Science and spirituality

Horizontal and vertical order

The worlds of science and spirituality seem far apart. Why and in what way is this so? The figure below shows a way in which the worlds of science and spirituality are linked to each other. The figure shows that the worlds can be envisioned to be linked by the crucifix symbol. As illustrated below, this corresponds with the meaning of the crucifix as a symbol that combines horizontal and vertical order.

Institutionalisation in science and spirituality

Science and spirituality seem far apart to most people. Both worlds have become highly institutionalized. Such institutionalization changes the nature of a debate from one of open thoughts to one of strict claims. Institutionalization makes people refer to sources they declare as the absolute truth instead of finding their own truth by thinking themselves. When people do not search for their own truth, knowledge and methods become laws. This corresponds with the limitation of free thinking that many people associate with some of the large religions in our days.

Darwinians and creationists

The heavy debates between classical darwinist evolutionists and conservative creationists are a good example of two institutionalized camps fighting each other about the question of evolution or creation. Of course, evolution could not have started without a moment of creation and religion contains many clues for evolution. Many more starting points for an open debate exist. However, this is no excuse for the institutionalized camps to stop arguing and to try finding common grounds. Only last week the BBC showed a discussion program with a debate between darwinian scientists and creationists in which a world famous author of science books appeared to be a rigid darwinist. This is what the difference between science and religion has come down to when the human nature is set loose: one group judging the others with their own standards concluding that the other is different so must be wrong. It tends to fundamentalism.

Different objects of study

On a deeper level, one can observe that the two groups focus on completely different things. Most of science focuses on matter issues, while most of religion as well as spirituality in general focuses on energy issues. The energy issues studied concern the flow from a heavenly source to the earthly material world. Scientists working on quantum physics or energy physics also study these energy flows. Their energy flows from the quantum vacuum for which the heavenly source could be a metaphor. In fact, quantum physicists and spiritual people use the same words to describe this energy source.