THE “ISMS” BY WHICH WE LIVE – Part IV

And that leads us to our third “ism”, that of mysticism.

The root of the word mysticism is, of course, the word mystery. In fact, my sailboat was named “Mystic”, because for me sailing was a mystical experience. My wife has another view and says sardonically, “no, the name should stand for something else. “It’s a mystery to me how you ever get back from some of your sailing adventures,” she said. “You must have a guardian angel.” I agree. In her defense, I can say sailing has often improved the prayer life of my passengers and myself!

Nonetheless, mysticism has been central to Christianity in Jesus, Paul and countless others. It is fundamental in the Jewish prophets and n Jewish Kabbalism. And in Islam, the Sufis carry forward the mystical tradition. All three religions claim a great, divine, spiritual Being underlies all reality.

We might expect that from religions, say the skeptics. Okay, fair enough. So, let’s turn to prominent scientists who surprisingly, are very strong proponents of mysticism. Physicists Paul Davies and John Gribbon boldly say in their book. The Matter Myth,”….people can take heart: materialism is dead.”

Why? Because there may be no such thing as a basic material particle. Atoms are splitable, have smaller and smaller parts, that go back and forth between matter and energy. Therefore, energy may be the most basic thing in the universe, not matter.

Thus says George Gilder, in this view, - that is, in the view of intelligent energy as being the ultimate reality – in this view, the “powers of the mind are everywhere ascendant over the brute force of things, transforming a material world composed of blank and inert particles to a radiant domain rich with sparks of informative energy.” (Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution In Economics and Technology, quoted in Davies and Gribbon, P. 16) Theoretical physicist, John Wheeler adds, “…matter is ultimately relegated to the mind.” (Ibid, P. 307-8)

That is illustrated in this delightful science fiction dialogue written by Terry Bisson. An alien space explorer has just returned from an earth visit. Back to his own planet he is reporting his amazement to his unbelieving commander.

DIALOGUE: E = Explorer, C = Commander

E: “They’re made out of meat.”

C: “Meat?”….

E: “There is no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessel, and probed them all the way through. They’re completely meat.”

C: “That’s impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars?”

E: “They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don’t come from them. The signals come from machines”

C: “So who made the machines? That’s what we want to contact.”

E: They made the machines. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Meat made the machines”

C: “That’s ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You’re asking me to believe in sentient meat.”

E: “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in the sector and they’re made out of meat.”

C: “Maybe they’re like the Orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage.”

E: “Nope. They’re born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their lifespans, which didn’t take too long. Do you have any idea of the life span of meat?”

C: “Spare me. Okay, maybe they’re only part meat. You know, like the Weddilei. A meat head with an electron plasma brain inside.”

E: “Nope, we thought of that, since they do have meat heads like the Weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They’re meat all the way through.”

C: “No brain?”

E: “Oh, there’s a brain all right. It’s just that the brain is made out of meat!”

C: “So…what does the thinking?”

E: You’re not understanding, are you? The brain does the thinking. The meat.”

C: “Thinking meat! You’re asking me to believe in thinking meat!”

E: Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat! Dreaming meat! The meat is the whole deal!”

(quoted in Why Religion Matters, by Huston Smith, P. 183-184)

Yes, believe it or not, “thinking meat, conscious meat, loving meat, dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal.”

But not quite. Huston Smith wryly observes that science has made no progress explaining how the meat in the brain can cause mental life whereas the meat in the liver cannot. “Every day we discover anew that the world is more strange, more complicated and more mysterious than we had suspected.” (Why Religion Matters, P. 185) Indeed it is, for us, it gets more and more mysterious, not less. Of course, Rene Descartes coined the phrase, “I think therefore I am.” The mind was the proof of his identity, but Ambrose Bierce humorously quipped, “I think I think, therefore I think I am.”

But it is more than that. Mind, spirit and intelligence engage the material world and express thought through it. They do not emerge out of materialism, but shape it and control it. Lewis Thomas says, “There almost has to be a Person in charge running matters of meticulous detail…” (Ibid. P. 261-263)

Nobel Prize winner in physics, Louis DeBroglie, said, “mystery surrounds us. Genuine science is motivated by spiritual ideals and allows us to sense an ontological order which is beyond us.” (Quantum Questions, Ken Wilber, ed. P. 117) British scientist and mathematician, Sir James Jeans, said, “…the universe begins to look more like a great thought than a great machine….it’s creation must have been an act of thought.” (Ibid. P. 128, 143)

The mind Is not an accidental intruder, says Jeans but the creator and governor of matter (Ibid. P. 144) Matter may be a condensed version of Idea (Ibid, P. 146) Max Planck, the father of modern quantum theory, says the greatest thinkers are also deeply religious and that science demanded a believing spirit. (Ibid. P. 152) Planck added, “rationality had to be supplemented with the mystical” Faith is an essential ingredient (Ibid, P. 152 ff.) Albert Einstein said the cosmic religious experience is the source of all true science. And brilliant physicist, Wolfgang Pauli, believes we need a synthesis of both rational understanding and the mystical experience of unity. (Ibid, P. 162)

On and on the quotes go from famous scientists challenging materialism at its core. And that brings us back to Minneapolis and to my friend in the National Geological Laboratory. “What holds it all together?”

Our answer of mystical faith comes from the book of Proverbs which speaks of the wisdom of God creating the world. And it comes from the Gospel of John where we are told all things come to be by the Word of God, the Logos of God, the mind of God, in whom all things consist and hold together.

And in our Washington D.C. seminar, the ancient geode has to take a far second place to the self-conscious human mind, and to the mind of God. For as the New Testament book of Hebrews says: “By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.” (Hebrews 11:3)

We might paraphrase this and say, the material world we see is made out of the energy and mind of God we do not see.

To be sure it is a mystical vision. But I believe it will prevail. Amen