There is a power greater than ourselves

Religious Views, by Art Carney

Regardless of our views on religion --or lack thereof -- we can all generally agree that we are subject to a "Power that is greater than ourselves." While agnostics are content to remain undecided about such a Power, most religious folks have definite beliefs about God's power and His role in human affairs, and while atheists do not believe in a Divinity at all, they will admit they are subject to the power behind the laws of physics. Gravity, for instance, is a power we must all contend with that is an ever present and unremitting force that we cannot escape.

In a sense, we human beings are united by the power of physics, and it obligates us to fulfill certain requirements for living on Earth. The physical needs we all share are acknowledged by every person from the moment of birth to the end of life. A newborn babe "knows" it wants food or warmth and cries out for it, while a dying person will struggle for breath until the very end. Human beings are truly subject to, and united by, the physical requirements of life, and we pay homage to that power by "obeying" -- we cannot do otherwise -- the laws of physics and the laws of life. In a manner of speaking, we are at peace on the physical plane of being because we all have and understand the same basic needs, and we all have an adequate knowledge of the physical rules we must contend with.

However, due to the intellectual and emotional differences in the mind of human individuals, our spiritual needs are not so well defined. Unlike our physical needs which are universal, there is no common spirituality that requires us to accept any particular concept concerning our place in the scheme of things. Our spiritual needs are unique to ourselves.

The human mind reveals the beauty and goodness that make life worth living, but it also brings about the conditions that cause most of the human misery in the world. Human culture requires a collective ideology, and the ideology is reinforced by religious beliefs, but the resulting social mind-set gives rise to nationalism, racism and bigotry which are the major cause of war, genocide and terrorism. While the ideals of religion are worthy of pursuit, they can only be achieved at an individual level. To some extent, our social human failings are the result of attempting to generalize spirituality through the "universal" tenets of organized religion.

For instance, God is usually regarded as being a super-human being, but that concept is probably the remnants of an oversimplification that was adopted by early religions in order to make sense" of the mysterious forces of nature. However, in this day and age it is possible for a more enlightened population to think of "God" as being some sort of a logical essence within the sub-structure of creation -- an essence that gives rise to the existence of all things through a cause and effect system of evolution. The main difference between the concept of a supper-human God and the idea of a logical essence is that the latter is unconscious and impersonal, and its causes and effects are not driven by a will or by a plan.

From this point of view, the logical essence that is within all things can be compared to the vitality that is within both the soil and the seeds that cause growth to take place. Mystically speaking, the vitality of the logical essence is within the "soil" of the universe, and it produced a living garden from which a living gardener evolved who has the mental capacity to bring a measure of purposeful intelligence to the natural wilderness.

Simply put, the vitality within the sub-structure of creation generates both a physical energy and a life-force that are governed by the logical laws of physics and evolution. There is no plan for existence, there are only logical results that stem from an unknown "first cause." Aside from the aspirations of man that are mostly directed toward his own best interest -- usually in cooperation with his loved ones and neighbors -- there is no intended purpose for anything.

However, individual people do have the ability and the option to pursue the higher human values that give meaning and purpose to their life on Earth.

The spiritual soul of man is probably an extension of the human mind, and it is an evolutionary step beyond our comprehension -- much like our human mind is a step beyond the comprehension of our primate ancestors. As for spiritual peace on Earth, it will not be attained by a universal understanding, nor by a common code of behavior -- spiritual peace results from the practice of common sense by individual people.

Art Carney is a Wasilla resident and a frequent contributor to the Religion page.