Follow the Science.
On a recent retreat I read “Blue Sky God” by Don McGregor. The central tenet of the book is that God is the consciousness, the Ground of Being that sustains the material reality in which we live, stemming from the concept of conscious particles/waves in quantum physics. (Ch1 loc 230) I recommend this and the film “What the bleep do we know” as a great introduction for the non-scientist to this subject. Watch it for free on Youtube!
But of course there is nothing new under the sun! “Everything that is in the heavens, in the earth, and under the earth is penetrated with connectedness, penetrated with relatedness. Hildegarde of Bingen (12th century mystic).
Imagine the smallest particle in the universe. At the quantum level, we cannot pin it down because whenever we try to observe it, it changes because it is being observed. Scientists have concluded that this particle is conscious and at this level we are all related. The universe is connected via this consciousness; this is the ground of being that is common to everything: animate and inanimate.
Do you find this fascinating and exciting? Does it not make sense of prayers, healing, praise? If the ground of being can be influenced and changed, could it be true that by prayers and praise we are able to change the world one tiny particle at a time. Could it be true that miraculous healing is healing at the sub-atomic level? I get excited when science catches up with the deeper magic of the universe!
If we consider the greatest commandments: love God, love neighbour, they gain substance and meaning beyond faithful worship and being a nice person. Is Jesus, less well known as a quantum physicist, saying that at the sub-atomic level, the basic structure of the universe is held together and can be transformed by LOVE.
Jesus taught us that humanity is or could be one with God – I am in the Father and the Father is in me – and we can be one with god and each other; completely united, connected. Jesus’ healing and other miracles actually demonstrate the fabric and structure of the universe. Can quantum physics explain how he could pass unseen through crowds, walk on water, heal the sick? At the sub-atomic level there is God – at the massive universal level – there is God and it is all about vibration and frequency. Love changes the frequency, love changes the world!
The scientists have shown that at the sub-atomic level there is a consciousness that is influenced by what we do, how we live, how we vibrate. Hildegaard told us that there is a relatedness that sits at the very centre of existence. Jesus told us that loving God and loving neighbour would transform the world. It fits together.
During the lock down people were reaching into the church online. Some of them see a world that is disintegrating. They see the fruit of human ingenuity failing to find answers to the deterioration of our environment and society. They see greed and selfishness destroying our planet. Where is God in all this? If God exists God is powerless and not in control, irrelevant or out of touch, or even God is a despotic tyrant.
Many people who do not attend church clicked into our services during lock down. When they reached in, did they sense that we are in possession of a great secret that could transform them? Did they begin to dare to hope that there might be answers to their pain, confusion and the problems of our world? Or were they simply entertained by something different on the internet?
How many times have we heard the expression “following the science” during the pandemic? The coming together of science and God in our day should make us pause and reflect. Perhaps we can find a language to connect with those disaffected, disappointed or disconnected with the Church, those simply looking for a time-filler in long days of isolation.
When our doors reopen for business, let’s not rush back in and return to “normal”, we may leave our online friends outside, shipwrecked in the world wide web. Let’s take a moment to ask some questions. What have we learned from our visitors and each other: about ourselves, about God, about how we do church? How can we be renewed, refreshed, rebooted to be Christ’s body in a post Covid world? How can we communicate the greatest news in the universe?
Maybe if we follow the science……..