GUNTHILD LIER, Germany 1st Vice President Int. Association PEACE trough CULTURE - Europe Culture – Synthesis of Religion and Science A growing tendency of separation can be observed during the past one hundred years or so in the western hemisphere with respect to religious and denominational “believers” and the so called “non-believers” or rather: those thinking differently, sometimes having a strictly scientific view of the world and of the life on our planet. This latter group is growing rapidly, at least in the so called West. However, the absence of a higher orientation in human thinking and acting is a risk to the well being within a society, since the reflection from an existing world philosophy determines the social behaviour of the individual at large.
This absence of higher orientation brought about wars between religious views (and denominations) and scientific approaches over centuries
On the other hand, one of the main reasons for the decline of religions and de-nominations was their opposition even against the movement of “enlightenment” and thus against the development of sciences and of a broad consciousness based on knowledge. In the meantime, the stage of realization has changed to an extent – contrary to the past – that believing is not identical with knowing with respect to the cosmic and universal laws determining us and our environment, as reflected in mathematics, physics and so forth.
It is not without concern having to notice that all purely materialistic parts of sciences (technologies) usable for economic and commercial purposes have reached an absolutely dominating position over the years. Our modern civilization has surpassed numerous limits towards life to a great extent (in the fields of biology, ecology, medical findings etc.) and towards the global order of life, thus towards mankind and culture on the whole.
[Whereas culture originally was understood to determine the structure of everyday life, this term is nowadays mostly used in a very limiting sense for traditional aspects and some pleasant hobbies (art in a more general sense of the word, music etc.).]
Peoples within our civilisations have largely eliminated themselves from the dimension of culture, since the necessity of culture and thus of higher human values cannot be transported to the public any more. Even more so: within a purely physical and materialistic world view denying spiritual dimensions – a world view even taught at universities – there is no room for a spiritual living culture.
Therefore, societal sciences have to be integrated into the whole reconsidera-tion of our status for the benefit of everybody
Natural sciences, in other words: technology, have undeniably taken over the dominating level in all spheres of life as almost absolute “authorities” and in this way monitor the contemporary events on a large scale. Consequences from this fact more and more show that such a spiritless and cultureless state is to the disadvantage of everybody – believers and all others – and for the entire life on our planet. This difficulty has meanwhile reached all human beings – irrespective of their world view – and seriously calls for an urgent dialogue and level of action to overcome the opposite arguments for all sides concerned.
[This dimension, in fact, can only be covered by societal disciplines considering Ethics in all levels.] Ethics alone can offer a forum for communication and dia-logue which is free from fanatic discussions, serving the benefit of the community and the entire planet.
Ethics – and beyond
A guideline for a reasonable evaluation within the diversity of each larger cultural community should be worked out along the practiced ethical behaviour. Ethics is the dimension of societal sciences that alone can make visible the cultural common fundaments of the various world-views and the traits of character and quality in behaviour.
The overcoming of spiritual resp. ideological differences in mutual under-standing …
…must be the target with respect to the major point of disagreement regarding the term GOD or the idea of GOD. For the most part, this term is understood as the highest level of order within Contrary to theUniverse – accessible to human thinking and emotions. inner image in man, denominational groups and world religions have got involved in partially contradictory and scientifically even not acceptable interpretations of this highest level of order. These differences, for the most part, lead to the situation where widest social groups defined themselves as “atheistic”.Beyond all these developments the fact remains that the Creator God should be understood as synonym for the law of life in the basic interpretation, for laws to be applied in the social community, for all orderly structures etc. This synonym of order is also reflected in the ethical rules of behaviour in all Holy Books and no-one can oppose to this logical argument. If only we would have had more rulers and people in the past to follow the rules of Plato, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus the Christ, Mohammed and others – our present time would be so much more enlightened by these higher spirits.
In line with the law of cause and effect, history of mankind, of all races and peoples also reflects in a causal thread: a high culture will be able to develop, based on compliance with the higher laws of nature – degeneration, decline, anarchy and disintegration, however, will be the result where such rules and laws are neglected.
To be religious or to live a religious life means to comply with all natural laws originating from GOD, the Universe, Cosmos – you name the source! … in other words: the conscious and harmonious integration in the all-cosmic nature. Wherever astrophysics turned their “eye” so far in our scientifically quite comprehensible cosmos – they all realized that laws observed in our earthly life have the very same effect and validity in the most remote corner of our cosmos. Therefore, no matter what conviction or world view somebody adheres to, these laws are the same for all of us – which is, of course, also true for the most significant basic law of cause and effect, functioning around us constantly and most obvious!
However, we should not be blind towards reality and, therefore, must realize that the ever increasing crisis within our civilization and mankind on the whole to the greatest extent must be attributed to the failure of our sciences with respect to the non-consideration of ethical principles. As carriers of knowledge they have too many times proven to be purchasable, i.e. corrupt lackeys of politics and economy, neglecting the most important ethical rules, namely to service the good of mankind!
Reconciliation of “believers” and others
Our politics that are structured democratically and which should strive for equality and for a maximum of objectiveness and justice towards all citizens, does not care about the separation of Itsociety due to one-sided privileges and special rights of all kinds. is a fact, however, that such special rights have created a state within the state due to direct or indirect financial support and fraud Any democratic system must by all means show a clearin many countries. attitude of applying equal esteem and equal rights to all citizens – a demand of invaluable significance for a functioning state!
Therefore, the bridge between the groups mentioned here must be installed within the society which is only possible on the basis of Ethics – defining the steps to be taken!
A large multi-ethnic community – and more so its wise leaders – should make evident greatest interest in finding a balancing level of societal reconciliation, considering all super-ordinate targets of all groups in a dialogue structure built on Ethics! It goes without saying that freedom of world-view with the individual must at all times remain respected and untouched in such a dialogue structure.
Security of Livelihood – the call by mankind – unheard till today
Over the history of culture and civilization mankind has been fighting for a state of world peace, for spiritual freedom and for the possibility of a joyful life – too the most part, however, without success. The call for “liberty, equality, fraternity” still resounds everywhere unfulfilled, though it is omnipresent in the most diverse ways in all human hearts. The failure in putting this magnificent call into practice is mainly to be traced to the “democratic” freedom of action. Freedom of choice and action both require a high percentage of ethics in the community and a consciousness based on knowledge. Both factors, unfortunately, are still not available in a sufficiently wide frame in our society.
Subsistence must, of course, also include the freedom of choice with respect to the individual path of soul and spirit – which is reflected in the choice of the world-view and in the way the individual wants his life to be determined. This basis will be all the more solid, depending on the consciousness, on the knowledge about nature and its absolute laws, about the spiritual and ethical (cultural) laws so that a synthesis is formed within the human being. Neither a world-view of yesterday nor people of yesterday can construct a firmly formed culture with equivalent harmonious structures of civilization.
“Religion” is a science and must understand itself as such. Therefore, religion has to secure the spiritual fundament in the sense of its proclaimers and in close cooperation with natural sciences so that the integrity of both macrocosm and microcosm (earth and skies) with all their natural and spiritual laws becomes obvious. In a scientific understanding of life – embracing the all-cosmic natural laws, an objective evaluation of religious thesis can only lead to “pantheism” (everything is God). Such an understanding of God quite naturally allows the conclusion of higher dimensions beyond all scientific laws and principles – of the dimension that hitherto was not directly accessible to physical research.
We all are aware that physical pain and physical illness meanwhile are relatively controlled by the official medicine – whereas suffering felt in the more spiritual and psychic field can still not be cured in a medical way nor can it be cut away – at the most, it will be treated by drugs. However, evolution has proven that our corporeality is of secondary importance; but the inner structure of the human being represents the true individual – which is, at the same instance, the reason why religion, psychology, psycho-mechanics, psycho-synthesis and other related fields of science, but most of all Spiritual Culture have gained a far reaching significance.
Therefore, we have to concentrate on the inner or psychic energies of the human being so that a harmonization, an understanding and a mastery of these potentials can be brought about. Here alone those qualitative energies are at hand for character development and broadening of consciousness – qualities required to make man a spiritual, cultural being!
“Culture – embracing sciences – will save humanity.”