Science and the Spiritual Quest
Increasingly today, scientists are interested in connecting
their research with their understanding and experience of spirituality.
For many, doing science is in itself a spiritual experience of
uncovering mysteries about the universe. For others, doing science
requires an ethical commitment, and this commitment is grounded
in and is a form of spirituality. Still others view nature as
one form of divine revelation, and the ‘book of nature’
discloses intimations of God’s purpose in creating the universe
and thus enhances our understanding of the purpose of life in
the universe.
To some, the laws of nature reveal something about the mind
of God, and the history of the cosmos which unfolds on the basis
of these laws are evidence of the ongoing activity of God. Science
leads some scientists to God as the ultimate reality and source
of all that is. To others, scientific knowledge brings fresh insight
into the vast wisdom held withing the various religious traditions
of the world, and the impetus for scientific pursuit is received
from their personal religious convictions. In these and many other
ways, scientists are increasingly willing to describe their practice
of science and the knowledge gained from scientific discoveries
as directly relevant to spirituality both as our thirst and search
for God and as God’s gracious offer to encounter us. This
new field of science and spirituality promises to be of tremendous
value as more and more scientists from the plurality of humanity’s
religious traditions join in the process of connecting their scientific
research and their faith and lived religious experience.
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| Contributed by: Dr. Robert Russell
|
