From: aull@ll.mit.edu (Brian Aull)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.bahai
Subject: Science and Religion article - part 5
Date: 10 Sep 92 17:47:28 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems of Canada, Inc.


Science as a Means of Spiritual Growth

Religion and science are complementary in their purposes.  Science deals
with the characterization of the physical universe, whereas religion deals with
the spiritual nature of the human being, that is, with an essence that 
transcends
physical nature.  Therefore, to understand the harmony of religion and science
as a Baha'i teaching, one must study the statements in the Baha'i writings about
the relationship between the physical and spiritual natures.

Baha'u'llah teaches that God created "man ...  to enable him to know his 
Creator and to attain His Presence" (Gleanings 70).  Yet in another passage He
states that "all men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing 
civilization" (215).  The first statement concerns a spiritual matter, whereas 
the
second refers to conditions of earthly existence.  What is the relationship 
between
spiritual growth and cultural advancement?

'Abdu'l-Baha portrays earthly life as a sort of gestation period for the 
development of spiritual attributes that are needed after physical death, much 
as a
fetus in the womb develops sensory and motor organs needed after physical
birth (qtd. in Baha'i World Faith 312).  Baha'u'llah writes, "Out of the wastes
of nothingness, with the clay of My command I made thee to appear, and have
ordained for thy training every atom in existence and the essence of all created
things"  (Hidden Words 32).  Thus, humans achieve and reflect
closeness to God by living and acting in the context of physical existence.
Baha'u'llah teaches the avoidance of two extremes: hedonism on the one hand
and asceticism or monasticism on the other.  The first extreme attaches 
exclusive
importance to material pleasures, which are transitory, and neglects the 
transcendent, eternal aspect of the human being.  The second extreme, however,
deprives the individual of the "real-world" tests and trials that are needed to
build a spiritual character.

As an example, consider money.  On the one hand, Baha'u'llah writes:

Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between the seeker and
his desire, the lover and his beloved.  The rich, but for a few, shall in no 
wise
attain the court of His presence nor enter the city of content and resignation.
(Hidden 41)

On the other hand, He writes:

The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend
upon themselves and upon their kindred for the love of God, the Lord of all
worlds.(51)

This third alternative to hedonism and asceticism is called detachment in the
Baha'i writings.  Baha'u'llah writes, "Whoso hath known Him [God] shall soar
in the immensity of His love, and shall be detached from the world and all that
is therein.  Nothing on earth shall deflect him from his course..." (qtd.  in 
Baha'i
World Faith 132).  Detachment is not to be confused with self-deprivation or
puritanism.  Rather, it is a spiritual sense of priorities, manifested in 
practical
deeds.  Baha'u'llah states, "Eat ye, 0 people, of the good things which God
hath allowed you, and deprive not yourselves from His wondrous bounties"
(qtd.  in Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice 33).  The qualification is, 
in
'Abdu'l-Baha's words, that these things

should not be allowed to monopolize all the thoughts and aspirations of a
human being.  The heart's ambitions should ascend to a more glorious goal,
mental activity should rise to higher levels.  Men should hold in their souls
the vision of celestial perfection, and there prepare a dwelling-place for the
inexhaustible bounty of the divine spirit. (The Reality of Man 15)

He further states that saints
live in the world but are not of it, their thoughts being continually in the 
world
of the spirit.  Their lives are spent in holiness, and their deeds show forth
love, justice and godliness. (24)

So in the life of an individual, money and material pleasures can either be
the means of spiritual growth or barriers to it, depending on how and why they
are used.

Science is an individual and a collective effort whose direct concern is with
material phenomena.  The exalted station accorded to science in the Baha'i 
writings is quite striking.  'Abdu'l-Baha states:

The virtues of humanity are many, but science is the most noble of them
all.  The distinction which man enjoys above and beyond the station of the
animal is due to this paramount virtue.  It is a bestowal of God; it is not
material; it is divine.  Science is an effulgence of the Sun of Reality, the 
power
of investigating and discovering the verities of the universe, the means by
which man finds a pathway to God....  Science is the first emanation from God 
toward man. (Promulgation 49)

'Abdu'l-Baha also states that "the unshakeable foundation is the teaching of
sciences and arts" (Selections 134), and that "the acquisition of sciences and
the perfection of arts are considered acts of worship" (144).

Like other material pursuits, however, the high station of science is 
conditioned on how and why it is used.  'Abdu'l-Baha points out that God gave 
humans an intellect "that it might be used for the advancement of civilization, 
for the
good of humanity, to increase love and concord and peace" (The Reality of
Man 11) Baha'u'llah writes:

Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent.  Its 
acquisition 
is incumbent upon everyone.  The knowledge of such sciences, however, 
should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those
which begin with words and end with words. (Tablets 51-52)

Frequently, humans engage in useless or even destructive applications of their
intelligence, using it "to destroy instead of to build, for injustice and 
oppression, for hatred and discord and devastation, for the destruction of his
fellow-creatures..." ('Abdu'l-Baha, Reality I 1).

Furthermore, science should be a tool in humanity's spiritual quest to know
and love God, and a means of inspiring humility and reverence for the Master
Architect of creation.  'Abdu'l-Baha writes:

If, then, the pursuit of knowledge lead to the beauty of Him Who is the Object
of all Knowledge, how excellent that goal; but if not, a mere drop will perhaps
shut a man off from flooding grace, for with learning cometh arrogance and
pride, and it bringeth on error and indifference to God.  (Selections 110)

Every kind of knowledge, every science, is as a tree: if the fruit of it be the
love of God, then is it a blessed tree, but if not, that tree is but dried-up 
wood,
and shall only feed the fire.  (181)

Many great scientists displayed a certain awe, humility, and reverence, even
if this was not couched in orthodox theological ideas.  Galileo devoutly 
believed
in God, and felt that reading the "Book of Nature" through scientific 
investigation is as valid a path to the knowledge of God as reading the biblical 
text.
Kepler spent his entire life searching for a nonexistent geometrical pattern in
the orbits of the planets because he felt that the universe should manifest the
perfection of God's mind.

Often, however, God is barricaded out in the name of "science."  
Disillusionment with the dogmatism of religion,combined with intellectual pride,
leads many to commit a logical fallacy in the name of rationality: "Testable"
is equated with "tangible," and it is therefore assumed that it is irrational to
make any assertions that cannot be tested by physical measurement.  This is a
logical fallacy because it treats absence of direct sensory evidence as evidence
of absence.  Furthermore, it does not eliminate faith but simply chooses a 
particular kind.  Sensory input is trusted as the ultimate source of knowledge 
about
reality.  'Abdu'l-Baha comments on the irony of this with a touch of humor:

All the animals are materialists.  They are deniers of God and without 
realization of a transcendent power in the universe.  They have no knowledge of
the divine Prophets and Holy Books-mere captives of nature and the sense
world.  In reality they are like the great philosophers of this day who are not
in touch with God and the Holy Spirit-deniers of the Prophets,  ignorant of
spiritual susceptibilities, deprived of the heavenly bounties and without belief
in the supernatural power.  The animal lives this kind of life blissfully and
untroubled, whereas the material philosophers labor and study for ten or
twenty years in schools and colleges, denying God, the Holy Spirit and divine
inspirations.  The animal is even a greater philosopher, for it attains the 
ability
to do this without labor and study....(Promulgation 311-12)
Then why should we go to the colleges?  Let us go to the cow.(361)

In short, science, when properly used, is conducive to both spiritual 
advancement and social progress.  Improperly used, it leads to great social harm 
and a narrow-minded atheism.

The Baha'i writings teach that science should be used as a means to find a
path to God.  Indeed, this aspect of science is difficult for any sensitive 
person
to ignore.  The grandeur, beauty, and complexity of nature certainly evoke a
sense of wonder.  The laws of physics and statistics have mandated the
development of conscious, intelligent beings.  It can be argued that these are
evidences of the existence of the Creator.

This is a very old argument for the existence of God, which Bertrand Russell
terms the "argument from design."   Russell argues that Darwin destroyed the
validity of this argument, because natural selection and evolution work through
a series of genetic accidents whose beneficiaries produce more offspring.  So,
Russell argues, "there is no evidence of design about it" (Why 10).  What 
Russell 
overlooks is that even Darwinian evolution relies on certain laws of physics
and probability.  These laws allow "animate" beings to evolve from "inanimate" 
matter; the fact that this process relies on statistical phenomena does not
warrant the conclusion that "the whole thing is just a big accident."  Evolution
can be regarded as a mechanism of continuous creation, and in fact shows great
design ingenuity.

Russell also argues that it is just as logically self-consistent to assume that
creation has always existed as it is to assume that Someone created it.  This is
true, but a value system must meet other tests besides internal consistency.  It
must also incorporate a sensible interpretation of the totality of experience 
and
one that produces constructive results.  Science must also look beyond logical
consistency to find truth.  If a radio dish received a transmission from space
encoded with a well-known mathematical formula or sequence,the scientific
community would declare this to be irrefutable evidence of an intelligent 
sender.
No scientist would seriously try to convince his colleagues that it is just as
logical to presume that the radio waves carrying the message had always existed.

Baha'u'llah commented extensively on nature as a reflector of the attributes
of God:

Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator.
Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this diversity 
there
are signs for men of discernment.  Nature is God's Will and is its expression
in and through the contingent world.  It is a dispensation of Providence
ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise.  Were anyone to affirm that it is the
Will of God as manifested in the world of being, no one should question this
assertion.  It is endowed with a power whose reality men of learning fail to
grasp.  Indeed a man of insight can perceive naught therein save the effulgent
splendor of Our Name, the Creator.  Say:  This is an existence which knoweth
no decay, and Nature itself is lost in bewilderment before its revelations, its
compelling evidences and its effulgent glory which have encompassed the
universe. (Tablets 142)

How all-encompassing are the wonders of His [God's] boundless grace!
Behold how they have pervaded the whole of creation.  Such is their virtue
that not a single atom in the entire universe can be found which doth not
declare the evidences of His might, which doth not glorify His holy Name,
or is not expressive of the effulgent light of His unity.  So perfect and 
comprehensive is His creation that no mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can
ever grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less
fathom the mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible
and unknowable Essence.(Gleanings 62)

Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He [God] hath shed
the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of
His attributes.  Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the 
radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own
Self.  (65)

Every created thing in the whole universe is but a door leading into His
knowledge, a sign of His sovereignty, a revelation of His names, a symbol
of His majesty, a token of His power, a means of admittance into His straight
Path....(160)

Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence
of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as
within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the
revelation of that Most Great Light ....  How resplendent the luminaries of
knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of  wisdom  that
surge within a drop! (177)

'Abdu'l-Baha also states:

When, however, thou dost  contemplate the innermost essence of all things,
and the individuality of each, thou wilt behold the signs  of  thy  Lord's  
mercy
in every created thing, and see the spreading rays of His Names and Attributes
throughout all the realm of being, with evidences which  none will  deny  save
the froward and the unaware.   Then wilt  thou observe  that  the universe is a
scroll  that  discloseth  His  hidden  secrets,  which are preserved in the
well-guarded Tablet.   And not an atom of all the atoms in existence, not a
creature from amongst the  creatures but  speaketh  His  praise  and  telleth  
of
His attributes and names, revealeth the glory of His  might  and guideth to His
oneness and His mercy:  and  none will  gainsay  this  who hath  ears to hear,
eyes to see, and a mind that is sound. (Selections 41)

There is much more to these statements than a romantic assertion that  nature
is awe-inspiring and therefore reminds us of God.   There seems to be an 
implication 
that physical  phenomena can actually teach us about  spiritual reality.
John  Hatcher,  (Metaphorical  Nature  3  1)  for  example,  explores  the ways 
in
which physical realities serve  as  metaphors  for  the  understanding  of  
spiritual
realities.   The study of the sciences cannot but lead the sensitive person to 
reflection 
about philosophical, moral, and social issues.