I'm on Cloud Atlas

I recently stumbled upon this incredible trailer of Cloud Altas to be released on October 26th.



I honestly never knew this novel existed until seeing this trailer. I know trailers are meant to hype up the film, and boy am I hyped for both the film and novel. Written by David Mitchell the 2004 novel consists of six stories spanning from the 19th century to a post-apocalyptic future. The stories are connected through the characters where, for example, the  main character of story #2 reads story #1 in the form of a diary found on a shelf. Each story is interrupted by the following story and after the closing of the 6th story the novel returns back to finish each one with the novel ending back where the reader started (Wikipedia). It is an interesting way to write a novel which I hope won't be too confusing to those watching the film. I'm just concerned if the audience will have enough time to appreciate the characters and different story lines in just under 3 hours.

What I really enjoyed was the theme of interconnectedness woven throughout the characters of the six different stories and time periods. The concept of how our lives are interconnected into the lives of others is...is...well I can't describe it. A part of what inspired my spiritual journey (and this blog) began when my wife and I found out we were having our first child. My mind exploded for weeks daydreaming about our new family and beyond (I recently turned 22 at the time). What followed were months of deep self reflection and mediation. How will I inspire my children? Will I be a good father? Will I repeat the actions of my father and his father? What if I screw it all up? Do I have anything worth passing on to the next generation? Will I have enough love for all of them? (I know this all may sound chessy and it'll get extra cheddary in a moment.) For the first time ever I felt truly connected to mankind (mmm...sharp cheddar). I felt as a link in a chain, a part of something bigger, grander than myself. Years earlier in high school I had designed a symbol and got it tattooed on my back. I had this idea to start a family tradition having my children (voluntarily) receive this symbol on their 18th birthday. I envisioned myself years in the future posing with my grandchildren also showing off their new tattoos. I felt this would be a way of passing on a part of myself and securing immortality.

I'm looking forward to reading the novel and watching the film. Has anyone read the book yet and if so feel free to comment below (try to keep it spoiler free though). For those who've read the book does the trailer appear to be faithful to the novel?

Quote of the Day: sine qua non

"But it is true that whenever we develop machinery to the point where it will support large populations at a high standard of living we are then bound to keep that machinery running, or suffer the consequences. But the real hazard in that is not the machinery, but the men who run the machinery...When a population is dependent on a machine, they are hostages of the men who tend the machines."

From The Roads Must Roll by Robert Heinlein.

Finals Week

I know it's been pretty slow here but I've been slammed working on final projects. Once I get through finals week I'll be back on my feet commenting and writing daily articles on topics like the Vatican exploring the possibility of alien life.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Gold, Frankincense and Mars - Guy Consolmagno
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

Alien life on other planets, a waste of time and resources or a noble venture? I've written a few posts on this topic earlier this year and I'm currently reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell which follows a Jesuit funded expedition to the planet Rakhat. Interesting book so far even though it's taking me months to read through.

Stranger in a Strange Land: Part 3-Thou art God

"His idea is that whenever you encounter any other grokking thing — he didn't say 'grokking' at this stage — any other living thing, man, woman, or stray cat… you are simply encountering your 'other end'… and the universe is just a little thing we whipped up among us the other night for our entertainment and then agreed to forget the gag."
-Stranger in a Strange Land

[Cover art (by James Warhola) for Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein]

I have recently finished reading Robert Heinlein's cult classic Stranger in a Strange Land and I hope the rest of his work is as good as this. Stranger in a Strange Land is one man's journey from the nest of his birth to the nest of his origins and the fire this young Prometheus brings to humanity. He is human yet he thinks in Martian. He is what we can become if we follow this 20th century Moses to the Promise Land. Only time will tell if humanity will be able to grok Valentine Michael Smith as fully Martian and fully man.

Part 1: Grokking in Fullness
Part 2: Water Brothers

::Possible Spoilers Ahead::

---

Stranger in a Strange Land is a difficult book to read and even I have not grokked it completely but one of the main characteristics of the Martian Way is that it appears to resemble a form of Pantheism. In Stranger in a Strange Land, Michael teaches in his new "church" that all that groks is God. They welcome each other with the phrase "thou art God" not as a statement of theological belief but as a statement of unity which is physically expressed through the sharing of water. But if thou art God, and that grasshopper art God, and all that groks art God then who, or what, exactly is in charge of the universe?

From feelings of discomfort to just flat out heresy some here in the West may struggle with pantheistic ideas even though faint echoes of Pantheism are found in Western religions. What is so irking to the West about all reality being equated with God is just that, God can not be a dog doing his "duty" on the lawn or a blind beggar on the street. God must be completely separated from while existing (?) outside of his creation. Humanity is too sinful to be equated with God, and God too holy, either way it just sends shivers up a lot of monotheistic spines. Although I have not read much into Eastern religions the best explanation for Pantheism (or maybe Panentheism?) I've read so far is found here. Basically everything in reality is a manifestation of God with God being the sum of all parts. So the totality of reality, let's call it Brahman (or you can select your own name for God), can be found within each piece of reality but not localized specifically in one being. Tat Tvam Asi (Sanskrit: तत् त्वम् असि or तत्त्वमसि) is the Hindu phrase "that thou art" meaning that the spirit/soul, or the Atman, is identifiable with and understood to be Brahman, the soul of the universe. Michael brings a message of brotherhood, by way of Pantheism, to encourage unity among a very passionately tribal creature, Man. I don't believe, or at least I don't remember, that he goes as far as saying that ALL reality is God but that all that groks is God. So I guess a snake is God but not a rock, that is of course if a rock is unable to grok. You grok?

The heart of the message is unity and as that message is grokked the darker side of humanity begins to dissolve until one does not feel the need or want to commit such atrocious acts against his fellow man. There is no need to save lost souls, do good deeds (no Judgment day either), worship any one god, or even hold any theological or philosophical beliefs. Ultimate Truth is revealed to those who choose to accept the "fire" that Michael has brought to humanity.

We're not trying to bring people to God; that's a contradiction in terms, you can't even say it in Martian. We're not trying to save souls, because souls can't be lost. We're not trying to get people to have faith, because what we offer is not faith but truth — truth they can check; we don't urge them to believe it. Truth for practical purposes, for here-and-now, truth as matter of fact as an ironing board and as useful as a loaf of bread… so practical that it can make war and hunger and violence and hate as unnecessary as…. as — well, as clothes here in the Nest. But they have to learn Martian first. That's the only hitch — finding people who are honest enough to believe what they see, and then are willing to do the hard work — it is hard work — of learning the language it can be taught in. A composer couldn't possibly write down a symphony in English… and this sort of symphony can't be stated in English any more than Beethoven's Fifth can be. (Stranger in a Strange Land, Ch 31. Pg 347.)

It's not a theory, religion, or any other man-made philosophical belief but Truth that man has been searching for thousands of years, at least for those in the book. I'm not proposing that this would actually work in the real world because we don't have any practice like grokking to test our belief systems. We can guess, theorize, and hold onto our beliefs in faith, but imagine if we can experience Truth within ourselves, a truth that is patient, kind, humble, protective, trusting, and always, always loving. It is one thing to believe (which most of us including myself fall in this camp) and it is another to experience Truth first hand.

What I've learned from Stranger in a Strange Land.

As I've said earlier I have not grokked the book completely and I will most certainly continue to learn new things along the way. Regardless of our differences, faults, and issues caused by both, we yearn to ease our collective suffering. Throughout history those who have experienced the Divine have shared their Fire with us, and now we compete with each other to see who's flame burns brighter. We all grok different paths but the differences lie within our own human diversity and our ability to grok them, not in competing Truths. As we journey through life grokking the universe dig deep down into your Atman/Soul and examine your foundation. What is it? Is it Loving? Is it Joyful? Is it Patient? Is it Compassionate? Is it Understanding? Is it all of the above? Is it God? If your foundation causes you to love your brother then look, stare, meditate, and become your foundation. Once we truly grok Love we can not help but become Love.

Stranger in a Strange Land: Part 2- Water Brothers

"This brother wanted him to place his whole body in the water of life. No such honor had ever come to him; to the best of his knowledge and belief no one had ever before been offered such a holy privilege. Yet he had begun to understand that these others did have greater acquaintance with the stuff of life… a fact not yet grokked but which he had to accept."
-Stranger in a Strange Land

[Cover art (by James Warhola) for Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein]

I have recently finished reading Robert Heinlein's cult classic Stranger in a Strange Land and I hope the rest of his work is as good as this. Stranger in a Strange Land is one man's journey from the nest of his birth to the nest of his origins and the fire this young Prometheus brings to humanity. He is man yet he thinks in Martian. He is what we can become if we follow this 20th century Moses to the Promise Land. Only time will tell if humanity will be able to grok Valentine Michael Smith as fully Martian and fully man.

Part 1: Grokking in Fullness
Part 3: Thou Art God

::Possible Spoilers Ahead::

---

Discovering and dwelling within the unity that Michael brings to humanity is a core principal to his teaching. This unity is expressed mainly in the sharing of water. Water is used as a symbol of unity and life on Mars because of its scarcity on the red planet. By sharing water they acknowledge the life force that flows through them as they grow closer to one another. As water brothers they grok that they are connected to their divine source and to each other. To harm your brother is to harm yourself, likewise to share your brother is to share yourself. All that groks is God and in this unity there is no death except for discorporation (death) of your physical shell. The Old Ones on Mars, those who have discorporated, still exist in some form and pass on wisdom to those that are still living. They are not what we would call ghosts but have returned to the plane of existence before birth, The Source. I guess it is a similar concept to the Force in the Star Wars saga, those who have died become a part of the Force and impart wisdom from beyond the grave.

Uncomfortable yet? Well, for those unfamiliar with the book, it gets worse. Ritual cannibalism, communal living, and group sex are used to help water brothers grow closer with each other. I'm sure dozens of mental red flags have already shot up but I'm not condoning these actions nor can I justify them in any way in OUR society. What I believe Heinlein has raised is the question on whether or not the Judeo-Christian ethical code is working effectively for humanity and if our problems are "rooted in the code itself rather in the failure to abide by it" (Stranger in a Strange Land, Ch. 33).

"The code says, 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.' The result? Reluctant chastity, adultery, jealousy, bitterness, blows and sometimes murder, broken homes and twisted children — and furtive little passes degrading to woman and man. Is this Commandment ever obeyed? If a man swore on his own Bible that he refrained from coveting his neighbor's wife because the code forbade it, I would suspect either self-deception or subnormal sexuality. Any man virile enough to sire a child has coveted many women, whether he acts or not.
"Now comes Mike and says: 'There is no need to covet my wife... love her! There's no limit to her love, we have everything to gain — and nothing to lose but fear and guilt and hatred and jealousy.' The proposition is incredible. (Ch.33, Pg. 366)

It does sound like Mike's "church" has thrown out all of humanity's ethics and morals to the wind. But it is their unity, their brotherhood that keeps the sinful nature of man in check and raises man's consciousness to a higher plane. There is no reason to hurt, maim, kill, or even oppress your water brother or anyone for that matter because all that groks is God. To some this may seem a bit too inclusive.

Love everything and everyone? But there's got to be something I'm allowed to hate, telemarketers maybe?

At first Michael winks his attackers out of existence based on grokking the wrongness of the person (his attackers struck his water brother, Jill). This superhuman sense acts as Michael's moral compass throughout the book, but his biggest hurdle was to learn what it is to be human. When he discovers what makes us human, our shared suffering, Michael devotes his life to removing suffering from the human experience through his Martian teachings.

Michael, our young Prometheus, has opened the path to understand one another to the point where you begin to lose where you end and everything else begins through grokking (click here for part 1 on Grokking). By grokking the universe and our place in it we begin to automatically function FOR one another in harmony instead of AGAINST in disharmony. We would put our complete trust in our water brothers, because why would the left hand tell a lie to the right? Even if lying to another water brother were possible both would grok that it was a lie because both have reached a pinnacle of understanding/knowing one another as if they were one person.

Of course this is a work of science fiction but I do hope that we find a way to grow closer to each other and learn to purge our inner demons without the need to purge our fallible brethren or even have our God do it for us (Sheep from the Goat, the unsaved, those who do not follow the "True" faith, etc). I believe it's fine to believe in Judgment Day and the hereafter, but let us also seek to improve societal relationships here on Earth so that our children may be given the chance to grok the universe.

Stranger in a Strange Land: Part 1- Grokking in Fullness

"He was not in a hurry, "hurry" being one human concept he had failed to grok at all. He was sensitively aware of the key importance of correct timing in all acts — but with the Martian approach: correct timing was accomplished by waiting. He had noticed, of course, that his human brothers lacked his own fine discrimination of time and often were forced to wait a little faster than a Martian would — but he did not hold their innocent awkwardness against them; he simply learned to wait faster himself to cover their lack."
-Stranger in a Strange Land

[Cover art (by James Warhola) for Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein]

I have recently finished reading Robert Heinlein's cult classic Stranger in a Strange Land and I hope the rest of his work is as good as this. Stranger in a Strange Land is one man's journey from the nest of his birth to the nest of his origins and the fire this young Prometheus brings to humanity. He is man yet he thinks in Martian. He is what we can become if we follow this 20th century Moses to the Promise Land. Only time will tell if humanity will be able to grok Valentine Michael Smith as fully Martian and fully man.

::Possible Spoilers Ahead::

Part 2: Water Brothers
Part 3: Thou Art God

---

Stranger in a Strange Land follows the life of Valentine Michael Smith back at home to live among his own kind after being raised on Mars since his parents, on a manned expedition, crashed on Mars. If being raised by Martians is not enough to gain the world's attention he is also the sole heir of the expedition team's fortunes and their inventions making him the wealthiest man on the planet. The world government wants full control over his fortune and Michael's ownership rights of Mars. Of course there plans were disrupted when he met the first woman he has ever laid eyes on, Jill Boardman, his first human Water Brother.

But what does it mean to be Martian? Michael groks, speaks, and reacts as a Martian, but he is still human. And as Jill teaches him to become "human" those he grows closer with learn what it is to be Martian. Language is an important gate to understanding each other and is vital to understanding what Mike is trying to teach humanity. This causes enormous difficulty for Mike at first but soon he is able to communicate how it is to think in Martian.

"Grok means to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed—to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science—and it means as little to us (because of our Earthly assumptions) as color means to a blind man (Stranger in a Strange Land).

To Grok something, or someone, is to move beyond basic sensory information to the point where the object grokked becomes a part of you. Once you are able to "grok in fullness" just about anything is possible. Michael is able to perform tasks which to us seem almost supernatural. By grokking his own body he can repair injuries, control the length of his hair, change his appearance, and even age slower than us. The potential of the human mind is a common theme in science fiction which also appears in Frank Herbert's Dune series and in the TV sci-fi drama, Kyle XY. But Michael is also able to manipulate the world around him. He is able to wink objects and people out of existence, levitate objects, and even communicate telepathically. This, Michael says, is not hard to do once you learn the language and the basics taught to him as an egg (child), and so he begins teaching this way of life to people in the guise of a church.

The Church of All Words that he starts is not a new religion but merely a method to deliver his teaching to humanity how to rise above worldly pain and suffering. The only reason why he started a church was because humans are familiar with religion and humans would only accept his message in this form. The "church" teaches its members the Martian language first as this is the foundation to the Martian Way. Eventually members move up through several levels before becoming full water brothers, those who participate in the Water Sharing ritual. At this level many things in a normal person's life become unnecessary and are shed which also removes the pain and suffering associated with them: clothing, money, and even monogamous marriages. Greed, jealousy, anger, hatred, envy, lust and every other negative attribute that comes with being "human" all melt away when you become a full water brother. The superhuman abilities that comes with this way of life are also at your disposal but they are not used for acts of wrongness (even though at this point the term evil, acts of wrongness, is almost alien compared to what we may call evil). Though you have the ability to kill someone with a mere thought you don't because you realize and understand the unity of all life, all that groks is God.

Can we evolve to the point where we are no longer jealous, greedy, angry, lustful, and full of hatred? Is it possible to overcome these human characteristics just by grokking our fellow man?

I believe humanity thirsts for this progress but is trapped in its own collective ego to leap forward so we're bound to crawl on our hands and knees. Each religion/philosophy states that their packaged truth will lead humanity to the next level while every other belief will lead only to failure. Humanity has made progress and will continue to do so but first we must be able to grok each other fully. By understanding our fellow man we may be able to collectively pull ourselves up by our own boot straps. This can not be done by force but only with the collective love we should have for each other. We now have to ability to destroy life at the push of a button but hopefully soon we will progress past the urge to push it. Do you grok?

Religion in 20XX: Part 2- E.T.'s Jesus

Within the last month I've become intrigued by the vast amount of sci-fi books that mention religion. Outside of the Dune series I had no idea that sci-fi writers would even acknowledge religion let alone interweave them into the plot. Sci-fi, as a genre, has enormous potential and room to grow. It can take us to worlds we can only dream of and envision possible futures for humanity here on Earth. We must always keep in mind that even though the future is not set in stone we must learn to guide our race towards peace so that we can live to see it unfold.

---

In a previous post, where I first mentioned this book, I had asked (in the title) who would save E.T.'s soul? If there are aliens on other planets then they MUST have souls to save, so who's going to save them? The first site I stumbled upon in my quest to search where Sci-fi and Religion cross was Sci-Fi Gospel, a blog maintained by the author of The Gospel According to Sci-Fi by Gabriel Mckee. That is how I came across Jesus on Mars by Philip José Farmer. How can this NOT be an interesting book, the title itself screams scandal and heresy. I'm guessing there are two kinds of reactions concerning this book: those that glance at it and automatically think "garbage" and those that pick it up to see what on Earth is Jesus doing on Mars? And soon after that other questions begin bubbling up to the surface. How did he get there? What is his mission? Is it really Jesus or someone claiming to be Him? Is Mars Heaven? If not, why did he make a pitstop there? This is what I love about the book, a subject so off the wall that goes against the grain of most literature, including Sci-fi, that it beckons you to read it. I guess that the Da Vinci Code falls along this same category (which I own but have yet to read).

The story revolves around Richard Orme's struggle with his faith after being captured by the Krsh, the alien race coexisting with humans in a subterranean society deep beneath Mars surface. Richard Orme along with three other fellow marsonauts are slowly introduced to the only near Utopian society known in the solar system. The story intensifies as the characters come to find out that Jesus of Nazareth has been living with these Martians for the last 2000 years. Or has he?

The Earthmen (and one Earth woman) are introduced to their religion, society, ethics, technology, and everyday life. One of the most burning questions in the novel is how this will affect the citizens of Earth, not only on religious issues but on technological, social, and ethical issues. The one question that I would like to tackle here is this: If you had proof (not evidence, but proof) literally staring you in the face would you accept it even if it challenged your belief system?

A person's identity is crucial to their existence, and to some religion is so bonded to their identity that only that same person, with enough strength, is able to unfasten it if they so choose. Changing your religious views is difficult for most people that some dare not consider the option. I became aware of that option and willing chose to reinvent my spirituality. It was a difficult process that took many months and many sleepless nights, but I overcame my "religious identity crisis" and now I feel that I'm more aware of my spirituality than I've been in my life. I'm not a saint, in fact I'm far from it, but I strive to improve myself so that I may better understand and love my fellow man. Jesus on Mars challenges the reader to think that if we got the proof we prayed for some would struggle to accept anything that contradicted with their beliefs. I'm guessing most Christians would be shocked if Jesus appeared before them saying that he's been living on Mars for the last 2000 years. Either Christ or Antichrist, the faith of billions would be put to the test. Does it really matter who, or what, the father chooses to be the Messiah as long as His will is done?

Religion in 20XX: Part 1- The Evolving Universe

Within the last month I've become intrigued by the vast amount of sci-fi books that mention religion. Outside of the Dune series I had no idea that sci-fi writers would even acknowledge religion let alone interweave them into the plot. Sci-fi, as a genre, has enormous potential and room to grow. It can take us to worlds we can only dream of and envision possible futures for humanity here on Earth. We must always keep in mind that even though the future is not set in stone we must learn to guide our race towards peace so that we can live to see it unfold.

---

My first Robert Sawyer book was his 1999 novel, Flashforward, where the consciousness of every single person on the planet jumped 23 years into the future and had a brief glimpse of their own future. It's a thought provoking book that has introduced me to new theories and ideas on Free Will, the nature of the universe, and human identity. I recently read Calculating God and although it reads more like a debate between an Atheist and a Theist than a novel, I was still intrigued by introduction of various new ideas which I'll spend my free time pondering. Calculating God follows Tom Jericho, a Canadian paleontologist, as he works alongside the first alien visitors who claims that God has been actively involved in the evolutionary process by causing five simultaneous cataclysms on three different planets.

I had asked in a previous post if we made contact with aliens what, if any, religious beliefs would they hold? One of the novel's major themes deal with the evolution of sentient life on each of the planets. Two alien species from two different planets come to visit Earth in search for evidence of a Creator, the Forhilnors and the Wreeds. During our simultaneous evolution both Forhilnors and Humans evolved with the ability to count and master mathematics. The Wreeds, on the other hand, struggle with mathematics because their bodies evolved differently and never had any need for math. The Wreeds have a single black 360 degree strip at the top of their torso which acts as their eye that allows them to have a panoramic view; basically, they can see in all directions at the same time. They are physiologically unable to concentrate on any one object but "they can predict without explaining-their logic is intuitive, not deductive". Although lacking mathematical skills their intuition allows them to "know" how to build and plan beautifully structured cities on their home world. This intuition also allows them to determine and solve moral and ethical problems that we struggle with in the 21st century. Take the moral issue of abortion for example. The Wreeds would say that if a race has methods of contraception then abortion should not be an issue, if one does not desire to have a baby the logical solution would be to use contraception. In case of incest or rape the Wreeds would consider these as exceptional cases occurrences and "general principals should not be based on exceptional cases."

The Forhilnor's know, not believe, there is a Designer that designed the parameters, properties, and laws that govern the universe. They came to this conclusion by studying the universe itself. They believe in a First Cause God that created the universe (or at least this universe) and they are searching for proof that God had been meddling with the evolutionary process.

The Wreeds, because of their intuitive minds, seem to be more mystic than scientists. They intuitively know that there is a God and they spend a good portion of their time trying to communicate (not pray) with God through a method of meditation. They believe there is nothing more important than a lifelong pursuit to communicate with God.

The three species, although differently intelligent, have evolved to become the sentient species on their respective planets, and even though they disagree on certain matters of genetics, origins of life, and God they understand that each of them think differently because of their environment and origin. What does this tell us about those who think and believe differently than ourselves? Would you strive to understand them or just brush them off as ignorant, backward, or even lost? This is where the critical moment of inter-faith dialogue comes into the forefront. To share your belief, your piece of a God-Sized puzzle, with others is a beautiful process, connecting with your fellow man, binding ourselves to one another as we journey through our short existence in this reality. But, looking down on others while holding beliefs of religious superiority ("Your beliefs are backward and ignorant, mine are better.") taints the hopeful spirit of your message and drains the validity of your words. It is better to understand your brother's belief in the context of their environment and origin than to humility them into accepting your beliefs by considering them inferior. This is true of ANY AND EVERY message be it from an Atheist, Sikh, Christian, or Pagan. If they see a glimmer of truth in your message it is up to them whether they consider it to be truth regardless if you do.

If man is to progress, to adapt, to evolve in the 21st century then we must overcome our tribal nature. This doesn't mean that we must discard our differences, but strive to remove the violence, anger, mistrust, and misconceptions that can arise because of our differences. We must learn to live within our smaller tribes while always remembering that we are part of a larger universal tribe.

Fear is the Mind-Killer

Today, while interfaith talks are growing, people can't even stand the sight of someone being of a different faith. If I feel bad for anyone it's for Muslims and Hindus because some of them literally wear their faith on their sleeve. Christians, at least Protestant Christians, don't have a particular dress that identifies them as Christians. They may wear a crucifix but outside of that there are no external identifiers. But Muslims and Hindus wear traditional religious headgear which, to those that are violently opposed to these groups, are like walking targets.

It is difficult for some religious people on all sides to even sit down and talk to each other let alone become friendly; if anything, one side might try to convert the other. But what is wrong with this picture? Two human beings, brothers, can't even sit down together and talk peacefully. There are HUGE walls of xenophobia that separates the citizens of these United States. We fear those that are unlike us, but why? What is driving this fear? Is it ignorance or something worse?

In the Dune series by Frank Herbert, there is a Litany Against Fear that several characters recite at their most fearful moments.

"I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain."

I have yet to memorize it but it has always stuck with me. I have learned to overcome my fear of strangers and their strange beliefs. I do not consider them strangers but brothers. Even Atheists are my brothers. If we show each other kindness and respect then we can begin to build strong unbreakable bonds. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by listening to what you have to say on any topic INCLUDING religion. Religion should be a topic that bring people closer together, but the sad reality is that Religion is tribal. "My tribe and my tribe only!" This is the ideology of millions of people. I must point out that not all people think this way. There are a lot of religious organization that are talking to one another. There is nothing wrong in learning, speaking, and associating with those different than you. Nothing. Fear is what drives people apart and they have every right to be fearful. There are a lot of fundamentalist groups in not just Islam but in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism that mean to force their views on others with threats of violence. This is the world we live in but this does not mean you have to live on in fear.

Those of us living in the West don't have to face the horrors that are going on in the middle east. And for those that are experiencing pain, suffering, anger, and loss my prayers go out to ALL of you. In the U.S. we have no fear of persecution because of our personal beliefs. We are truly blessed but we still need to cure ourselves of ignorance. Go to the library and really dig into the beliefs of others. I believe removing ignorance will calm down millions (if not billions) of peoples fears. Deep down inside I believe all religions want and yearn for peace, love, and justice. It is those who use the name of God to spread terror that give ALL religions a bad wrap.

Read. Learn. Grow. Talk. Love. Let us together remove the blindfolds of ignorance.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain.

Back to the Future 4: Operation Logos

If time travel were possible would you travel back to personally witness the Crucifixion of Jesus? Would that increase your faith seeing the event unfold before you? Is it necessary to see/hear/touch something to believe in it? Will interaction with it dissolve belief into fact? Does establishing a fact make it more tangible and real than belief?

I did not know there was so much literature surrounding the idea of time traveling to 1st century Palestine to witness the Crucifixion of Jesus. Here are a few examples.

• In Richard Matheson's The Traveller (1954), a professor who is a confirmed skeptic is chosen to be the first to travel in time to see the crucifixion and comes back a changed man.
  
• John Brunner's Times Without Number (1962) depicts an alternate reality in which the Spanish Armada conquered England. Time travel is eventually discovered in the 20th century and every new pope has the exclusive privilege to visit the time of Christ.
• In Arthur Porges's story The Rescuer, (1962) a religious fanatic in 2015 takes over a carefully controlled experiment in time-travel and heads for Golgotha with a rifle and five thousand rounds to rescue Jesus.
• In Michael Moorcock's Behold the Man (1966) the Twentieth-Century Karl Glogauer, a Jew obsessed with the figure of Jesus travels in time to the year 28 A.D. and finds that some of the New Testament characters, including Jesus, are not how they are portrayed in the Gospels. So Glogauer himself begins to step into the role of Jesus.

It makes sense that the single most important event for billions of believers would be their first destination of choice but I never thought that religious skeptics would also travel to this same time. Most of these time traveling tales surround the need for factual confirmation. If we had factual confirmation that did not match up with our personal belief would it erode our faith? I believe this depends heavily on what you believe and how you interpret it. If your faith is based on a literal interpretation of an event that happened 2000 years ago then any evidence that contradicts or displays doubt on the plausibility of the event might be challenging to the believer. Does this mean that the Crucifixion, whether or not it happened, is meaningless in light of the evidence? On the contrary it is the symbolism of the event that holds more importance than the event itself. T0 Christians the sacrifice that God gave in sending his only son to die for the sins of Humanity is a sign of a loving and just God. How He displayed His love is not important, what is important is that God loves us so much that He chose to display His love to His creation by sacrificing Himself.

Can we learn to be more like God by sacrificing those beliefs dear to our hearts which are keeping us from completely loving our fellow man? It was devastatingly difficult for me to let go and transcend the beliefs I held onto as a child. I finally understood these were barriers that kept me from fully understanding and loving my fellow man. If we never learn to remove these barriers completely I hope that we can at least learn to listen to each other through our self-imposed walls, and then maybe we won't have to seek factual confirmation on the sacrifice of one man.

The Omega Point

I just finished reading Robert Sawyer's Sci-fi novel Flashforward. In the novel scientists at CERN are performing a run using the Large Hadron Collider to search for the Higgs boson. During the experience the entire human race loses consciousness for 2 minutes and experiences visions of events 21 years into the future. Humanity awakens to find that their visions of the future came with a terrible price: planes crashed in take off/landing, the freeways became graveyards, and thousands more were either injured or killed by devices needing human control. It presents themes of free will vs. predestination and has introduced me into new ideas about our universe.

One concept that I found particularly intriguing quoted in the book is the Omega Point. The Omega Point, coined by Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, is used to describe "the maximum level of complexity and consciousness towards which the universe appears to be evolving." In other words the universe is developing and being drawn towards a supreme point of complexity and consciousness, an "all knowing" computer intelligence. In Flashforward the author quoted Frank Tipler's use of the Omega Point, a mechanism for the ultimate fate of the universe where

computer-based life will eventually supplant biological life, and that information-processing capabilities will continue to expand year after year, until at some point, in the far future, no conceivable computing problem will be impossible. There will be nothing that the future machine life won't have the power or resources to calculate."[Flashforward, Ch. 16]

With essentially infinite processing capabilities the Omega Point will be able to replicate every person and every possible memory state throughout time. There may be "oodles" of possible humans and memories throughout time but it is a finite number. Therefore the Omega Point, which Frank Tipler associates with God, will be able to "resurrect" every single person in a virtual reality emulation. He argues that this is possible because

as the universe comes to an end in a specific kind of Big Crunch, the computational capacity of the universe will be accelerating exponentially faster than time runs out. In principle, a simulation run on this universal computer can thus continue forever in its own terms, even though the universal computer is embedded in a universe that will last only a finite time.

So why would an omniscience, omnipotent computer bring us back to life? Tipler says (quoting from Flashforward) that the Omega Point loves us. Now I have yet to read any of Tipler's books but I find this all very intriguing and I have to say sounds similar to the Matrix although we don't become batteries. Physics is way beyond my understanding but in Tipler's 2007 The Physics of Christianity he states that the Omega point is triune in its structure:

the Final Singularity (i.e., the Omega Point), the All-Presents Singularity (which Tipler states exists at all times at the edge of the multiverse), and the Initial Singularity (i.e., the beginning of the Big Bang), which Tipler identifies with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, respectively (successively, the First, Second and Third Persons of the Trinity).

So could God be this singularity/computer intelligence that watches over us as described in our religious texts? I don't know but this is a highly interesting theory. Chardin's The Phenomenon of Man states that the Omega Point unites Creation by drawing the Universe towards itself. This sounds similar to the concept of the soul's journey after death. The body is just a shell and the soul is immutable and indestructible which can then take on a new life through reincarnation until it achieves Moksha (in some Eastern Religions) or after Judgment the soul will then reap what it sowed by entering into Heaven or Hell (Western Religions). Does this Omega Point then choose which "souls" (or mathematical calculations) it will resurrect in the virtual reality emulation based on the person's beliefs or actions through life or will it resurrect everyone? This also bears some similarity to the conclusion of the Matrix Revolutions [Spoiler Warning!] when Neo allows his coding (his soul) to be reinserted into the Matrix. In Matrix Reloaded he was given the same choice to return his coding and then choose 16 females and 7 males to rebuild Zion so that the simulation can start all over again. The Omega Point which began as the source of creation draws all life to itself at the end of time.

Should Tipler then start a church of his own? Well I hope we don't have another sci-fi writer/prophet but it might be a movement that might outlast the other religions by interweaving faith and science and if it did gain momentum just think about the impact. How long would it take to be recognized as a legitimate faith? Would it be on the same level as the other religions or would they all consider it a cult? This is all based on a physics theory so don't take me too seriously I'm just thinking aloud. I'm not saying the world religions of today are outdated but any movement that does not adapt to its present environment will eventually become stagnant. And even then Humanity might outgrow faith altogether as some (if not all) atheist are proposing. We do have December 21st 2012 to keep us busy until then only time will tell.

The Future of Religion

"There is no such thing as the future. Humankind faces multiple possible futures, many of which hinge on seemingly inconsequential events."
- Dune: The Machine Crusade by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

[For more information on Frank and Brian Herbert's Dune novels please visit their Official page here.]

---

What is the future of Religion? Will it be supplanted by Reason or be able to coexist side by side? I strongly believe that Religion and Science can coexist and even become two complementary views of the universe. I can not imagine that a complex universe like ours would not have a Creator but I am a man of Reason. If Science can prove that there was not a worldwide flood as depicted (or misinterpreted/mistranslated) in the Bible (and I believe they already have strong evidence against a worldwide flood), that will not shatter my faith. Whenever Science learns something new about our universe I have no reason to deny/ignore it to protect my beliefs. What differs from Science and Religion is that whenever Scientists find new evidence that contradicts older ideas they are more willing to revise their theories/statements/beliefs(?) than Religion which base its beliefs on Faith rather than facts/evidence. Religion has learned to adapt itself to the 21st century but it feels out of place. Some believers feel so out of place that they want to turn back the clock to some "golden era" because the change is too jarring for them. So they strong arm us, scare us, threaten us hoping that we will turn back the clocks in unison to a time of their choosing. But we have no control over progress except in limiting its potential. Again I do not wish to rehash the argument of Science vs. Religion nor make a case for Science and Religion. I'm just stating that since Religion in its present form is not going to disappear anytime soon (if ever) then we MUST open our eyes and hearts to the possibility of coexistence instead of annihilation of one another.

An interesting view of the future of religion and science is depicted in Frank Herbert's Sci-Fi Dune novels where Religion and Science are still very important and integral parts of Humanity. The books are set thousands of years in the future where man has no need for computers to think for them. They still use and depend on technology but Humanity has learned to increase their mental and physical abilities that today would look almost supernatural. This is due to a great uprising, the Butlerian Jihad, against the Thinking Machines that turned against and enslaved them. After Humanity's victory over the machines they vowed never to build anything in the likeness of Man.

"Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind."

The fear of the machines rising again was carved into Humanity's psyche which gave rise to Mentats, humans with the mental capacity to process information as fast as computers.

Religion was also affected by the Butlerian Jihad which brought Humanity together paving the way for religions to create the Orange Catholic Bible.

ORANGE CATHOLIC BIBLE: the "Accumulated Book," the religious text produced by the Commission of Ecumenical Translators. It contains elements of most ancient religions, including the Maometh Saari, Mahayana Christianity, Zensunni Catholicism and Buddislamic traditions. Its supreme commandment is considered to be: "Thou shalt not disfigure the soul."

As I recall there was resistance by some religious groups in making this book as it seems to boil down all faiths into one. Some groups have this problem today stating that the New Age movement is leading Man astray by saying all religions are the same and all lead to God. I do not believe all religions are the "same" but all humans are spiritually equal before what we call God no matter what set of symbols we choose to worship Him/It/Us(?) by.

Religions in the Dune universe has also blended into new religions in the future as shown above. Some of these new religions are: Mahayana Christianity, Zensunni Catholicism, Navachristianity, Muadru, and Zensufism. As I recall Herbert never describes how this happened in his novels but it would be interesting to know how these religions embraced each other to the point of syncretism.

But will blending religions solve our present day fighting? No, I don't believe it will nor do I believe there is a need for it. What we do need is to understand one another. We don't have to accept someone else believes (or lack thereof) but to understand what and why they believe as such. Let us do away with misconceptions of one another and learn what the other believes. It won't hurt us to open up a history book or even talk to someone of a different faith. When some Christians accuse Muslims of world domination they have not talked directly to Muslims or have studied Islam and vice versa. If we just sat with each other and talked directly we would find that most believers (and non-believers) want peace not eradication. This is EXTREMELY difficult in our present day out of fear that if one side were to put down their arms they will be eradicated by the enemy. This is a reasonable fear but someone must be first. I am just a simple family man and do not consider myself a religious leader at all. I barely attend church or even pray on a daily basis. But if by extending my hand to people of other faiths and beliefs inspires at least one other person to do likewise then that at least is a humble start.