I've recently become enthusiastic about the ancient idea of Idealism. It would explain some pretty large Christian mysteries. Things like, "How did God create the universe ex nihilo (from nothing)" and "How does God hear the prayers of millions of people at the same time?" It also fits the doctrines that "God is spirit" and that God will one day usher in a new creation.
The basic views of reality are (1) materialism - matter is all that exists, there is no spiritual dimension, and consciousness (mind) is somehow a product of matter; (2) dualism - matter and consciousness are separate and distinct aspects of reality; and (3) idealism - consciousness (mind) is the fundamental stuff of reality.
Science operates on the basis of a materialistic (naturalistic) paradigm, and the majority of scientists are hardcore materialists. Ditto for most atheists (but not all - a significant percentage of atheists believe in life after death and a spiritual dimension).
I've been reading the works of Bernardo Kastrup, who is a philosopher and scientist and a strong proponent of idealism. He writes regularly for Scientific American, so he's not some loony. Here are two of his books:
Kastrup insists idealism is the best fit with the scientific evidence. (He isn't a Christian by any means but is open to spiritual perspectives and writes often about them.)
His basic idea is that all of reality is a mental construct of the Supreme Mind, which we as Christians know as God. You may have heard the old saying "Our reality is God's dream" - that's pretty close to it. Because we're all within the same mental construct we call the universe, we collectively experience it the same way.
So far, so good. God literally created the universe "from nothing."
What about individuals like you and me? We're walled-off bubbles of consciousness within the large whole. Kastrup calls these "alters." We collectively experience the master reality but also have our private inner reality of sensory data, emotions and feelings.
I don't have access to your inner world, nor you to mine - but the Supreme Mind does, all the time, because it is the source of all. Ergo, God knows our thoughts and hears our prayers. In Christian terms, his Spirit indwells us.
This is all speculative, of course, but it would go a long way toward explaining how the relationship between us and God might "work." And it isn't only speculation - considerable science backs it up. Idealism goes back to the ancient Greeks. If you're really interested, see https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/idealism/.
Can I support all this with 14 Bible verses? Uh, no. So if that's your sole criterion, please move along.
The basic views of reality are (1) materialism - matter is all that exists, there is no spiritual dimension, and consciousness (mind) is somehow a product of matter; (2) dualism - matter and consciousness are separate and distinct aspects of reality; and (3) idealism - consciousness (mind) is the fundamental stuff of reality.
Science operates on the basis of a materialistic (naturalistic) paradigm, and the majority of scientists are hardcore materialists. Ditto for most atheists (but not all - a significant percentage of atheists believe in life after death and a spiritual dimension).
I've been reading the works of Bernardo Kastrup, who is a philosopher and scientist and a strong proponent of idealism. He writes regularly for Scientific American, so he's not some loony. Here are two of his books:
- The Idea of the World: A Multi-Disciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PGQPV3R/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4
- Science Ideated: The Fall Of Matter and the Contours of the Next Mainstream Scientific Worldview, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0985Z384W/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1
Kastrup insists idealism is the best fit with the scientific evidence. (He isn't a Christian by any means but is open to spiritual perspectives and writes often about them.)
His basic idea is that all of reality is a mental construct of the Supreme Mind, which we as Christians know as God. You may have heard the old saying "Our reality is God's dream" - that's pretty close to it. Because we're all within the same mental construct we call the universe, we collectively experience it the same way.
So far, so good. God literally created the universe "from nothing."
What about individuals like you and me? We're walled-off bubbles of consciousness within the large whole. Kastrup calls these "alters." We collectively experience the master reality but also have our private inner reality of sensory data, emotions and feelings.
I don't have access to your inner world, nor you to mine - but the Supreme Mind does, all the time, because it is the source of all. Ergo, God knows our thoughts and hears our prayers. In Christian terms, his Spirit indwells us.
This is all speculative, of course, but it would go a long way toward explaining how the relationship between us and God might "work." And it isn't only speculation - considerable science backs it up. Idealism goes back to the ancient Greeks. If you're really interested, see https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/idealism/.
Can I support all this with 14 Bible verses? Uh, no. So if that's your sole criterion, please move along.