The Individuation of God: Integrating Science and Religion
Kudos to Peter B. Todd for this masterful contribution which will undoubtedly advance the dialogue between the scientific disciplines and theology. Drawing upon the work of scientific thinkers such as Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Huxley, Pauli, Einstein, Pribram, and Bohm on the one hand and theologians such as Teilhard de Chardin and Hans Kung on the other, Todd asserts that Dawkins's "God delusion" refers to a passe, naive conception of an anthropomorphic God who created a pre-Copernican clockwork universe. By contrast, Todd points the way to a scientifically illuminated theology. He pulls from such diverse fields as neuropsychoanalysis, quantum physics, Jungian thought, and transpersonal psychology to develop a higher-order understanding of evolution that embraces the complementarity of mind and matter and is bound by neither time nor space. It is a vision of evolution that honors consciousness, the archetypal, and the numinous as fundamental. It is difficult to do full justice to the philosophical sophistication and precision Todd brings to this subject. Readers should brace themselves for an intellectually challenging and exciting journey foreshadowing a paradigm shift in which the conceptual boundaries between science, theology, and psyche are smashed. --David Van Nuys, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Sonoma State University, and host of Shrink Rap Radio PodcastThis book is the work of a religious thinker and an experienced psychologist who has immersed himself in the writings of Carl Jung and sciences of our age. This is not a theological book; rather, it is an expression of depth psychology, of divine experience, what Todd calls an "epiphany to the human consciousness . . . a God from within evolving matter itself," where matter matters and God is an expression of the human mind. Todd helps us engage with our experience of God as the unconscious archetype. A first-class example of what Jung spent most of his life doing, namely, restoring meaning to symbols as expressions of the human condition, it is as erudite as it is joyous, in short, a work of love and purpose. --David B. Russell, Ph.D.Science and religion are still viewed as enemies by the popular mind, but as Peter Todd eloquently shows, the gap between them is rapidly closing. Todd writes clearly and persuasively with considerable knowledge of both camps. Jung was intent on reconciling science and religion through psychology, a project which met with widespread misunderstanding. Todd throws light on this endeavor and shows us the one world that can be glimpsed beyond the separate modalities of faith and reason. The Individuation of God represents a significant cultural fusion of scientific research and religious vision. --David Tacey, Ph.D., author of How to Read Jung and Edge of the Sacred: Jung, Psyche, EarthThis book is the work of a religious thinker and an experienced psychologist who has immersed himself in the writings of Carl Jung and sciences of our age. This is not a theological book; rather, it is an expression of depth psychology, of divine experience, what Todd calls an "epiphany to the human consciousness . . . a God from within evolving matter itself," where matter matters and God is an expression of the human mind. Todd helps us engage with our experience of God as the unconscious archetype. A first-class example of what Jung spent most of his life doing, namely, restoring meaning to symbols as expressions of the human condition, it is as erudite as it is joyous, in short, a work of love and purpose. --David B. Russell, Ph.D.Science and religion are still viewed as enemies by the popular mind, but as Peter Todd eloquently shows, the gap between them is rapidly closing. Todd writes clearly and persuasively with considerable knowledge of both camps. Jung was intent on reconciling science and religion through psychology, a project which met with widespread misunderstanding. Todd throws light on this endeavor and shows us the one world that can be glimpsed beyond the separate modalities of faith and reason. The Individuation of God represents a significant cultural fusion of scientific research and religious vision. --David Tacey, author of How to Read Jung and Edge of the Sacred: Jung, Psyche, Earth