Veritass' Religious Science Thread #1: Ask a Religious Scientist

[Veritass]

This is part 1 of 2 of my Religious Science threads. This thread is the “Ask a Religious Scientist” thread, and I hope you will ask all kinds of interesting questions for discussion. Part 2 of 2 delves into the topic of why science and religion are at odds, when they can both fit together in a single understanding of the universe. Disclaimer: I am a Religious Scientist practitioner. We in Religious Science do not believe in proselytizing, and I am not trying to “convert” anyone. This thread is merely to help others understand what we believe and why we believe it. We respect all paths to higher understanding.

Background

Religious Science, or Science of Mind, is a philosophy and religion based on the writings of Dr. Ernest Holmes. It is not related to Scientology. It should also not be confused with Christian Science, though there are some similar beliefs and background between the two. Religious Science is usually considered part of the New Thought movement, which also includes Divine Science and the Unity Church.

The Institute for Religious Science, later the Church of Religious Science, was formed in 1926 by Dr. Holmes after the publication of his seminal book, The Science of Mind. In 1953 the organization split into two organizations, Religious Science International and United Church of Religious Science. The split was over “differences in approach to corporate structure and church administration,” not any philosophical difference.

Basics

Religious Science is “religious” because it deals with our relationship with God and the universe, and it is a “science” because it seeks to create and refine a model of understanding that universe, so that we might interact with it most effectively. I present a basic view of the model here:

Everything that exists in the universe exists in form and time and space as an expression of an Infinite Intelligence that we call “God.” Any number of metaphors can be used for this, but God as an Infinite Intelligence and Love expresses through God as a Law of creative thought, and that expression is the physical realm in which we live. Every bit of matter and energy is made of the “stuff” of God.

As beings created of this Intelligence and Love and Law, we are always connected to God, and we are all connected to one another. God is not “out there somewhere.” God’s Love is always available within us, and the Law always responds to our hearts and minds. When we communicate with God, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience; at our core, we are spiritual beings that are choosing to have a human experience here and now. All forms express in this universe to the level that their consciousness allows. Humans are uniquely qualified to say they are “created in God’s image” because we have the highest level of consciousness, and thus we are able to co-create with God, to conceive of ideas and turn them into reality.

The closest approximations we have to the absolutes of God are the verities of love, life, light, peace, power, beauty, and joy. These are available to us in infinite amounts from God, limited only by our individual ability to experience them. There is a force of love in the universe, but no corresponding force for hatred. There can be hatred as the absence of love. This is similar to how there is a power of heat, but no corresponding power of cold, only the absence of heat.

Thought is creative, and we should choose our thought patterns well so as to create a life as full as possible of the experience of the verities. The four key practices to help us along with our growth are: prayer, meditation, study, and service.

Prayer

One of the key catch phrases of Religious Science is “Change your thinking, change your life.” Prayer is not a beseeching of some outside entity, but an alignment of our inner hearts and minds with the Love and Intelligence of God. Affirmative prayer in Religious Science is called by the unwieldy name of “spiritual mind treatment.” A treatment is done in the affirmative and in the present, and contains the following steps:

• Recognition: that God is all there is.
• Unification: that the self is one with God.
• Realization: affirming or declaring the desired outcome.
• Thanksgiving: being thankful for the desired outcome, or something better.
• Release: giving it over to the Law and letting the Law do its work.

My Beliefs

I have included a few of my own beliefs here for completeness, so you can know where I am coming from when I answer your questions. I have separated these from the discussion above, as these are my personal views, and not necessarily those of Religious Science.

Belief is a choice: I believe what I believe because I choose to believe it; it works for me. We are all free to choose what we believe. Especially where matters of faith are concerned, there are no “right” ways to believe. A lot of the more fundamentalist posters seem to have forgotten this; they have forgotten that they choose their belief system, and think that they believe something because it is “The Truth.” Even if you accept biblical authority, you have chosen to accept biblical authority (and your version of the Bible to boot) over any number of other scriptures.

All language is metaphor: We are somewhat constrained in expressing what we believe to other people, because all language is metaphor. The word “chair” is not a chair, and the word “chair” denotes different things to different people. We should follow Descartes’ example and make sure we define our terms when we talk about whether/how we believe in “God.” The Bible is a good book, but not the literal word of God, as it was written in a language that is even more full of metaphor than English.

We all get glimpses of Divinity: We are all connected to and through God, and as such, we occasionally get glimpses of the Divine. God is ineffable and cannot be expressed in human terms. If you ever read the writings of the mystics of any religion, you can see them all struggling to share a vision that is beyond any attempt to describe it. We use any number of metaphors for that which cannot be fully described, then, as Joseph Campbell said, we kill each other over who has the better metaphor.

The Theory of Evolution: This will get more play in the second Religious Science thread regarding the intersection of science and religion. There is no reason to believe that the universe or the world or life on it is static. There is no reason to believe that a monist view of God in incompatible with change and growth and, yes, evolution of species along with evolution of consciousness.

 

[garric]

What is your creationist theory? Do you believe in God or the Big Bang or something else?

 

[classical_hero]

Remember that Natural selection does not equal Evolution.

 

[Shaihulud]

Is any of your theory verifiable? For example, the efficacy of prayer. The existence of freewill etc.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

One of the key catch phrases of Religious Science is “Change your thinking, change your life.” Prayer is not a beseeching of some outside entity, but an alignment of our inner hearts and minds with the Love and Intelligence of God. Affirmative prayer in Religious Science is called by the unwieldy name of “spiritual mind treatment.”

We all get glimpses of Divinity: We are all connected to and through God, and as such, we occasionally get glimpses of the Divine.

Yes, I think that when we pray for something, and its granted, its more like we managed to focus ourselves sufficiently to become god for the briefest nanosecond, too brief to even note fully. But thats all it takes to see to it your wish is 'granted'. The 'briefest nanasecond' is all of Eternity to God.

 

[Truronian]

What makes you believe an all-loving God exists?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Im not too sure about the 'all loving' part anymore. I think thats us projecting. Theres no human equivelant, and certainly no word for whatever sort of emotion god experiences.

 

[Truronian]

Im not too sure about the 'all loving' part anymore. I think thats us projecting. Theres no human equivelant, and certainly no word for whatever sort of emotion god experiences.

Ok then, I'll rephrase:

What makes you think that a superior (ie. better thanus) God exists?

 

[Veritass]

What is your creationist theory? Do you believe in God or the Big Bang or something else?

Keeping in mind the "all language is metaphor" caveat, I believe that this universe, this space-time fabric, is an expression of God that probably started its time as something akin to a Big Bang and expanded and evolved into what it is now. In a metaphorical sense, the "days" where God created the universe in Genesis are better spoken as "ages" or "eons." Even the part where Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil makes a good metaphor for where humanity evolved more conscious thought and made the transition from animal nature to a more human nature.

What is more interesting is to note that every culture has its own creationist theory. They all are different, and they all have similar components. They seem to reflect a human need to define and understand the universe.

 

[Perfection]

1. What additional understanding of the universe do you gain from religion?

2. You talk of Genesis, how does your religious view point compare with tha of Judiaism/Christianity?

3. You talk about God's Law, what is that?

 

[Veritass]

Is any of your theory verifiable? For example, the efficacy of prayer. The existence of freewill etc.

If you mean verifiable in a scientific sense, probably not. How would I quantify that prayer "works" and gives me a greater sense of peace in my life, and a greater experience of love than I ever thought was possible?

Most importantly, what would I use for a control? I believe one of the most fundamental truths ever spoken is that "it is done unto you as you believe." How would I scientifically measure the efficacy of prayer, when spoken prayer so easily contradicts what the person truly believes? I believe the power of prayer is to (eventually, usually over time, but sometimes instantly) change the person's belief to one that can encompass more goodness and allow that goodness to flow into their life.

I don't believe it is possible for humans to design an experiment that tests the existence of free will, but it is an interesting thought exercise.

 

[Veritass]

Yes, I think that when we pray for something, and its granted, its more like we managed to focus ourselves sufficiently to become god for the briefest nanosecond, too brief to even note fully. But thats all it takes to see to it your wish is 'granted'. The 'briefest nanasecond' is all of Eternity to God.

Thank you, Bozo. (Gee, there's a phrase I never thought I would type. ) That's a lovely way to look at it, and very much in line with the Science of Mind.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Ok then, I'll rephrase:

What makes you think that a superior (ie. better thanus) God exists?

Thats a real tough question, there are so many possible answers, all of them true. I'll fall back on my old stand by: infinite possibilities means infinite chances for God to exist.

 

[Perfection]

I believe one of the most fundamental truths ever spoken is that "it is done unto you as you believe."

What makes that true?

It seems to me that your religion seems like an elaborate emotional scheme to make you feel good. Is this all it is or is there more to it. If so what would that be?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Thank you, Bozo. (Gee, there's a phrase I never thought I would type. )

Well that makes too of us who are surprised, I never thought Id read it!

That's a lovely way to look at it, and very much in line with the Science of Mind.

I never heard of it before, but it sounds interesting. I'll definitely work my way through the links in the OP.

 

[Truronian]

Thats a real tough question, there are so many possible answers, all of them true. I'll fall back on my old stand by: infinite possibilities means infinite chances for God to exist.

Wouldn't that mean there are infinites chances for a devil, or a being superior to God to exist as well then? Also, why are their infinites possibilities for God?

 

[Veritass]

What makes you think that a superior (ie. better than us) God exists?

There is a Sufi story about a sheikh that is given the power to communicate with the animals, and he asks the ants, "Is God like an ant?" The ants reply, "No, we only have one stinger, but God, he has two stingers!"

It is human conceit that makes us want to anthropomorphize God as a singular being, typically with human thought patterns.

Religious Science is a monist view of God; that is, all that exists is God, or at least an expression of God. Is "all that exists" "superior" to me? Probably. It is at least bigger than me.

 

[Perfection]

You wouldn't happen to be Birdjaguar's DL...

It is human conceit that makes us want to anthropomorphize God as a singular being, typically with human thought patterns.

I just don't see the point of saying, "there's somthing big than me, I don't what the heck it is, but it's got a lot of love in it". It strikes me as rather, well, silly.

 

[Truronian]

Religious Science is a monist view of God; that is, all that exists is God, or at least an expression of God. Is "all that exists" "superior" to me? Probably. It is at least bigger than me.

So basically, you believe that everything exists, and that God is everything? Is God more than everything, or is everything Gods limit?

Also, is this view of God at all relevent, does God being what he is usher in some greater understanding? Is calling God everything not just semantics, what Joe Bloggs calls everything you call God?

 

[Truronian]

I just don't see the point of saying, "there's somthing big than me, I don't what the heck it is, but it's got a lot of love in it". It strikes me as rather, well, silly.

My thoughts exactly, it does seem like a rather OTT form of optimism.