Spirtuality

Most discussion on science and religion tends to focus on creation and evolution, at least this has been the dominant theme in the media of late. Yet the subject of creation and evolution is not the only concern in a discussion of science and religion. Other themes are also present: science and belief in the supernatural, science and the soul, science and the transformation of consciousness, science and the virgin birth, science and the resurrection, science and near-deaths experiences, science and the Bible, science and eschatology, science, faith, reason and wisdom, science and human Development, etc. In this paper I want to focus on science and spirituality.

The third millennium will be dominated by the "religion/spirituality paradox": the decline of organized religion on one hand coupled with a growing interest in spirituality and wisdom on the other. Because organized religion is perceived by many to be more focused on religious ritual and church trivia then on spirituality, people are searching for spirituality elsewhereóoutside "brand-name" churches and finding it in religious innovations. This demands a reordering of priorities in terms of the spiritual, and an urgent need for a relevant faith. "Relevant" is one of those words that tend toward triteness if not immediately focused. Thus by relevant I mean a faith that speaks to the current and future concerns of our time. Among these are: environmental concerns, poverty, diversity, racial/ethnic conflict, respect for the Other (whether it be God, nature, individuals or the group), human awareness and the transformation of conscious, and the emergence of a "wisdom society," as well as a desire for a meaningful, purposeful existence, to name a few.

One of the crucial problems human beings are beginning to experience in the 21st century, and arising out of the information highway and the technological reconstruction of all aspects of everyday life, both in business and leisure, is all the cacophony and...