Every culture has a creation myth, and many of them have striking similarities—they typically feature the story of the first man and woman, and tell us about the symbolism and meaning of their spiritual universe.
Most of the world’s peoples know the Biblical creation story of Adam and Eve from Genesis. In it, after the seventh day, God first creates the body of Adam, breathes into his nostrils the spirit of life, “and man became a living soul.” Then God created a garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God then took one of Adam’s ribs and created the first woman, Eve.
At first all seemed idyllic eastward of Eden, and God gave them every good thing, and one command, “thou shalt not eat” of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. But the subtle serpent tempted Eve into eating the fruit, saying, “For God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” And Eve ate of it and shared it with Adam who ate also. Upon which God was very displeased, and cast them from the Garden into the wilderness. He even placed cherubim and a flaming sword at the garden’s gate, to make sure Adam and Eve stayed out.
As God had told them, the day they ate the forbidden fruit they died. Beguiled by the world, Adam and Eve’s “fall” metaphorically represented human beings putting their own wills before God’s. Genesis explains why God has sent us his prophets and messengers ever since, to teach us respect, humility, kindness once again–all the virtues we symbolically tossed aside to eat the forbidden fruit, with or without knowing the true implications of that action. In my view, the story symbolizes humanity throwing away our original trust in God.
In the Baha’i teachings, Abdu’l-Baha explains the deep symbolism of the Creation story:
Adam signifies the heavenly spirit of Adam, and Eve His human soul. For in some passages in the Holy Books where women are mentioned, they represent the soul of man. The tree of good and evil signifies the human world; for the spiritual and divine world is purely good and absolutely luminous, but in the human world light and darkness, good and evil, exist as opposite conditions.
The meaning of the serpent is attachment to the human world. This attachment of the spirit to the human world led the soul and spirit of Adam from the world of freedom to the world of bondage and caused Him to turn from the Kingdom of Unity to the human world. When the soul and spirit of Adam entered the human world, He came out from the paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From the height of purity and absolute goodness, He entered into the world of good and evil… – Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 123-124.
I bring up the Creation story, one I learned so well as a Catholic boy, because of the sequence of Adam’s creation. First God created his body from dust, then breathed the “spirit of the Lord” into him, and subsequently God made Eve. They ate of the tree of knowledge and discovered their nakedness, as well as good and evil.
The philosopher in me can’t help but think those symbols mean that the creation of the human body comes first, forever, infused with spirit, giving the body its life-force. This occurs both scientifically and spiritually when egg meets sperm.
Our binary nature, both the lower animal instincts and our higher spiritual yearnings, may have led to Descartes’ concept of mind and body in dualism.
Progress in the physical sciences, and today in technology, have impelled individual and societal developments of the powers of the mind. Just as Freud, Jung and Adler proved with advances in psychiatry and psychology– giving birth to the modern raft of therapies for individuals, couples, families and even organizations–revelations of the mind will continue indefinitely.
But the search for our inner selves, the discovery of the reality of the self, requires more than just a mind. Without the proper tools, the job of finding one’s self becomes practically impossible if we only rely on one of our human components–body or spirit or mind alone. That spiritual search requires interaction and integration of our reasoning and caring abilities, and the proper balance between all three elements of our nature.
We have entered an era of great expansion in humanity’s mental abilities—and now our greatest task is balancing our intellectual powers with our spiritual development. To truly know ourselves, we need all of our powers.
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.
By Rodney Richards
Like you, I've had many ups and downs, and quite a few sideways experiences. I firmly believe everyone should write theirs and share them, whether just for themselves or their kids. Here are some from my memoirs, observations and thoughts.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Part 7: Discovering the Life of the Spirit
[This first appeared on October 20, 2014 on bahaiteachings.org]
The great Liberator of Science, Rene Descartes (31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650), was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who spent most of his life in the Dutch Republic. Dubbed the “father of modern philosophy” his work is studied carefully even today. Much subsequent Western philosophy simply responds to Descartes’ writings.
Descartes arrived at a single foundational principle: thought exists. He said “Thought cannot be separated from me, therefore, I exist.” Most famously, we know this as cogito ergo sum in Latin, or in English: “I think, therefore I am.”
The philosophy and realities of Descartes exposed and liberated science from the chains of religious dogma common in Europe and elsewhere at the time. Another way of understanding his profound insight into humankind–”I am body and I am mind”–he labeled “dualism.” These ideas still prevail today—many people, especially in the western world, define themselves this way.
Dualism does not go far enough, however, in describing human beings. It excludes the most important aspect of human existence–our spirit. Many people have pointed out this glaring omission in Descartes’ philosophy, but George Williams, a British draper, did something about it. Appalled by the terrible conditions in London of young working men in the 19th Century, he gathered a group of his fellow drapers together to create a place that would not tempt young men into sin–the YMCA, which he founded in June of 1844.
I still remember as a nine year old boy in 1959, wearing my white beginner’s Gi (uniform), learning Jujitsu at the Y from a master teacher. The Young Men’s Christian Association, now a worldwide organization, has more than 57 million beneficiaries from 125 national associations. It aims to put Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy “body, mind, and spirit,” reflected in the sides of this red triangle, part of all YMCA logos.
If Descartes called his mind/body dichotomy dualism, you could call this belief in all three human realities “Triism.”
Billions of people would agree wholeheartedly with the presence of these three realities in all of us. However, physical science has not yet discovered “hard” evidence of what most of the world’s people already know. Faith in a human spirit leads not just to discovering one’s full, true self, but also discovering the best in humankind, as exemplified by the saints, prophets and major messengers of God–manifestations such as Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Christ, Muhammad and more recently, the Bab and Baha’u'llah.
These revelators, along with many more whose names are lost to history, named spirit as the foundational component of humanity. In all their teachings, the prophets of God and the founders of the world’s great Faiths say the human spirit defines our reality. When we search for our own spiritual core, our soul, these divine educators and messengers say we embark on the true search for our deepest being.
Our own spirit, our soul, gives us life. How could it be otherwise? What animates a human being in the embryo to begin with? In other words, we all live the life of the spirit. In the creation stories and myths of most cultures, we learn that God created man in His own image—which doesn’t refer to a physical image, but a spiritual one. These beautiful passages from the Baha’i writings illustrate that mystical truth:
O Son of Man! Veiled in my immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee My image and revealed to thee My beauty. – Baha’u'llah, The Hidden Words, p. 4.
O Son of Being! Thy heart is my home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of Revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation. – Baha’u'llah, The Hidden Words, p. 17.
The ancients, philosophers, prophets and manifestations, one and all, have taught and written volumes upon volumes on this powerful theme. They knew that humans will always search for our own spirit, for what makes us who we are.
Life, internal in our minds, or external in our bodies and in the world, impels us on a journey toward the discovery of the most important thing that exists–knowledge of our own selves, and the life of the spirit.
Next: The Creation Story—Balancing Mind and Spirit
[The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.]
Best,
Rod
The great Liberator of Science, Rene Descartes (31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650), was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who spent most of his life in the Dutch Republic. Dubbed the “father of modern philosophy” his work is studied carefully even today. Much subsequent Western philosophy simply responds to Descartes’ writings.
Descartes arrived at a single foundational principle: thought exists. He said “Thought cannot be separated from me, therefore, I exist.” Most famously, we know this as cogito ergo sum in Latin, or in English: “I think, therefore I am.”
The philosophy and realities of Descartes exposed and liberated science from the chains of religious dogma common in Europe and elsewhere at the time. Another way of understanding his profound insight into humankind–”I am body and I am mind”–he labeled “dualism.” These ideas still prevail today—many people, especially in the western world, define themselves this way.
Dualism does not go far enough, however, in describing human beings. It excludes the most important aspect of human existence–our spirit. Many people have pointed out this glaring omission in Descartes’ philosophy, but George Williams, a British draper, did something about it. Appalled by the terrible conditions in London of young working men in the 19th Century, he gathered a group of his fellow drapers together to create a place that would not tempt young men into sin–the YMCA, which he founded in June of 1844.
I still remember as a nine year old boy in 1959, wearing my white beginner’s Gi (uniform), learning Jujitsu at the Y from a master teacher. The Young Men’s Christian Association, now a worldwide organization, has more than 57 million beneficiaries from 125 national associations. It aims to put Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy “body, mind, and spirit,” reflected in the sides of this red triangle, part of all YMCA logos.
If Descartes called his mind/body dichotomy dualism, you could call this belief in all three human realities “Triism.”
Billions of people would agree wholeheartedly with the presence of these three realities in all of us. However, physical science has not yet discovered “hard” evidence of what most of the world’s people already know. Faith in a human spirit leads not just to discovering one’s full, true self, but also discovering the best in humankind, as exemplified by the saints, prophets and major messengers of God–manifestations such as Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Christ, Muhammad and more recently, the Bab and Baha’u'llah.
These revelators, along with many more whose names are lost to history, named spirit as the foundational component of humanity. In all their teachings, the prophets of God and the founders of the world’s great Faiths say the human spirit defines our reality. When we search for our own spiritual core, our soul, these divine educators and messengers say we embark on the true search for our deepest being.
Our own spirit, our soul, gives us life. How could it be otherwise? What animates a human being in the embryo to begin with? In other words, we all live the life of the spirit. In the creation stories and myths of most cultures, we learn that God created man in His own image—which doesn’t refer to a physical image, but a spiritual one. These beautiful passages from the Baha’i writings illustrate that mystical truth:
O Son of Man! Veiled in my immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee My image and revealed to thee My beauty. – Baha’u'llah, The Hidden Words, p. 4.
O Son of Being! Thy heart is my home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of Revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation. – Baha’u'llah, The Hidden Words, p. 17.
The ancients, philosophers, prophets and manifestations, one and all, have taught and written volumes upon volumes on this powerful theme. They knew that humans will always search for our own spirit, for what makes us who we are.
Life, internal in our minds, or external in our bodies and in the world, impels us on a journey toward the discovery of the most important thing that exists–knowledge of our own selves, and the life of the spirit.
Next: The Creation Story—Balancing Mind and Spirit
[The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.]
Best,
Rod
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Part V: Can Religion and Science ever Agree?
Here’s the better question: when did science and religion not agree?
Religion has stayed its course for 10,000 years that we know of, from the religion of Abraham through all the prophets up to Baha’u'llah in the 19th century. The Baha’i teachings promise many more revelations to come in the glorious future of the human race. At no time did these divine messengers forbid the investigation of reality, and in fact, since the revelation of the Baha’i Faith, the independent investigation of truth has been its number one principle.
But man is imperfect, and so some leaders who want power and control over others have produced blind imitations, which obscure and totally blot out the truth:
Alas! that humanity is completely submerged in imitations and unrealities notwithstanding the truth of divine religion has ever remained the same. Superstitions have obscured the fundamental reality, the world is darkened and the light of religion is not apparent. This darkness is conducive to differences and dissensions; rites and dogmas are many and various; therefore discord has arisen among the religious systems whereas religion is for the unification of mankind. True religion is the source of love and agreement amongst men, the cause of the development of praiseworthy qualities; but the people are holding to the counterfeit and imitation, negligent of the reality which unifies; so they are bereft and deprived of the radiance of religion. They follow superstitions inherited from their fathers and ancestors. To such an extent has this prevailed that they have taken away the heavenly light of divine truth and sit in the darkness of imitations and imaginations. That which was meant to be conducive to life has become the cause of death; that which should have been an evidence of knowledge is now a proof of ignorance; that which was a factor in the sublimity of human nature has proved to be its degradation. – Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 71.
We have one united scientific truth, and the Baha’i teachings say that we also have one unified religious truth.
Both discover the realities, one in humanity’s inner life and the other in the natural world. The Baha’i writings say that true religion unlocks and uncovers “that which is beyond the range of the senses, that realm of phenomena through which the conscious pathway to the Kingdom of God leads . . .”- ibid, p. 49.
The Baha’i writings say that true science “discovers latent realities within the bosom of the earth, uncovers treasures, penetrates secrets and mysteries of the phenomenal world . . .” – ibid, p. 49.
According to Forrester Research, over one billion PCs existed worldwide by the end of 2008; two billion will exist by 2015. As Silicon India recently reported, the number of active cell phones will reach 7.3 billion by 2014. That’s the world’s population–right now. We can thank science and logic and human intelligence for perfecting these and a myriad other amazing technologies.
Man did not magically climb out of the primordial mud and immediately create fire, nor computers, nor cellphones. These realities took years to nurture and develop, just as spiritual principles take years to nurture and develop in a human heart. They can be discovered by trial and error, testing hypotheses, or yet again, in an instant of inspiration and change of viewpoint.
True religion and science have never disagreed—instead, they both became the discoverers, unlockers and uncoverers of reality.
Only humans, in our imperfection, have created these disagreements:
Religion is the outer expression of the divine reality. Therefore it must be living, vitalized, moving and progressive. If it be without motion and non-progressive it is without the divine life; it is dead. The divine institutes are continuously active and evolutionary; therefore the revelation of them must be progressive and continuous. All things are subject to re-formation. This is a century of life and renewal. Sciences and arts, industry and invention have been reformed. Law and ethics have been reconstituted, reorganized. The world of thought has been regenerated. Sciences of former ages and philosophies of the past are useless today. Present exigencies demand new methods of solution; world problems are without precedent. Old ideas and modes of thought are fast becoming obsolete. Ancient laws and archaic ethical systems will not meet the requirements of modern conditions, for this is clearly the century of a new life, the century of the revelation of the reality and therefore the greatest of all centuries. Consider how the scientific developments of fifty years have surpassed and eclipsed the knowledge and achievements of all the former ages combined. – ibid, p. 84.
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.
Written by Rodney Richards for BahaiTeachings.org
Rodney is a technical writer by profession, having served New Jersey State Government for 39 years. Retiring in 2009 Rod turned his writing skills to prose and poetry, publishing his first in a series of memoirs, Episodes: A poetic memoir, available on Amazon.com. He and his wife of 44 years, Janet, are proud of their successful adult children, and remain active in the community in which they live.
Religion has stayed its course for 10,000 years that we know of, from the religion of Abraham through all the prophets up to Baha’u'llah in the 19th century. The Baha’i teachings promise many more revelations to come in the glorious future of the human race. At no time did these divine messengers forbid the investigation of reality, and in fact, since the revelation of the Baha’i Faith, the independent investigation of truth has been its number one principle.
But man is imperfect, and so some leaders who want power and control over others have produced blind imitations, which obscure and totally blot out the truth:
Alas! that humanity is completely submerged in imitations and unrealities notwithstanding the truth of divine religion has ever remained the same. Superstitions have obscured the fundamental reality, the world is darkened and the light of religion is not apparent. This darkness is conducive to differences and dissensions; rites and dogmas are many and various; therefore discord has arisen among the religious systems whereas religion is for the unification of mankind. True religion is the source of love and agreement amongst men, the cause of the development of praiseworthy qualities; but the people are holding to the counterfeit and imitation, negligent of the reality which unifies; so they are bereft and deprived of the radiance of religion. They follow superstitions inherited from their fathers and ancestors. To such an extent has this prevailed that they have taken away the heavenly light of divine truth and sit in the darkness of imitations and imaginations. That which was meant to be conducive to life has become the cause of death; that which should have been an evidence of knowledge is now a proof of ignorance; that which was a factor in the sublimity of human nature has proved to be its degradation. – Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 71.
We have one united scientific truth, and the Baha’i teachings say that we also have one unified religious truth.
Both discover the realities, one in humanity’s inner life and the other in the natural world. The Baha’i writings say that true religion unlocks and uncovers “that which is beyond the range of the senses, that realm of phenomena through which the conscious pathway to the Kingdom of God leads . . .”- ibid, p. 49.
The Baha’i writings say that true science “discovers latent realities within the bosom of the earth, uncovers treasures, penetrates secrets and mysteries of the phenomenal world . . .” – ibid, p. 49.
According to Forrester Research, over one billion PCs existed worldwide by the end of 2008; two billion will exist by 2015. As Silicon India recently reported, the number of active cell phones will reach 7.3 billion by 2014. That’s the world’s population–right now. We can thank science and logic and human intelligence for perfecting these and a myriad other amazing technologies.
Man did not magically climb out of the primordial mud and immediately create fire, nor computers, nor cellphones. These realities took years to nurture and develop, just as spiritual principles take years to nurture and develop in a human heart. They can be discovered by trial and error, testing hypotheses, or yet again, in an instant of inspiration and change of viewpoint.
True religion and science have never disagreed—instead, they both became the discoverers, unlockers and uncoverers of reality.
Only humans, in our imperfection, have created these disagreements:
Religion is the outer expression of the divine reality. Therefore it must be living, vitalized, moving and progressive. If it be without motion and non-progressive it is without the divine life; it is dead. The divine institutes are continuously active and evolutionary; therefore the revelation of them must be progressive and continuous. All things are subject to re-formation. This is a century of life and renewal. Sciences and arts, industry and invention have been reformed. Law and ethics have been reconstituted, reorganized. The world of thought has been regenerated. Sciences of former ages and philosophies of the past are useless today. Present exigencies demand new methods of solution; world problems are without precedent. Old ideas and modes of thought are fast becoming obsolete. Ancient laws and archaic ethical systems will not meet the requirements of modern conditions, for this is clearly the century of a new life, the century of the revelation of the reality and therefore the greatest of all centuries. Consider how the scientific developments of fifty years have surpassed and eclipsed the knowledge and achievements of all the former ages combined. – ibid, p. 84.
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.
Written by Rodney Richards for BahaiTeachings.org
Rodney is a technical writer by profession, having served New Jersey State Government for 39 years. Retiring in 2009 Rod turned his writing skills to prose and poetry, publishing his first in a series of memoirs, Episodes: A poetic memoir, available on Amazon.com. He and his wife of 44 years, Janet, are proud of their successful adult children, and remain active in the community in which they live.
Part IV: Can Relgion Unify the Planet?
The endowments which distinguish the human race from all other forms of life are summed up in what is known as the human spirit; the mind is its essential quality. These endowments have enabled humanity to build civilizations and to prosper materially. But such accomplishments alone have never satisfied the human spirit, whose mysterious nature inclines it towards transcendence, a reaching towards an invisible realm, towards the ultimate reality, that unknowable essence of essences called God. The religions brought to mankind by a succession of spiritual luminaries have been the primary link between humanity and that ultimate reality, and have galvanized and refined mankind’s capacity to achieve spiritual success together with social progress…. No serious attempt to set human affairs aright, to achieve world peace, can ignore religion. – The Universal House of JusticeHistorians recognize religion, one of the most potent forces guiding human conduct and promoting social good, for its important role in helping each individual’s moral and spiritual development—but also for controlling materialism and advancing civilization as a whole.
Just like human development, which has incrementally and steadily matured over the past thousands of years, religion has also reached adulthood. Many people now recognize all the Prophets and Founders of the world’s great Faiths for what and who they are: progressive messengers of one and the same God, a God of love. In the Baha’i view of systemic, unified and sequential development of faith, each religion plays a required and legitimate role in a single divine, continuing, perpetual religion. Baha’is believe the Messengers of God will continue to succeed one another “until the end that hath no end,” each bringing in turn a fuller measure of God’s unending guidance to humankind.
In the Baha’i teachings, we learn that God has given us an unfolding plan for happiness and social order, based on spiritual principles of love, service to others, and personal conduct. In the Baha’i teachings, the twin goals of every religion, unity and freedom of worship, are blended and harmonized for the modern age. In the Baha’i teachings, the religions agree on spiritual and moral principles, although internal social laws differ in major and minor aspects. In the Baha’i teachings, science and religion agree.
Baha’is believe that the Golden Rule applies universally, and serves as the foundation of civilization. The Baha’i teachings uphold the sanctity of life, with balance and consideration for the mother’s and father’s wishes. Baha’is have no clergy, and believe celibacy for ministers of religious orders is a thing of the past. The Baha’i teachings encourage marriage and family life, and consider the raising of children a parental and societal duty.
Baha’i House of Worship in Willmette (outside Chicago)
In the Baha’i teachings, the religious distortions, disagreements and intolerance of the past, a main source of disunity, have been reconciled. Hatred, verbal or physical violence, and fanaticism have been replaced by acceptance, unity and understanding.
Could the Baha’i Faith be that universal religion of the future, the missing cohesive element that leads humanity to a unified and peaceful world? The Baha’i teachings encourage everyone to investigate and answer that question for themselves:
Now is the beginning of the manifestation of the spiritual power, and inevitably the potency of its life forces will assume greater and greater proportions. …it is evident that day by day it will advance. It will reach such a degree that spiritual effulgences will overcome the physical, so that divine susceptibilities will overpower material intelligence and the heavenly light dispel and banish earthly darkness. Divine healing shall purify all ills, and the cloud of mercy will pour down its rain. The Sun of Reality will shine, and all the earth shall put on its beautiful green carpet. Among the results of the manifestation of spiritual forces will be that the human world will adapt itself to a new social form, the justice of God will become manifest throughout human affairs, and human equality will be universally established. – Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 131.
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.
Part VI: Religion and Science are both Reality
Religious institutions have often reviled and denied scientific facts, and even severely punished those who discovered them.
Galileo Galilei
In the famous case of
Galileo in 1633, the Holy Office of the Catholic Pope put him on trial
for his scientific theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun. The
trial verdict found Galileo “vehemently suspect of heresy”, and the
Church forced him to publicly recant his theory. Famously, he said about
the Earth immediately after his trial, “And yet it moves.” For his
crime of discovery, Galileo spent nine years, the rest of his life,
under house arrest.
Science discovers reality, as does religion, in its own
way. Now, in the 21st century, scientific views have undergone a
180-degree revolution. Today scientific theories have become so numerous
and so ubiquitous that we tend to regard them as fact instead of hoax
until proven otherwise. And religious truth has become secular in many
instances in order to adapt.
Another example, my beloved three cups of coffee per day,
according to Leslie Stahl’s reporting last month on 60 Minutes, could
prolong my life into the 90’s and beyond. At one time the prevalent
science recommended against drinking coffee, yet now, research has shown
that coffee gives us more than just a morning jolt; that steaming cup
of java also provides the number one source of antioxidants in the U.S.
diet, according to a new study by researchers at the University of
Scranton in Pennsylvania.
Every created thing, including us, reflects the reality of
the moment we live in. Some scientific truths and religious dogmas have
been proven wrong or right, years after technologists or scientists or
sociologists first report their findings. The single truth underlying
all science, and indeed, all of life itself, is that discovering reality
never ends. The Baha’i
principle of the agreement of science and religion says that truth,
whether spiritual or scientific, has one source and one reality:
It is evident then that each elemental atom of the universe is possessed of a capacity to express all the virtues of the universe. This is a subtle and abstract realization. Meditate upon it, for within it lies the true explanation of pantheism. From this point of view and perception, pantheism is a truth, for every atom in the universe possesses or reflects all the virtues of life, the manifestation of which is effected through change and transformation. Therefore the origin and outcome of phenomena is verily the omnipresent God for the reality of all phenomenal existence is through Him. There is neither reality nor the manifestation of reality without the instrumentality of God. Existence is realized and possible through the bounty of God, just as the ray or flame emanating from this lamp is realized through the bounty of the lamp from which it originates. Even so all phenomena are realized through the divine bounty, and the explanation of true pantheistic statement and principle is that the phenomena of the universe find realization through the one power animating and dominating all things; and all things are but manifestations of its energy and bounty. The virtue of being and existence is through no other agency. Therefore in the words of Baha’u’llah the first teaching is the oneness of the world of humanity….” – Foundations of World Unity, p.59
As rational human beings, we realize through the truth of
religion that God gives us the faculty of reason to discover both
material and spiritual and reality:
Religion and science are the two wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism…. But the religion which does not walk hand in hand with science is itself in the darkness of superstition and ignorance.Much of the discord and disunion of the world is created by these man-made oppositions and contradictions. If religion were in harmony with science and they walked together, much of the hatred and bitterness now bringing misery to the human race would be at an end.Consider what it is that singles man out from among created beings, and makes of him a creature apart. Is it not his reasoning power, his intelligence? Shall he not make use of these in his study of religion? I say unto you: weigh carefully in the balance of reason and science everything that is presented to you as religion. If it passes this test, then accept it, for it is truth! If, however, it does not so conform, then reject it, for it is ignorance! – Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, pp. 143-144.
Reality, like fantasy and imagination, goes on forever.
With its billions of galaxies, so does the universe. That unimaginable
vastness means we have an enormous amount left to discover, if we can
unite the spiritual and the scientific in the pursuit of truth.
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Descent or Ascent of Man?
Darwin wrote a great historic book when he penned Descent of Man in 1871 as followup to Origin of the Species in 1859. It describes many early beginnings and tribes of Man, "half-human" or descended from "ape-like creatures" as proven by him based on his naturalist's observations.
It could have just as easily been called, I think, more accurately, "The Ascent of Man" or the ascent of Homo Sapiens as opposed to other genuses. Darwin proves his theory of evolution using two prime methods, the law of natural selection, and the law of sexual selection and its corollary -- the principle of inheritance, i.e. inherited traits.
Darwin particularly favors the development of the Quadrumana tribe, to quote Darwin, "The greater number of naturalists who have taken into consideration the whole structure of man, including his mental faculties, have followed Blumenbach and Cuvier, and have placed man in a separate Order, under the title of the Bimana, and therefore on an equality with the orders of the Quadrumana, Carnivora, etc. Recently many of our best naturalists have recurred to the view first propounded by [Carl] Linnaeus [1707-1778 Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist], so remarkable for his sagacity, and have placed man in the same Order with the Quadrumana, under the title of the Primates. The justice of this conclusion will be admitted: for in the first place, we must bear in mind the comparative insignificance for classification of the great development of the brain in man, and that the strongly marked differences between the skulls of man and the Quadrumana (lately insisted upon by Bischoff, Aeby, and others) apparently follow from their differently developed brains. In the second place, we must remember that nearly all the other and more important differences between man and the Quadrumana are manifestly adaptive in their nature, and relate chiefly to the erect position of man; such as the structure of his hand, foot, and pelvis, the curvature of his spine, and the position of his head." [Source: Wikipedia]
In other words, Home Sapiens developed two hands and two feet, not all four being prehensile as the apes, and man's upright position and burgeoning brain, made all the difference.
So descent or ascent, egress or regress, as the case my be, natural selection made man fully human at some point, and distinct from his ape "progenitors." This to me signifies that man, from the earliest 4-legged crocodile to leave the seas, until present time, was destined to be Homo Sapiens. Homo means "the genus of bipedal primates that includes modern humans and several extinct forms, distinguished by their large brains and a dependence upon tools." Sapiens means "of, or pertaining to, modern humans."
My point is this, I wonder if we have outgrown the term "modern," and become that next future species, "Homo Futurians," especially based on the explosion of scientific and technological advances in the last half-century? Especially since those tools are more and more virtual or software-based? It's an interesting question, don't you think?
Best, Rod
Copyright Rodney Richards 2014
If you're new to my blog, just visit Amazon to read about my bipolar memoir, Episodes, and find my bio on the back cover, here
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rodney+richards+episodes
It could have just as easily been called, I think, more accurately, "The Ascent of Man" or the ascent of Homo Sapiens as opposed to other genuses. Darwin proves his theory of evolution using two prime methods, the law of natural selection, and the law of sexual selection and its corollary -- the principle of inheritance, i.e. inherited traits.
Darwin particularly favors the development of the Quadrumana tribe, to quote Darwin, "The greater number of naturalists who have taken into consideration the whole structure of man, including his mental faculties, have followed Blumenbach and Cuvier, and have placed man in a separate Order, under the title of the Bimana, and therefore on an equality with the orders of the Quadrumana, Carnivora, etc. Recently many of our best naturalists have recurred to the view first propounded by [Carl] Linnaeus [1707-1778 Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist], so remarkable for his sagacity, and have placed man in the same Order with the Quadrumana, under the title of the Primates. The justice of this conclusion will be admitted: for in the first place, we must bear in mind the comparative insignificance for classification of the great development of the brain in man, and that the strongly marked differences between the skulls of man and the Quadrumana (lately insisted upon by Bischoff, Aeby, and others) apparently follow from their differently developed brains. In the second place, we must remember that nearly all the other and more important differences between man and the Quadrumana are manifestly adaptive in their nature, and relate chiefly to the erect position of man; such as the structure of his hand, foot, and pelvis, the curvature of his spine, and the position of his head." [Source: Wikipedia]
In other words, Home Sapiens developed two hands and two feet, not all four being prehensile as the apes, and man's upright position and burgeoning brain, made all the difference.
So descent or ascent, egress or regress, as the case my be, natural selection made man fully human at some point, and distinct from his ape "progenitors." This to me signifies that man, from the earliest 4-legged crocodile to leave the seas, until present time, was destined to be Homo Sapiens. Homo means "the genus of bipedal primates that includes modern humans and several extinct forms, distinguished by their large brains and a dependence upon tools." Sapiens means "of, or pertaining to, modern humans."
My point is this, I wonder if we have outgrown the term "modern," and become that next future species, "Homo Futurians," especially based on the explosion of scientific and technological advances in the last half-century? Especially since those tools are more and more virtual or software-based? It's an interesting question, don't you think?
Best, Rod
Copyright Rodney Richards 2014
If you're new to my blog, just visit Amazon to read about my bipolar memoir, Episodes, and find my bio on the back cover, here
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rodney+richards+episodes
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