Please read the first part of this two part blog. Star Dust
First a couple of facts (as opposed to beliefs). No one can prove there is a GOD. It is also true that no one can prove there is NOT a GOD. Yes, I know there are those who claim to have “experienced” the presence of what they BELIEVE (with all their hearts) was God. They can cite the difference in their lives as evidence of the experience, but they can’t give you the experience they had. Unfortunately, we are all isolated creatures, capable of communication, but that communication, at its very best, can only communicate an approximate facsimile of the experience, not proof. Enough of that, my position should be clear.
Yet, I have the experience of God every day. When I think about the implication of being start dust (see Star Dust blog) I see there is some underlying force of nature that allows, indeed fosters the creation of elements that in all their richness have the capacity to form into organized structures. Obviously they organize into stars. We have learned that exploding stars broadcast higher level elements. We have learned that these tend to “gravitate” toward each other and under the influence of greater and greater collections, form planets. We have come to understand that if these planets are just the right distance from the galaxy center and just the right distance from a supporting star, and rotate just the right amount, they are capable of collecting liquid water. When there is liquid water, we have learned elements can collect in the presence of solar and planet heat, form collections capable of replicating themselves with the ultimate outcome of becoming what we call living systems, interdependent on the environment that supported their development.
I call this a Life Force, a fundamental structure, created in the big bang which has resulted in living systems that can exchange information, learn, grow, and come to understand, at least at some primitive level, the very system that created them. So, to me, I see this Life Force as the embodiment of what people call God. I have found, in my own spiritual practices with people in a liberal protestant setting, that I can share in worship understanding what some people see as an external reality they call their God by mentally substituting my understanding of this grand, magnificent Life Force. As I pray, I understand that I seek to complement, not work against this Life Force. I feel morally responsible to sustain the capabilities of this planet. I celebrate the scientific discoveries that inform our understanding of our place in the universe all the way down to my own family dynamics. When I see a beautiful sunset or peaceful lake, or snow on the tree branches, I can celebrate the fact that I have been given the chance to experience this Life Force personally.
And I also can feel anger and even rage when I see actions that through ignorance or selfishness lead to thwarting this Life Force in the here and now. I get frustrated when people ignore this Life Force and seek their own personal pleasure and gain at the expense of others. In other words, my moral capacity is not diminished by this understanding and the fact that this Life Force has a cycle that will one day deny my ability to participate. It is the kingdom of god here and now that we are all given by this undeserved gift of life. How will be respond? Will we resist or conspire to support the Life Force for all of life’s creation and creatures?
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