God and Science: Divine Causation and the Laws of Nature

It is widely believed that there is a fundamental conflict between science and religion, and that this can be reconciled only by either drastically editing religion to agree with science or drastically doing violence to science in order to bring it into line with religion. However, the essays presented here suggest a different approach. Science and religion can cross-fertilize one another and give rise to possible fruitful ideas that might not have been thought of from the standpoint of science or religion, taken separately.

RICHARD L. THOMPSON received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University, where he specialized in probability theory and statistical mechanics. He has done research in quantum physics, mathematical biology, and remote sensing, and has extensively investigated ancient Indian cosmology and spirituality, developing multimedia expositions on these topics. He is the author of nine books on subjects ranging from consciousness to archaeology and ancient astronomy.

What could be more fascinating and captivating to the student of religion and spirituality, of science, philosophy and logic, of cosmology and evolution, than the title of the book God and Science, Divine Causation and Laws of Nature by Dr. R.L. Thompson, an accomplished scientist, man of religion and already an acknowledged author of six books. It synoptically encodes the whole body of human knowledge collectively within and beyond its existing limits.

The captions and contents are sure to make him feel so, whether here or there anywhere. Rare are those who are at home in religion and science rarer are those who are equally at home in Western and Eastern religions, not to speak of sciences. But gifted are those who can have insight and can offer clues for unifying science and religion at the same time lay the path integral for the same. And precisely this is the need for today, and sine-qua-non for tomorrow. The present volume by the author fully attests this statement, because he is such a gifted scientist and the man of divinity. Under five chapters and twenty two topics, along with drawings, tables, diagrams, figures and pictures, the author conceptually and actually, envisages, covers and addresses the issues raised and as reflected in the essays and in the present book.

What makes it unique, is his remarkable depth and height in the field of computer science and Technology (AI, IT Robotics simulation, virtual reality), on one hand and his innate faculty of abstract visualization and of interpretation about the phenomena of religious experiences on the other. For him as a scientist they are of higher dimensional realities and through these latest techniques he provides us a sort of window and opens up such a realm beyond mundane, material universe.

The title starts with God, then follows science also the word causation is preceded by the term divine, speak clearly of his attitude and position as regards the very ontological issues, of apriory and apostesiory dispute as regards matter and mind, brain and consciousness etc. here God and Science. Dr.Thompson is both the scientist and the man of divinity yet takes God (divinity) consciousness and mind apriory and all others as a posteriory, and takes divinity as an origin of causation, in relation to laws of Nature as opposed to scientific tradition. The remarkable outcome of the penetrating faculty of Dr. Thompson is interpretation of the term Vedic encompassing spatiotemporal dimensions, geographically and culturally including religion. For him this term is very special and carries with it special-temporal import in the sense of era ( about 1500 BC),and also the area, wherein was spread the ancient Vedic civilization. Dr.Thompson goes to the very root of the principle of the laws of Nature, that is concerned with science, religion, including philosophy and draws attention to fundamental issue, that really cause differences and distinctions in sciences and various iliseiplines. By using the term divine causation he provides a missing point and avoids non-deterministic element from science, and saves it from that of nothing (nihilism), inderterminism and uncertainty.

His concept of window as it connotes yogic concept of vision (yogaja pratyakya) Vedic concept of identity or equivalence of macrocosm (infinity) and microcosm (point), is analogous to part and whole. Macroscopic reality (paramatma) or higher realms of beyond physical planes would project themselves through individual self or sole (atman) as reflected images in the physical world. With this broad spectrum vision and comprehending wisdom, the author focuses his attention on God and Science, on their dual character, like that of ancient greek divinity Janus with two faces opposite to each other, symbolizing animosity and amicability harmony and disharmony, opposition and apposition as the poles apart.

Today we live in modern world, with modern thoughts and with modern ideas, yet we are facing this dilemma simply because, religion and sciences are the two major forces and issues we are tossed between, since the known history of mankind. Now this queer relationship has come to a state, whereby they have formed two extreme groups. At a still deeper level, there are internal fractions, conflicts and dissensions, with respect to space-time-clime (past and present, the east and the west). What are these elements, components, factors or issues, that exhibit such dichotomy, in religion, or even, in science, mutually or exclusively? By and large, science, being so progressive, also so rewarding that it has shaken the very profile of religion and as if trying to uproot its position and its tradition. The science thereby has come to stage of destroying living kingdom itself. Such being the grave and alarming a situation, there is dire need to correct, improve and change it. Directly or indirectly every one is concerned about this. Who would accept the challenge, take up the lead. Who is eligible and capable? That is the problem. The book aims at this. Dr. Thompson in this context refers to the third group, that does accept, the differences, distinctions, yet aim at reconciling them; the author categorically puts himself in this group. Actually accepting this and working in that direction he one day discovered that there could be a possibility of their cross fertilization, which is sure to yield positive results. It would not be out of place, to note that in ancient Indian matrimonial system, this polar relationship (selecting bridge and bride groom,) plays genetically a critical and important role, between the families to decide the marriages. For him the religion is the one as a whole, though practically there are many. East and West is the next consideration, then past and present, theistic and non-theistic, monistic and non-monistic are other issues with it. Each religion has its own notions of heaven and hell, mythology, miracles, mystic powers and visions of respective saints and seers, demigods and goddess, theories of creation, the texts and the traditions.

Genuine myths, miracles, supranatural powers (siddhis) recorded in the scriptures or exhibited anywhere, seem to be incompatible with modern rational thinking, or-with the science and also seem to violate the laws of physics. Dr. R.L. Thompson however maintains that they do not do so. In fact he states that they belong to the realm of higher dimensional realities, and therefore are true. Lower Siddhis are said to be impediments in the real spiritual path and are detrimental to the supreme goal. The other type of issues like that of hypnosis, mental power, exhibiting action at distance, belonging to the level of paranormal psychology or even the near death experiences experimentally confirmed and observed in controlled environments, belong to non-physical plane and level, wherein higher laws than those of physics seem to operate.

`Action at distance' issue with its legacy from Newtonian era is now within the perview of modern science, relates to the problem of body-mind, brain-mind, matter and consciousness, their interaction and their impact on human beings, show limits of low level laws of physics and open the gates for super-human experiences belonging to higher dimensions. Religious and yogic realization and similar extra-ordinary visions of great men, their influence on others are open for investigation and observation for the scientists. Gamut of science covers pre classical ( before-Aristotle and of Aristotle), classical (Newton, Maxwell) and modern science (QM and Relativities), life sciences (psychology), and above all Computer Science and technology, Artificial Intelligence, Information, Technology, Artificial Reality, simulation, automata (Robotics). He refers to the relevant experiments of the scientists.

On the side of religion he selects and confines to Judeochristan tradition from the West, from the East he takes up Gaudiya Vaishnavism of Mahaprabhu Chaitanya of Bengal. Both are theistic and accept God as a supreme being behind and above the creation, interacts with matter, creates laws of Nature, and therefore there is no conflict between religion and science (the laws of nature). This provides a common platform for their unification.