Christian Existentialism

Christian Existentialism

Evolution

Most people seem to believe that you either except Darwin's Theory or you except The Bible. I don't understand their dichotomy. Science tells you HOW something happened describing the process in empirical formula showing cause and effect.  It's very "if p, then q". Science is physics. To be science something must be subject to precise description, repeatable and measurable. The theory of evolution continues to struggle with some of these in our experience (nobody has lived long enough to witness the creation of homo sapien from an amoeba), but by and large it is an acceptable theory. That is, we think we've got most of it right, but we're still refining our thoughts as our skills improve.  We don't expect something to come along and refute natural selection and sexual selection. We can apply this model reliably in other science and make progress. We explain how it happened: mutation (thank you, Mendel).

In The Bible we read a wonderful story of divine beings using the matter at hand and organizing it (I hope NOBODY still supports creatio ex nihilo [http://tektonics.org/af/exnihilo.html]). There are some wonderful "coincidences" in the biblical description (the discovery of the seven basic amino acids in clay that's bolted by electrical current or the progressive creation from dust to man), but God does not appear to be concerned with transferring knowledge of how this is done. He does want us to understand WHY it was done (search the scriptures for the words "try" and "test"). We are here on probation. The irony might be that this is a scientific experiment on God's part to see what "q"s will result from the "p"s when placed in an environment with certain (in His experience) controlled variables. In doing this, He would use the theories and laws of physics (My omnipotent god cannot break the laws of the universe any more than we can break the law of gravity. We fly because we put aluminum together in a particular pattern and apply thrust, not because we defy the law of gravity). This does not diminish His power any more than using standard American spelling diminishes my power to communicate. In fact, it enhances it.

Nature vs. Nurture

The logical next step is trying to understand why we are the way we are. We've really progressed in this area. My grandmother knew that my green eyes came from my grandfather, but she did not understand how it was the result of a genetic crossover or evolutionary algorithm. My wife and I have continued this scientific experiment to create humans with blue, green and brown eyes; red, blond and brunette hair. Modern religion seems to not be concerned about why I have green eyes, but in some social groups I might have been executed for this witch-like phenomenon. Science continues to get better and better at helping us know how to produce humans with certain physical traits and without congenital challenges.

Social Science, one of the great oxymorons attempts to explain why we have become what we are. As we continue to advance in this area we identify more variables and build theories that are better at explaining our behavior. It requires a great deal of faith to accept many social theories and our experience demonstrates that the vast majority of these have to be continuously revised. When this art evolves to a true science we should be able to explain how I became obnoxious and better yet, predict the environment where somebody will have a certain behavior. This prediction is the true value of science.

As I read books like Albion's Seed and other social history I can see patterns develop influenced by the social variables (often the result of physical variables) inherent to a group of people. We combine physical science with social science and we begin to predict the pattern of blond and red-headed people coming from a region besot with violence creating the warriors that we appreciate today. My father always said that the Japanese attacked the United States because they had been to California and thought all Americans were laid back and submissive.  If they'd bothered to explore Alabama they might have changed their ideas.

Religion

As an aside I comment that the world uses the expression “tradition” interchangeably with “religion”. To my point of view this defines religion as a set of behaviors or habits that a group portrays. I define religion in terms of faith: Religion is believing.  It is faith the way Paul describes it in the New Testament. It is the power of believing. Faith does not define a system of beliefs (an organization or a “church”), but a power and influence over matter and behavior. Contrary to its etymology, religion is a liberating force allowing you to go beyond what is scientifically described.

What all of these approaches lack is recognition of Divine Nature. This is where we can only find acceptance of principles through faith.  The religious experiment is to question an idea, principle or event, research and study with all the tools available and then present it to God for affirmation or disqualification. We call this process faith or spirituality, and like pain we have no way of determining its presence or measuring its intensity. I am an expert on pain and can verify the similarity in experimentation with both. I can also verify the power of belief in dealing with its attributes.

What honest religion does is accept the laws of thermodynamics: 

• Matter and energy are eternal and constant. The form may change, but the quantity remains the same. This is the genius of e=mc2. There is no more or less matter/energy in the universe today than there was at "creation" (organization). 
• The next law, entropy, states that "in all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state" (http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobookener1.html). This means that as you talk or stand by, your cell phone battery will die. Your phone will not work again until your battery is recharged (a transfer of energy).

What science cannot measure (yet), but our subjective observation affirms is a level of matter and energy that result in life and death. This is as much a spiritual state as it is physical.  Our common sense accepts this in all that we do. When animation ceases, we call the experience death. The spirit leaves the body. Spirits may account for other attributes. I have four children with the same woman. Genetics explains their various physical features.  They were all raised in the same environment (excepting the period of time which is different for them all as none are twins). They have very different personalities. The expression of this started with their first breath. Any parent knows this, but I defy you to explain it based on science. I posit that each of us has a divine nature or spirit. Everything on the planet expresses spiritual qualities. An influence in all the behaviors we exhibit is the result of this spirit.

At some date, we may be able to answer the why of everything in scientific terms. If I could do this, I would be a god among men.  Maybe, just maybe, this is why we're here. My faith confirms this. My science? It's still trying to figure it out.