Science is now discovering that the doctrine of separateness is ultimately self-defeating and only by considering the interdependence of all things can true understanding be achieved.
The Baha'i Faith will be used as the religious reference here, as it has as one of its basic principles the ultimate unity of science and religion.
Fritjof Capra
holds a Ph.D.
from the University of Vienna and is a theoretical physicist and author of
several books on the limitations of science. He founded the Elmwood
Institute in Berkeley - an international institution dedicated to
nurturing new ecological visions and applying them to solving current
social, economic and environmental problems;
Larry Dossey
a
physician who's written several books on the non-physical aspects of
illness and healing and has been Chief of Staff of a Dallas hospital and
co-chair of the Panel on Mind/Body Intervention in the Office of
Alternative Medicine at the U.S. National Institute of Health;
David Bohm
until his recent death was a theoretical physicist
at the University of London;
Paul Davies
Professor of Mathematical Physics
at the University of Adelaide, Australia;
Rubert Sheldrake
a
biologist who's held research fellowships at Harvard and Cambridge
universities;
Willis Harmon
President of The Institute of Noetic
Sciences and Professor Emeritus of Engineering and Economic Systems at
Stanford. (The Institute undertakes an interdisciplinary study of the
mind, consciousness and various methods of gaining knowledge.)
Baha'u'llah
Prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith;
'Abdu'l-Baha
Eldest
son of Baha'u'llah, who carried the faith to the world in the early 1900s
and interpreted the words of Baha'u'llah;
Shoghi Effendi
Eldest grandson of 'Abdu'l-Baha, known as the
Guardian of the Faith;
William
Hatcher
Doctor of Science and past member of the National spiritual
Assembly of Switzerland, Professor of Mathematics in Canada, who's
published professional papers in
algebra, computer science and philosophy and has written extensively on
Baha'i subjects.
In modern physics each sub-atomic entity has two aspects, that of a wave and that of a particle. They are not separate phenomena, but rather different, connected descriptions and both are necessary for a complete description.
(Similarly, science and religion each describe a separate aspect of the human existence and both are necessary to make the picture complete.)
FORCE FIELDS
To science a "field" is an area within which a particular force acts. Modern physics says these forces act by the exchange of tiny particles, with the possible exception of gravity. There are force fields which hold atoms together and allow them to combine with other atoms.
Many in the healing arts and sciences believe the human body is surrounded by an energy field that directly relates to disease and health.
An example of a field is the broadcasting of radio and television programs. The antenna of the transmitting station creates a field within which electromagnetic waves flow until they are intercepted by the receiving antenna at a home or cable TV station. These fields contain information which has been encoded and must be decoded to present it in recognizable form.
A simple magnet will pick up certain metal objects that come within its force field and the earth itself has magnetic fields extending between the north and south poles.
QUANTUM PHYSICS
This branch of science deals with the the nature of, and the interactions between, sub-atomic particles.
At this level there are no solid objects, only a constant "dance" of particles changing form, interacting with other particles, appearing and disappearing. Matter and energy are constantly exchanging form.
Total knowledge about a particular particle at a particular instant is impossible. By gaining certain information, other information is lost. (S, 43) Until a measurement is taken, information about a particle can only be estimated.
It is even being presently suggested that the mind of the scientist may play a part in the creation of these particles. (S, 49) Davies says that objective reality may not even exist at this level. (G/NP, 135)
A good analogy from the physical world is the edge of a cloud or fog-bank. The visible portions are constantly disappearing and reappearing with no part staying constant for very long. We cannot predict exactly where the next visible cloud particle will materialize. From a distance we see what appears to be a complete object, but upon closer examination there is really nothing "permanent" there.
So it is with all physical objects in the universe. Death and rebirth are constant, but occur in different cycles for different things.
Shoghi Effendi may have been thinking of this process when he wrote to a believer "The essence of existence is a spiritual reality because invisible forces of the spirit are the origin of matter and the foundation thereof." (RS)
Perhaps Baha'u'llah was referring to this phenomenon when he said "(The universe) ... is being renewed and regenerated at all times." (Tablets, 141)
NON-LOCALITY
Einstein said nothing can travel faster than light, yet something seems to be doing so. That something is a form of communication between related, but widely-separated sub-atomic particles. Somehow a particle thousands of miles from a partner-particle can "know" instantly when that particle has been disturbed. In other words, take a pair of particles and send one to New York and one to Paris. If you tilt the one in New York, the one in Paris will instantly know and tilt itself! (S, 43-47; BS/S, 256-261; Scientific American, July 1992, "Quantum Philosophy," 99-100; FTL, 157-181)
A similar form of "communication" is also found in certain aspects of healing and the ability of human consciousness to transcend time and space. (VM, 61-63, 313-316)
In essence, there appears to be another level of reality, not visible to us in this physical world. Some scientists call it "hyperspace," a region of many dimensions beyond our four. This may be the realm where science and religion meet.
WAVE FUNCTION
The characteristics of sub-atomic particles are described by a distribution of probabilities known as its "wave function." This represents the fact that, e.g., the location of an electron at any given instant may be any one of many places. Its wave function specifies the probabilities of being found at any of those places. When a measurement is made to determine where it actually is/was, this is said to "collapse" the wave function since the probability at the location found is then one and the probabilities at all the others have become zero.
BIOLOGY
The field concept also appears in biology, in the area of morphogenesis where the issue is how cells know where to position themselves when forming the internal organs and exterior shapes of plants, animals and humans.
One theory says DNA, the basic structure of life, contains the growth and development patterns; but a new theory, by Rupert Sheldrake, says that formative fields exist outside living entities. These fields are in the form of the completed unit and provide its ultimate shape just like wood or metal forms provide the final shape for concrete bridges and buildings.
'Abdu'l-Baha expressed a similar concept when he said "... it has been stated that all things are composed of two elements, the 'Fashioner' (form and shape) and the "Fashioned" (substance and primary matter). (The Fashioner) confines and limits the primary matter from its state of indefiniteness and freedom to the courtyard of limitation and definite form." (BP, 26-27)
The source of the living forms is again the unseen dimension, about which we can speculate, but perhaps never know. Once again the spiritual realm may hold the answer to a scientific mystery.
One of the most intense searches of modern science is for the location of human "consciousness." Traditional thinkers look only within the systems of the human body. Those with more open minds believe it may be partially or wholly outside the body. This is an area in which science and religion are getting extremely close.
In physics, investigation centers on how the human mind can affect the outcome of physical experiments, as studies suggest the mind of an observer can influence the way in which sub-atomic particles manifest themselves. (S, 49) Studies at Princeton have shown the human mind can affect the path of moving objects (a non-local effect). (HU, 122-6)
Carl Jung, the famous co-developer of psychoanalytic theory, said: "I simply believe that some part of the human Self or Soul is not subject to the laws of space and time." (MOG, 72)
Consciousness also plays a part in the new medical science of psychoneuroimmunology, which explores the relationship between a patient's mental state and the disease process. Dr. Candace Pert, chief of biochemistry in the Clinical Neuroscience Branch of our National Institute of Mental Health contends she has found the path from the mind and emotions to the immune system. She conceives of mind and consciousness as an emanation of emotional information processing, appearing to be independent of brain and body and capable of survival after death. (NEB)
Baha'u'llah said:
The soul is "... unaffected by bodily ailments." (GL 154) Souls of Baha'is
continue to be conscious of each other after death (GL, 169), but the
"consciousness" and personality cease to exist. (GL, 153)
Hatcher says:
The soul is a "non material entity, which does not depend on the body. Rather
the body serves as its physical vehicle in the physical world. (It)
comes into being at the moment (of conception) and continues to exist after
death. (It) is the seat or locus of ... personality, self, and
consciousness. The evolution or development of the soul and its
capacities is the basic purpose of human existence." (BF, 100-101)
Paul Davies describes the new thinking in his book, "God and the New Physics." He equates the mind to the soul and describes a "new philosophy of mind" called "functionalism." It treats the body-mind/soul relationship as that between computer hardware (the machines) and software (the programs that control them). It also concedes that the mind may not have any physical location and Davies acknowledges that in principle this would allow the mind/soul to survive death of the brain. (G/NP, 85-87)
In a TV interview, quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf said, with respect to consciousness "I feel like we're on the verge of a gigantic discovery - maybe the nature of God, maybe the nature of the human spirit." He also described a "global consciousness in which what one being does affects everyone on the planet." (INS)
In 1991 Harmon proposed a new, holistic form of science based the concepts of wholeness, oneness and interconnectedness, and on the belief that consciousness is more than a physical and chemical process of the brain. (INS-2)
So here we have the realization that the physical model may not provide all the answers. Consciousness may be, in whole or in part, non-local; that is, it may exist in an unseen dimension not physically connected to the human body. If so, is it not then at least partially in the realm of the soul. Is it not then the job of religion to help define its nature?
Hatcher says Both are human, social activities (SOR, 2) "religion results when we turn the scientific method to the study of the unseen creative force of the universe we call God." (SOR, 20)
Einstein said: "You will hardly find one among the profounder sort of scientific minds without a religious feeling of his own ... (it) is the guiding principle of his life and work insofar as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire. It is beyond question closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages. (I/O, 49-50)
'Abdul-Baha has said "Whatever the intelligence of man cannot understand, man ought not to accept. Religion and science walk hand in hand and any religion contrary to science is not the truth." (Paris, 130-1) "When a religion is opposed to science it becomes mere superstition ..." (Paris, 141) Religious teaching which is at variance with science and reason is human invention and imagination unworthy of acceptance ..." (Promul, 107)
Capra says "The broader management of (the world's) problems will have to be from a systemic, ecological world view ... because they are all coming from the fundamental neglect of our interconnectedness, in our social organizations as well as our individual lives ... (Conv, 53) ... our science needs compassion and wisdom ... we need compassion in our politics, in our social interactions, in our science." (Conv, 76)
John Mather, NASA's chief scientist for the Cosmic Background Explorer spacecraft, said in 1992, "This is the universe God gave us and we might as well find out what it is and how it works." (SRVT)
Some scientists subscribe to the Anthropic Principle which says that the fact we're here to ask questions about the universe shows that it was designed for our presence. Further, we exist in a "window" which must have been intentionally created, since a small variation in any one of many basic physical relationships of the universe (YYY) would wipe out life or prevent it from ever being formed. (S, 238; G/NP, 177-189)
THE CONFLICT
Hatcher says "... the adolescent excess of the scientific urge ... characterizes the modern world ... a complex of science and technology, divorced from all moral and ethical influence, has now become the dominant force in society." (SOR, 17, 19) ... scientists are increasingly assuming the function and role played by priests in earlier societies." (SOR, 1) Science is almost totally indifferent to the more global, universal questions asked by religion. (L/L, 40)
Capra says "... it's become a basic characteristic of our society to believe all the solutions can be found in technology." (Conv, 54) By viewing the world as a machine, we assume we can control the universe by controlling it's smaller parts, one at a time. (Conv, 52)
WHERE DID THE SPLIT OCCUR?
Capra and Dossey say it happened in the 17th century with Francis Bacon. He developed the experimental method and the philosophy that science should establish dominion and control over nature. Before Bacon, medieval scientists did their knowledge-seeking for the glory of God and by observing and tuning in to nature without disturbing it. (Conv, 76-77; HW, 164)
In effect the territory was divided - the scientists got the physical world and the Church got souls and spirits.
THE CONFLICT WITH MEDICAL SCIENCE AS AN EXAMPLE
One of Dr. Dossey's books is devoted entirely to the subject of prayer healing. There he describes scientific research showing that prayer can affect the rate at which humans and animals heal. He is distressed that the medical community in general ignores the subject.
Some of his reasons relate to the general conflict between religion and science:
1) Human nature resists change to avoid emotional discomfort;
2) Prayer can't be consciously controlled by individuals;
3) Belief in the healing power of prayer is equated with mysticism (such as fortune-tellers staring into
crystal balls);
4) Non-scientists can use it, resulting in a loss of control by
the medical/scientific establishment and
5) Western materialistic belief can't cope with the non-local
nature of prayer. (HW, 200-204)
BUT prayer/spiritual healing is a connection between spirituality and the science of medicine.
"... (It) constitutes ... one of the most effective methods of relieving a person from either his mental or physical pains and sufferings ... should be used as an effective means for effecting a complete physical cure ... is not and cannot be a substitute for material healing, but is a most valuable adjunct to it. Both are, indeed, essential and complimentary." (Shoghi Effendi [behalf], Lights of guidance, No. 928) "Physical healing cannot be complete and lasting unless it is reinforced by spiritual healing." (Shoghi Effendi [behalf], Lights, No. 929)
Complete healing, therefore, requires attention to body and soul.
'Abdu'l-Baha mentions several kinds (SAQ 72):
One kind uses "...the magnetic force which acts from one body on another and becomes the cause of
cure. This force has only a slight effect." (Local)
He also mentions another kind using "the power of the Holy Spirit. This does not depend on contact, nor sight, nor upon presence ... whether a personal connection be established between the sick person and the healer or not ... " (Non-local)
(NOTE: The State of California gives continuing education nursing credit for taking courses in healing techniques the same as those described above by 'Abdu'l-Baha [Oriental-based "Reiki"])
(Science has started to measure these techniques and they appear to be magnetic in character, just as 'Abdu'l-Baha said [VM, 149-150])
Also - the traditional oriental techniques of acupuncture and acupressure, which work on the body's energy pathways, are being slowly introduced into western medicine.
(**Please understand that spiritual healing is not a part of Baha'i practice other than by the familiar method of praying. It is, however, another place where science and religion are meeting.)
IS THE SPLIT NECESSARY?
Hatcher says science and religion are thought to be opposed because one is based on reason and the other on faith, yet both are part of the same process of knowing and living. There is no intrinsic opposition between faith and reason. "Faith must be rational and reason always operates within ... faith." (SOR, 9)
WHAT IS FAITH (BELIEF)?
Faith is generally thought of as belief in something for which there is no proof, yet Baha'is base faith on knowledge of Baha'u'llah's life, the Baha'i writings, other religions, the world we see around us and the strong probability against a false prophet appearing approximately every 1000 years and creating a world-wide religion.
Science is based on faith in physical principles many of which are probabalistic and may later prove wrong or limited (even Einstein was wrong - re quantum physics).
BIGGEST MISTAKE OF SCIENCE
The discovery of scientific truths doesn't mean God is thereby removed as a cause (e.g., discovery
of the processes whereby stars are formed), and it doesn't make the creation of all life any less the
province of God. Discovery of the detail of a process isn't the same as creation of that process.
(SOR, 24)
Science hasn't proved that God doesn't exist because the scientific method has never been applied to
that issue. (SOR, 20) For scientists to say God doesn't exist is very unscientific.
DOES GOD GIVE CLUES TO SCIENTIFIC MYSTERIES THROUGH HIS WORD?
In "The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys" Baha'u'llah quotes the
Quran[Koran]:
"Split the atom's heart, and lo!
Within it you wilt find a sun."
(Qur' n 67:3, cited at SV, 12)
Was this not a prediction of the discovery of atomic energy 1000 years ago?
100 years ago Baha'u'llah said:
"Strange and astonishing things exist in the earth but they are hidden from the minds of men. These things are capable of changing the whole atmosphere of the earth and their contamination would prove lethal." (Tablets, 69)
Was he not then warning us of nuclear fallout?
RESOLUTION OF APPARENT CONFLICTS
Some Baha'i writings may appear at first to conflict with generally accepted scientific thought; but other writings bring them into harmony.
Most astrophysicists believe that at a particular instant roughly 15 billion years ago, all the matter and energy we can observe, concentrated in a region smaller than a dime, began to expand and cool at an incredibly rapid rate. By the time the temperature had dropped to 100,000,000 times that of the sun, the forces of nature assumed their present properties ..." This was the "big bang." (Scient. Amer. Oct. 1994, 53)
One theory suggests that before the big bang there was a vast sea of energy from which the material world exploded. (BS/S, 66-68; S, 7-8, 191-3)
Baha'u'llah said:
"The process of (God's) creation hath no beginning and can have no end."
(GL, 61)
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
" ... as long as there has been a God there has been a creation. As long as
there has been light there have been recipients of that light ...
creation is ... without a beginning." (Promul, 462-463)
Baha'u'llah gave further explanation in the Tablet of Wisdom (Law-I-Hikmat):
"That which hath been in existence had existed before, but not in the form
which thou seest today. The world of existence came into being through
the heat generated from the interaction between the active force and that
which is its recipient." (Tablets, 140 [emphasis added]; ZZZ)
Abdu'l-Baha offered support for such a theory:
"Existence and non-existence are both relative. If it be said that such a
thing came into existence from non-existence, this does not refer to
absolute non-existence, but means that its former condition in relation to
its actual condition was nothingness." (SAQ, 281 [emphasis added])
These comments support the "big bang" theory, but maintain that the state of existence before that was not "nothingness." Of course not! God was there, and an energy field or spiritual beings may have also been present - there was just nothing in physical form.
Another theory says the big bang is only part of a cycle of expansion and contraction which has gone on forever, and that our universe was formed from a prior universe which collapsed on itself just as ours will do in the future.
British astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle's theory matches the description of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha more closely. He says that space and time have always existed and the observed expansion of the universe is only local and due to one of many relatively small galactic explosions. (SA)
Baha'u'llah has said: " ... the worlds of God are countless in their number and infinite in their range." (GL 151-2) and other theories suggest there may be many universes. (MOG, 70-72; G/NP, 116, 141-2; Penrose, 295-6)
So we have agreement on the "big bang" theory in general, with the possibility it was only one of many physical creation events.
WHEN DID HUMAN LIFE BEGIN IN THE UNIVERSE?
'Abdu'l-Baha said: "If we can imagine a time when no beings existed, this imagination would be a denial of the existence of God." (SAQ, No. 47)
But if a fiery creation did occur at a particular moment in time, how could human beings have existed anywhere within it soon afterward?
(The question here is what the reference to "beings" means.)
Baha'u'llah sheds some light on this: "Verily I say the creation of God embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures apart from these creatures. In each of these worlds He hath ordained things which none can search except Himself, the all-Searching, the All-Wise." (GL, 152-153)
He further refers to two types of beings in his message to the Rulers of America in the Kitab-I-Aqdas, the Holy Book
of the Baha'i Faith :
"The Promised One hath appeared in this glorified Station, whereat all beings, both seen and unseen, have
rejoiced." (KA, 88:12)
'Abdu'l-Baha also refers to beings other than humans. In his discussion of evolution he refers to "all existing beings, terrestrial (on earth) and celestial (heavenly)." (SAQ, No. 46) He also mentions "angels" several times. (Promul, 28, 214; Selections, 18, 81, 209; Japan Will Turn Ablaze, 21-22; Paris, 169-170)
In one of his "Answered Questions" he says that when he speaks of humans existing forever, he is referring only to the essence of the "Manifestations of God," that is, "the Perfect Man" who has existed for all time, as, at the beginning of the earth, man did not appear upon it. (SAQ, No. 50)
Therefore, while "beings" have always existed, it is not claimed that human life has always existed, so there is no real conflict.
THE EVOLUTION OF MAN ON EARTH
'Abdu'l-Baha said that human beings never belonged to the animal world; that is, we are not descended from apes. (SAQ, No. 46)
How then do we explain science's tracing of human origins back further and further towards an ape-like form?
'Abdu'l-Baha also said the human form has passed through many stages in which it may have appeared we were similar to animals. (Promul, 358-9) "... man ... gradually grew and developed, and passed from one form to another [similar to growth of the human embryo]
The key is his statement, "In the beginning of (human) formation the mind and spirit also existed, but they were hidden; later they were manifested." (SAQ, No. 51) Here he says that although we may have physically progressed from lower forms, the human spirit was locked within those forms and only released when the present level was reached.
There is, then, no actual dispute. Humans and animals are separate species, but man may have physically progressed through a sequence of animal-like forms with the possibility of a branching at some point of evolution, or even a parallel progression with animals. The essence of man was a series of forms, but with the latent, or hidden, human spirit and soul, which finally came to fruition.
WHAT IS THE BASIC NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE?
Scientists know in detail what the visible universe looks like, but what about the invisible one?
Holographic images on film are created by the use of laser light. If you look at one, you cannot see a clear image such as that in a normal photograph. Yet when laser light is shined on the film, the image appears in three dimensions. Also if you cut out a piece of the film and shine laser light on it, the full image will still appear, though not as clearly. In other words, each part contains the whole.
In his book "Wholeness and the Implicate Order," David Bohm likened our universe to a giant hologram with each part containing information about, and connected to, all other parts. He describes the world of physical reality as "enfolded" within its source, a larger unseen field called the "implicate order." There are higher and higher orders which finally blend into what he calls All That Is. (WIO; HU, 39-49; BS/S, 54-57) This may be the closest to picturing the world of God that science has come.
Karl Pribram is a professor of neuropsychology in the Stanford Department of Psychology and the medical school and the author of many books and articles on the mind-brain relationship. He says that mind, the process of the brain, is holographic and connects with Bohm's "implicate order." (INS-3)
This view was predated by 'Abdu'l-Baha, when he wrote "... the parts of this infinite universe have their members and elements connected with one another, and influence one another spiritually and materially ... the universe is like a living person." He further said the finite and infinite beings of the universe have a spiritual and material connection which science cannot discover. (SAQ, No. 69)
This also echoes the GAIA principle that the planet earth is a single living system composed of many parts, each contributing and necessary to the whole.
Now we can see that both science and religion are beginning to accept the fact of our universal interconnectedness.
THE UNIFIED FIELD
Science has been trying for many years to show that the basic force fields of nature were actually a single force at the beginning of the universe.
Electromagnetism
Weak nuclear - causes sub-atomic particles to change form and radiate
Strong nuclear - holds atomic nuclei together
Gravity - extends to all matter
The electromagnetic and weak forces have been combined and "Grand Unified Theories" have been proposed to include the strong force, but gravity remains a mystery. Testing of theories in this area requires huge particle accelerators, such as SLAC at Stanford.
The study of the combining of these forces at the beginning of the universe requires looking within the first one second of creation! Is science not entering the domain of religion here?
Combining several of these concepts, physicist Saul-Paul Sirag has said that consciousness will play a part in the unified field theory, there is really only one universal consciousness and that hyperspace is consciousness acting on itself. He says space-time is a studio in which consciousness acts. He says further that these are old, old ideas in many spiritual traditions. He predicts that most physicists will share this view within 20 years. (INS-4).
It seems the unity of science and religion is well on its way.
CONCLUSION
The potential for unity of science and religion is summed up in two statements, a "scientific" view and the Baha'i view. In effect they bode well for the unification of science and religion in that, coming from entirely different directions, they express amazingly similar thoughts:
In a wheelchair at Cambridge University in England sits a little man, hunched over, unable to speak, except by tapping one finger at a computer keyboard. Yet despite this disability, his mind is still active and many consider it the most brilliant mind in modern physics. His name is Stephen Hawking.
In his book "A Brief History of Time," he attempted to explain the theory of relativity and the forces of the universe. His concluding paragraph is also the introduction to Davies' book, "The Mind of God." This is their thought on the unification of the forces of the universe - applicable to the entire scientific endeavor:
"If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we would truly know the mind of God."
The Baha'i position has been beautifully expressed by 'Abdu'l-Baha:
"Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress ... When religion, shorn of its superstition, tradition and unintelligent dogma, shows its conformity with science, then will there be a great unifying, cleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements, discords and struggles - and then will mankind be united in the power of the love of God." (Paris, 143, 146)
BF:
Hatcher, W., "The Baha'i Faith, The Emerging Global Religion,"
San Francisco, Harper and Row, 1985.
BP:
Brown, K., "A Baha'i Perspective on the Origin of Matter,"
Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2.3.1990.
BS/S:
Friedman, N., "Bridging Science and Spirit," St. Louis, Living
Lake Books, 1994.
CONV:
Bennett, H., "Fritjof Capra in Conversation with Michael Toms,"
Lower Lake, CA., Aslan, 1994.
FTL:
Herbert, N., "Faster than Light," New York, New American Library,
1988.
GL:
Baha'u'llah, "Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah."
G/NP:
Davies, P., "God and the New Physics," New York, Simon and
Schuster, 1983.
H:
Kaku, M., "Hyperspace," New York, Oxford University Press,
1994.
HU:
Talbot, M., "The Holographic Universe," New York, HarperCollins,
1991.
HW:
Dossey, L., "Healing Words," New York, HarperCollins, 1993.
INS:
Transcript of Interview by Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove, Institute of
Noetic Sciences, on program "Thinking Allowed" (date unknown)
INS-2:
-Presentation, "Reconciling Science and Metaphysics, January,
1991; "Reconciling the Experience of
Consciousness with the Scientific Worldview," presented at HSRC conference on Science and Vision, Pretoria,
South Africa, January 31, 1992)
INS-3:
Transcript of Interview by Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove, Institute of
Noetic Sciences, on program "Thinking Allowed"
(date unknown)
INS-4:
Transcript of Interview by Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove, Institute of
Noetic Sciences, on program "Thinking Allowed"
(date unknown)
I/O:
Einstein, A., "Ideas and Opinions," New York, Dell, 1973.
KA:
Baha'u'llah, "The Kitab-I-Aqdas."
L/L:
Hatcher, W., "Logic and Logos," Oxford, George Ronald, 1990.
MOG:
Davies, P., "The Mind of God," New York, Simon and Schuster,
1992.
NEB:
Pert, C., "Neuropeptides: The Emotions and Bodymind," Advances,
Institute for Advancement of Health, Vol. 3, No. 3, Summer, 1986.
OW:
Davies, P., "Other Worlds," New York, Simon and Schuster, 1980.
Paris:
'Abdu'l-Bah , "Paris Talks."
Penrose:
Penrose, R. "The Emperor's New Mind," New York, Penguin, 1991.
Promised Day:
'Abdu'l-Baha, "The Promised Day is Come."
Promul:
'Abdu'l-Baha, "The Promulgation of Universal Peace."
RS:
"The Revolution of Science after the Revelation of Baha'u'llah,"
talk by Dr. Eric Fienieg at
the Baha'i International summer school in the Netherlands in 1993.
S:
Davies, P., "Superforce," New York, Simon and Schuster, 1984.
SA:
Scientific American profile, March 1995, p. 46.
SAQ:
'Abdu'l-Baha, "Some Answered Questions."
Selections:
'Abdu'l-Baha, "Selections from the Writings of
'Abdu'l-Baha."
SOR:
Hatcher, W., "The Science of Religion," Ottowa, Canadian
Association for Studies on the Baha'i Faith, 1980.
SRVT:
San Ramon Valley Times article, "Science and Religion Edge
Closer," Sunday April 26, 1992.
SV:
Baha'u'llah, "The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys."
VM:
Gerber, R., "Vibrational Medicine," Santa Fe, Bear and Co.,
1988.
WIO:
Bohm, D., "Wholeness and the Implicate Order," London, Routledge
and Kegan
Paul, 1980, 1983.
YYY:
The strength of the four fundamental forces, the earth's
distance from the sun, the expansion rate of the
universe, the protective ozone layer, physical and chemical laws permitting creation of heavy elements
beyond iron, producing DNA and protein molecules, etc.
(OW, 148-150; S, 238; G/NP, 177-189; H, 257-260).
ZZZ:
In "A Baha'i Perspective on the Origin of Matter," Journal of
BahaĦ Studies, 2.3.1990, Kevin Brown
expanded on this description, referencing some not-readily-available Baha'i documents. He describes the
active and passive forces as "polar aspects of the etherial substance which is both spirit and non-material
matter." He says the "heat," or "life-ordering energy" is "intrinsically part of the active force, but
interaction with the recipient is needed to manifest its effects." (p. 28)
He also says the active and passive forces are each composed of two parts and that Baha'u'llah identifies
them as the four elements of Greek physics: air, earth, fire and water, corresponding to the biochemical
processes that preserve life [oxidation, reduction, dehydration and hydration].
(pp. 27-28, 35-38).