© 2006 Antti Roine
© 2006 Carmelo Martínez, traducción
© 2006 Asociación Internacional de Urantia
© 2006 Urantia Association of Spain
Science discovers how nature works and then names new topics and phenomena. Science establishes new natural laws through experimental work and the use of concatenations of evidence. Previously proven topics and methods are always used as a starting point for new ones because there can be no effects without causes. If we have the courage to continue this concatenation of evidence to the very end and reach the original cause, we will always end up with God, that is, we will find the first reason, the one that has no cause. Atheists try to get around this logical problem by inventing some name for the first reason, such as the Big Bang.
All matter, energy, life, and spirit were compressed into a space smaller than the head of a pin 14 billion years ago, according to current scientific beliefs. Scientific facts can, however, change because we still know less than one percent of the natural laws and questions that exist. Today we know at least 100 times more scientific facts and data than we did 100 years ago, and this trend will continue at an exponential rate. However, our wisdom will not grow at the same rate unless we have the courage to reevaluate old scientific and religious assumptions. Science continually changes and improves our understanding of the universe; however, we will always find God at the end of all scientific paths, now and at all times.
Beauty, wisdom, justice, love, and faith cannot be measured with a gauge, nor with any physical or chemical instrument. They do not react with matter or energy, but are nevertheless as real as granite because the human spirit makes them visible. Consequently, we are purely spiritual beings temporarily trapped in our bodies. We perceive this spirit when we look into our friends’ eyes and listen to their opinions; this voice is not that of the material.
¶ Different fields
Science does not address the questions of fundamental importance to the human spirit, specifically, those of good and evil. It is religion that finds the answers to these questions. True science magnificently uncovers which material matters are true and which are false. By using science, we can improve the well-being of our bodies. True religion uncovers the spiritual matters that are true and that bring joy to our souls. These clear, permanent effects can be used to distinguish true science and true religion from false and feigned ones.
We can fight, with true and sincere information, against those cults, clans, black magic, voodoo, and other mind-control groups that hypnotize our children and offer nothing more than temporary relief by eliminating their followers’ free will. A false religion, philosophy, or science leads humans and their fellow humans to the despair of suicide and economic and ethical bankruptcy, while true religion and science help humans face and resolve everyday problems in mutual harmony.
Today, the day we are living right now, is always the most important stage for us, because it is the only time in which we can make changes and improvements. True science and religion support each other. Contradictions and misleading disagreements always arise from false scientific and religious interpretations and assumptions. However, in the long run, renewable and dynamic science and religion will come together.
Our life and our world have been designed exactly and precisely as they are, so that we can freely decide between faith and atheism. We could not freely decide, if we could prove using some scientific procedure, the existence of God or some higher power. Mercy, justice, love, the flowers of the field, the atom, or the entire universe are all valid proofs of God for the Hindu or the Catholic, but the atheist can observe the world from a different perspective. The ultimate proofs are “I am” and “You are” for the religious human, but the atheist has every right to believe in accidents, luck, and destiny.
Atheism and skepticism require far more blind faith than faith in Jesus because science cannot prove that God does not exist. A Lutheran, an Orthodox Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew can be absolutely certain of God because they base their faith not on scientific proof but on the God-Adjuster who lives in our minds. This tiny fraction of God makes our survival possible and awakens our religiosity.
¶ We need courage
We need courage to find scientific or religious truth. Truth is difficult to find if we lack the courage to study and explore all the information, taboos, and even sources that have been labeled as suspect. Truth does not depend in any way on the source of information, the author, or the type of “ism”; truth is based strictly on proven scientific or spiritual facts. We must also listen to the voice of our own judgment and conscience, which is the main reason for having them.
We can find much truth, for example, in the Quran, the Bible, and also in The Urantia Book, which gives a logical explanation of why we are, where we come from, and where we are going. Our world and our language are constantly changing; in science or religion, we don’t have to cling to millennia-old assumptions and interpretations. We must have the courage to review and update the old material using modern language and concepts. We have enough of old rituals, sacred icons, and empty phrases. We deserve instead a dynamic and living science, faith, and religion that truly impacts our decisions, choices, and daily activities.
The continuing development of religious dogma and content is the most important challenge facing Lutheranism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other religion. Renewal, reform, re-examination, and sincere and dynamic dialogue are needed to increase harmony and understanding among different religious groups. We must also understand that salvation does not depend on the name of the corresponding “ism”; the only requirement is faith with love and charity without hypocrisy.
¶ Philosophy and Ethics
Philosophy and ethics address similar issues to those addressed by religion; however, many conclusions may differ due to different basic assumptions. Materialistic philosophies assume we only live 80 years, but the conclusions of religious philosophies are based on the idea of eternal life. This gives a completely different perspective to daily life. The religious perspective offers a much more logical explanation for our daily difficulties and struggles than a purely philosophical viewpoint. For example:
- We could not understand courage if we did not know fear and disappointment.
- Without pain and suffering, we could not strive for pleasure and joy.
- We could not find altruism and humanism if we did not confront social inequality and injustice.
- We could not internalize the love of truth if error and falsehood did not exist.
- We could not understand hope and trust if insecurity, accidents, and illness were not always present.
- We could not understand justice if greed and inequality did not exist.
Only in a world like this can we strive for these valuable qualities, a world where we can rely only on the mercy and love of our Creator. In a perfect, error-free universe, we could not achieve these goals. The few years we spend on Earth are the first day of our eternal journey of exploration; therefore, we must always give our best. We often imagine that all our achievements are based on our own abilities, but this is not true. Almost all of our victories are based on the work done by our fellow human beings and by hundreds of previous human generations; we live on the shoulders of giants. Therefore, we must pay it forward and do our part to improve this world in which we live.
In this world, we will never find complete equality and independence. However, the point is that we can fight for these values. Some fortunate ones are born into wealthy families, and some into poor ones; some of us have wonderful bodies, and others, sick and deformed ones. However, at the moment of death, we are all equal; at this stage, we must make the final choice between death and eternal life. This is the only truly sovereign and independent decision we can make in our life on Earth; no one can help us in this final phase.
Our universe, our atoms, our matter, and our life have been created using such immense wisdom that it would have been much easier to create a perfect paradise. We must realize that even a tiny virus or a small seed contains more sophisticated engineering than any device created by man. Creation signifies the soul, life, gravity, photons, elements, space, and the laws of nature. Evolution signifies the consequences of these basic building blocks of our world, evidence of which can be found in geological strata and sediments.
We have a much higher goal than merely obeying rules and abiding by laws, so we must listen to our judgment and conscience to determine what is right and what is wrong. The exploitation of our poor and vulnerable brothers and sisters may be legally possible, but not in a true religious philosophy. Our world is constantly changing, and therefore, our God does not need robots but humans who can make their own wise decisions and have faith without material proof or miracles.
Religious groups must gradually realize that WE HAVE THE SAME GOD, but we call Him by different names. We are not enemies; we share the same destiny, and we can learn a lot from each other. We must realize that the main difference is the rituals and worship, but that the God is the same.
Philosophy without God is like an out-of-calibration thermometer. Materialist philosophy may offer the temporary relief and survival of a buoy adrift in the ocean, but religious philosophy points the way to eternal survival like a beacon on a granite base.
¶ God is the source and the destination
God provides unity and a point of calibration for philosophy and ethics. Philosophy cannot achieve equality among all humans without the concept of one God or Creator. Only this concept and this idea can make us all brothers and sisters with the same human rights. This is the only path to light and world peace. This simple concept will also lead us to serve and venerate our fellow human beings, rather than serving sacred relics and empty rituals. God does not live in fetishes, but in our minds as God’s Adjuster. Therefore, the businessman can worship God by making fair deals; the engineer by creating green processes; and the artist with joyful and entertaining work.
For science, God is a cause; for philosophy, a hypothesis of unity; and for religion, a living person. For human beings, God is the source as father and mother, but He is also destiny because our soul yearns to merge with this tiny fraction of God that lives in our minds. The human being is a dual creature, composed of male and female parts with equal rights. These two poles are different but equally important, and they make our lives fascinating and exciting because both give us different perspectives on our world. Variety and differences are not defects but virtues, for they increase the richness of our lives and make us stronger.
I want to make the world a better place for Christians, Muslims, and atheists. The only path to this goal is the idea of one God and Creator who makes us equal. Without it, we tend to consider our God, philosophy, race, religion, gender, and country superior to others. This error will always justify the oppression of our fellow human beings. I would like to make the world a place:
- Where we don’t need barbed wire fences between different religious groups.
- Where the verdict of a court does not depend on the defendant’s prosperity.
- Where religious rituals cannot replace appreciation for our fellow human beings in daily life.
- Where women have the same rights as men.
- Where the illusion of national sovereignty cannot be used as an excuse to start wars and conflicts.
- Where we don’t have to hide our personality behind walls or pseudonyms like rats in their holes.
- Where justice and empathy are more important than traditions, cults, and bureaucracy.
- Where the highest religious ideas will be transformed into daily life using the best scientific tools.
- Where we don’t fight for God and religion, but for men and women, because we are weak but God is strong.
Two thousand years ago, cowards cried out, “Free Barabbas” and “Crucify Jesus.” Many of us imagine this doesn’t affect us; however, at the moment of “departure,” each of us will face this same personal choice.
Antti Roine, January 1 - January 14, 2006
Excerpt from the February 2006 issue of the UAI Journal. Translation by Carmelo Martínez
¶ References
- This article on the Urantia Association of Spain website
- A version of this article in the Fellowship Herald