Monday - March 10, 2008
Lutheran/Zen-ism
So I've been reading some theology stuff recently. I've always read a lot about religion & spirituality, but I am finally getting around to trying to integrate the things that I have learned and the things that I believe.
The trick is that I am not completely sure what I have learned and what I believe. I have a general notion, but nothing completely solid. I actually take that as a good thing. I mean, if one ever got it figured out, one ought to go ahead and kill one's self - seeing as how all the answers would be available & therefore life would have found its ultimate meaning....
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I've always believed (in some form or another) in Christianity & Jesus as my saviour and all of that. But I have, for a long time, been *out-thinking* myself. I suppose I have been trying to approach God on *my* terms rather than on His. I imagine that's not unusual, but I also imagine it's not the most effective way to go about approaching God.
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I have been reading Paul Tillich recently. What's most interesting to me about his theology is that he describes God as being the "ultimate ground of being". That sounds awfully "Zen" to me. Of course, that is terribly appealing! For the last couple of years I have been thinking of God (or Reality) in that way.... or something close to that way. Interestingly enough, I have read a few books about "quantum theology". In a VERY brief nutshell, quantum theology is the "art" or integrating quantum physics/quantum reality with spiritualism. Most of what I have been reading is informed more by Eastern religions that Christianity, but I have found some useful metaphorical parallels with Christianity.
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Here are some of the fundamental things that I have come to believe in recent years. In quantum reality, there is the notion that the observer of an experiment actually affects the outcome of the experiment. Depending on how the experiment is observed, the outcome might be different. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle says (this is my interpretation, mind you - it may be a stretch) basically that the position and velocity of an electron "orbiting" (this is in the context of the model of the atom up until quantum physics obliterated the model) the nucleus of an atom cannot be known simultaneously. This in and of itself might not seem like a big deal at first glance, but it actually is. My interpretation of this idea is that until someone *observes* the electron (i.e., freezes it in time & space, so to speak), the electron doesn't exist in a particular place. Of course, that implies that if doesn't exist *somewhere*, then it can exist *anywhere*. Einstein disagreed with a lot of quantum mechanics. There was a famous discussion concerning whether the moon was really there when no one was looking. In short, Einstein believed that the world (reality, the universe, whatever you want to call it) exists independently of the human mind. (I don't necessarily disagree with this myself.) Quantum-types tend to believe that there isn't truly an objective reality.... that there is something that must *observe* reality to make it "real". I know this all sounds odd, but bear with me... it's not as weird as you may think.
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So.... we come to the idea/argument about which has primacy - existence? or consciousness? My idea says "both", in a sense. If there is no consciousness to "observe" reality, then reality doesn't exist in a particular place or time...no one is ther to "measure" existence. So when we as humans don't look at the moon (imagine getting EVERYONE on the planet to NOT look at the moon for a moment or two), the moon isn't there. Or better stated, the moon is *anywhere* and *everywhere*. That's a cool idea to me. Now of course we all KNOW that the moon is still there, don't we? But if it takes some sort of consciousness to "collapse the wave function" (I'm not sure how to explain this other than to say that there is a "probability formula" for where an electron "might" be at any given moment in time...but it isn't actually there until it's observed), then why is the moon still there? SOME sort of consciousness is observing it. I think this is close to what the Zen masters say about reality. It just is.
I also think this is close to what Tillich meant by God being the ground of being. So for me, God is the consciousness that collapses the wave function of reality at large. This is something of a stretch, I know. But I think it still works with most every religion out there in the world. For me, the interesting thing has been to find how this relates to Christianity in particular. Obviously, a "God" that simply exists for the sake of bringing reality into existence isn't much more than a "prime mover". However, I believe that the "quantum-ness" of reality allows a great mystery into our lives. It leaves room for randomness and for miracles. How does this relate to Christianity then?
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I always had a problem with the whole notion of non-believers burning in hell for all eternity if they didn't accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. I don't know if it's true or not, but it just seems a little out of character for a kind, loving, and merciful God. Now, to be sure, the God of the Old Testament is somewhat harsh.... Job, for instance.... and He also seemed to be pretty hung up on rules & regulations (not that that's a bad thing, of course - I don't mean to be blasphemous). The God of the New Testament, though, seems to be MUCH more kind, loving, and merciful by way of Jesus Christ. I don't mean to suggest that it's a different God or anything.... and I don't really want to get into the whole "eternal life" question (I'm still working on that one....). But when Jesus came, He gave the world a very Zen-like way. Jesus came to give a new life. A new way to live. For me, that new way to live is the CONTINUAL rebirth of the spirit and the sould of man. I'm not completely opposed to the notion of a Heaven with pearly gates and streets paved with gold, but it just seems too far away. Now exists in eternity. Every moment - every "now" sits between the past and the future. One is never in the past nor in the future....one is only in the "now" - and in that sense, "now" is eternal. I think that is close to what Jesus was talking about with the whole eternal life business. Again, this is just my interpretation... and bear in mind that I *am* mentally ill... so take this all for what it's worth. Every moment is a resurrection. Eternity is now.
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So why is there a picture of Martin Luther? Well, I have been sort of avoiding going to church regularly for a very long time. Mostly because, as I said, I tend to out-think myself. I think it's obvious by what I have been saying here that I might not feel completely comfortable going to a church here in the south and saying such things. But there it is.... It's somewhat ridiculous to let that keep me from going to church. I want a church where I can discuss these things openly and honestly and go on this journey with like-minded souls. I think that's too much to ask for. So I am going on God's terms - not on mine. I just need to show up.
So why a Lutheran church? I'm not really sure. I was raised in a Methodist church. I have no real problems with Methodist-ism... my only real complaint is that it seems the sacraments are a bit less important that it seems they should be. We tended to have communion once a quarter, maybe.... The GOOD thing about Methodist-ism is that when it's noon, it's time to go. The preacher can be halfway through the greatest sermon a man has ever given.... and people will get up and walk out promptly at noon! (This is just a joke, of course.)
It boils down to this: I have too many problems with authority to be a Catholic. I am not wealthy enough to be an Episcopalian. Lutheranism seems to be a good fit for me. The sacraments are important there... and the liturgy/ritual is important as well. For some reason, the mystery of God is present in the sacraments and in the "ritual" of a service. I have been trying to train and discipline my inside for a long time... but I think disciplining the *outside* can help with disciplining the inside. So I am just going to go... and I'm just going to continue to go. it can't hurt, right?