Spiritual awareness and science

Rick Becker (rbecker@refractal.com)
Thu, 17 Jul 1997 21:28:57 -0400

>At 8:34 PM -0700 7/15/97, Robert Wahl wrote:
>>>>...a phenotype called 'spiritual awareness' to indicate a human?
>>>
>Bill Hamilton responded
>
>>>Is this a legitimate use of the term phenotype? Aren't phenotypic
>>>differences supposed to be observable?
>>
>Rob responded
>
>>Yup, I stand corrected. But I'm curious, (as are we all ) are about when
>>hominids became spiritual beings. Romans 1 is clear that all humans have
>>some sort of awareness of God. Is there no way to infer that from the
>>fossil record?
>>
Bill Hamilton responded

>Good question, and one which seems incredibly difficult to answer. It's
>seemed to me numerous times in these discussions that a great deal turns on
>the answer to the question, "Just what is man?" Does the Bible always mean
>spiritually aware humans when it says "man" or "men"? Or are there places
>(like Genesis 6 for example) where something else might be meant? Does
>genetics have anything to do with spiritual awareness, or does it only
>confer the capability for spiritual awareness when certain genetic
>characteristics are present (in which case it takes a direct act of God to
>actually confer the spiritual awareness)? Someone pointed out a few days
>ago that Paul talks of a natural man who seems to have no spiritual
>awareness. But Paul teaches that the "natural man" is accountable for his
>sins.
>
>It seems to me that Rob's question asks for physical evidence of a
>spiritual condition. Such evidence probably does exist, if only we could
>interpret it reliably every time. But that's a tall order, especially if
>we desire to win over our friends, colleagues and acquaintances who don't
>know the Lord.
>
I have been struggling to follow the conceptual analogues to exactly the
same questions in cosmology and quantum physics. Theology and physics are
eyeball to eyeball, yet the ultimate empirical proof in the physics of the
existence of God (or even reality), is generally accorded to be unreachable.
I believe that the reason science or any other discipline, will never
resolve the argument one way or another, is because none of them can measure
Love. I find it entirely unastounding that a God who can pull together a
complex biosystem out of third generation stardust, should continue to work
within the rules (His rules), and bring forth a special creature to Love as
the ultimate signature of His creation.
He just uses invisible ink. How can you *test* to see if the person
standing in front of you is a Christian? Has anyone ever done brain scans
of Christians in prayer, vs. say, Buddhists in deep meditation?
If we could ever _prove_ God, then freewill ceases. If science ever proves
God, it will be pointing to the AntiChrist. ( Mt.24:24, Rev. 13:13).

Rick
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