energy; a conscious spirit, if you will.

Again, everything in the universe is energy - a gigantic ocean of unending energy. Within that ocean of energy, there are no voids. When you look up at the night sky, we may have an impression of a gigantic void, but really and truly there in no void wherein energy does not exist, and science has proven this point. There is merely a continuum with concentration increases and decreases, but the energy field of the universe lasts to the very edge of the universe. (See also: Quantum field theory for a more in-depth explanation.) What is that energy? It could be accurately termed ALL THAT IS, or more inaccurately but perhaps more manageable to the human concept of comprehension: God. Now I need to take you into philosophy to understand the next leap.

Rene Descartes famously doubted that anything could be known for sure except one singular conclusion: because he could doubt he must be thinking and because he was thinking he must exist: I think; therefore, I AM. Now, because you are energy and you are conscious, it is a simple mathematical truism via the transitive property (if A = B and B = C; then A = C) to show that the universe, which is also nothing but the same energy as you, and of which you are a part, must ALSO be conscious. In fact, philosophy has long asserted that nothing exists BUT consciousness, and more recently both quantum physics and New Age religion have also begun to reach the same conclusions (though ancient religions have long asserted the same).

So the entire universe, ALL THAT IS, is one gigantic consciousness, manifesting itself as energy, both seen and unseen, dynamic and stable and nothing can possibly exist outside of ALL THAT IS, by definition. This statement leads to a lot of amazing conclusions. For example, there cannot possibly be a devil, or a hell because all that exists must exist within God. There is no separation from God. There is no expulsion from God. There can't be - the consciousness of God has created everything -- and continues to reside -- within the phantom 'mind'/body of God. If it were theoretically possible to be expelled from communion with ALL THAT IS, that entity would immediately cease to exist, thus proving that hell could not be sustained in reality other than as a phantasmal concept used by Western churches to instill fear in their followers in order to exert control and influence over them.

Now let's explore another intersection of religion with this finding. You are a piece of God, by definition, and I am too. In fact, everyone and everything is a part of God. In philosophical terms, we are all One, or part of the One. We are thus One and the same at our very core - a piece of the consciousness of God, silently staring out and experiencing the miracle of life that He has created for His own benefit. Our individuality is an illusion, and any divisions between us are artificial and manmade - instituted and perpetuated by the religions and political divides with which we identify ourselves. However, if we could understand the true nature of reality, our true indivisible connection with God (We ARE Him), and feel the unconditional Love that He has for all of His creations, then we would be able to break down those divisions and live without religion or any other false barriers. When we can finally reach this goal, true world peace will finally be at hand. There will be no divisions, no hate, no prejudice. You are a part of me and I am a part of you so how could I hate you or feel anything for you but unconditional love? That is the blue print for heaven on earth and the direction Jesus was trying to get us to understand when He said the kingdom of Heaven is within us.

Life is an experience God wanted for His own benefit - to better understand Himself and to experience all that is possible. Within that creation, all is not perfect. Perfection is not possible because it presupposes that further changes to become yet "more perfect" could not occur because perfection cannot be improved upon or the original state would not have been perfect in the first place. If perfection could theoretically occur, the dynamic dance of energy that creates life would cease at the point of perfection, resulting in a collapse in upon itself. Further, life is not trial or pain-free, but it was never meant to be. We are learning lessons for God's benefit and those lessons require trials, and trials often involve pain and discomfort.

A key to enjoying life, even during the hardest challenges, is to see the events of your life as if in a play, from above or a higher (spiritual) perspective. You are the main character in the play of your life. Your body is experiencing challenges, but the Real you - the God within - can never be hurt; can never die. That God within wants to enjoy life and experience all that your life has to offer Him. He wants to commune with nature. He wants to love and be loved. He wants to experience everything that is and could be. So enjoy life - even the trials - and take a moment to sit back, relax, and see truly what a miracle it is that the real you - the God within - has created on Earth; so much beauty that we fail to see because (our focus on) life gets "in the way." Not only should you 'stop and smell the roses,' but treat yourself with love and respect, and remember that your neighbor is you, simply living in a different life play. Treat them with love as you would want to be treated and you'll help the world on its path to true peace.



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