I Believe in God and Science.

I believe in God and Science. I also believe that religion and science are the creation of Man, and thus subject to the motivations and influences of Man. While these institutions may have been born of a profound personal conviction, they are not the definition of God.

So how do I define God?

Basically, I believe that the universe is too complex, too intricately interrelated, too beautiful and spectacular to be the product of mere random chance. I believe in a continuum of intelligence, so that just as my intelligence is greater on that continuum than that of an amoeba, so too must there be a far greater intelligence than my own.

Is it so much of a leap, then, to imagine that this far greater intelligence consciously designed the universe? Why do modern scientists dismiss the idea that complex systems and processes were the product of something greater than random chemical reaction? After all, where did the elements and chemicals come from? Why do they have the possibility of interaction in the first place?

I believe that each of us has been created with a set of tools that we can choose to use as we see fit. These tools include curiosity, intelligence, compassion, discipline, love, ambition, drive, fear, joy, passion and patience. We have the capacity to explore and study and discover the beautiful intricacies of the universe, and then, once discovered, to look for more.

We also have been given choice, and the will to choose those tools that we wish to utilize. I find it sad when someone chooses then to believe only the dogma and doctrine of what is familiar and claim that that is the end of their need to question and explore. That type of choice, to me, is tragically limiting and wastes the gifts that we have been created to use. Too often the constructs of religion and the Church have been used as a weapon to beat down these gifts in order to satisfy the very human need for power and control over others.

That is why I differentiate between Faith and Religion. Faith is that wonderful capacity in humans that allows us to believe in something greater than ourselves, and, perhaps even more important, to dream. What an incredible gift to be given, the capacity to dream and believe that there is always something more that can be discovered? Perhaps then, this ability to dream is the most tangible evidence of God we have. Who else could conceive of giving the product of millennia of innumerable chemical reactions the intangible capacity to feel the presence of an intelligence and power greater than itself?

Religion can provide guidance, solace and direction to a large number of people. In it’s purest form, an organized religion creates a safe and wholesome community that is united by shared beliefs and ideals. Unfortunately, too often religions can fall prey to the baser nature of mankind, especially the hubris, greed and lust for power that can consume even the most devout of humans. When this happens, religion is tainted and twisted into a mechanism for prejudice and hate.

I am not condemning religion, nor am I condemning those who ascribe to any specific denomination. My objection with organized religion is when the very human leadership of these religions too often choose to supress the gifts of imagination, free choice and curiosity that we have been given, and instead choose to further their own agendas of prejudice and hate through twisted doctrine and dogma.

Our lives and existence are truly miraculous things, and to ignore them is to miss a fundamental component of being human. Science may not consider itself a religion, yet it ascribes to the same ultimate purpose as any religion, to explain our own existence and all of the infinite details that that explanation entails. Discovering these details for ourselves does not lesson the greater wonder that these details were there for us to discover in the first place. Why not ask, “Who put these details there?” or, at the very least, admit that this continual cycle of the discovery of new details indicates an order and system to the universe that we have yet to discover the nature of.

Admitting to the wondrous complexity of the universe in no way diminishes our quest to explore that complexity. Admitting that this self-same complexity may be the product of a greater intelligence than our own, merely means incorporating the human capacity for faith into our consciousness and our explorations.

Retinking McCain

So yes, the election is over and Barack Obama is now firmly ensconced in the Whitehouse. So why discuss John McCain’s choices during his failed attempt to run for president?

Well, I still have some lingering questions about how John McCain, a man who is admirable and politically savvy, decided to use the negative campaign strategy team that launched George Bush into office. Certainly, on the surface, the choice to go with a team (and tactics) that have a proven track record of success would seem a logical choice, especially when facing the juggernaut of momentum that the Obama campaign had generated. Still, the Obama juggernaut indicated that America was ready for a new type of government, built on a foundation of Hope and Possibility, rather than Fear and Arrogance. John McCain has been a fixture in American politics for 3 decades. The question then is, how could he miss such an obvious movement, and not try and capitalize on it himself? Or, at the very least, not tie himself to a campaign machine built on the principles and tactics that the evident trends indicate are being rejected by the voters?

There are two possible answers to this question:
1. John McCain was desperate and turned to the Bush-Rove-Cheney strategy team as a last ditch effort to tap into the power and influence of the neo-conservative movement.
2. John McCain is actually quite politically savvy, and he indeed recognized the strength and value of the Obama (Hope and Possibility) movement, and so he intentionally chose the Bush-Rove-Cheney campaign strategy BECAUSE he knew that it would fail, in essence, throwing the election.

The reasons for possibility #1 are obvious, and were John McCain not such an experienced politician and savvy political survivor, this would seem to be the only logical choice available to him. By choosing this path, he stays true to his Republican base, tosses a sop to the neo-cons and remains in power (with enhanced national recognition and influence).

The reasons for #2 are less obvious, though indicate a far savvier political strategist than first thought. By engaging a campaign strategy and team that is in the process of being rejected, and that is intimately tied to an outgoing administration that has the lowest approval ratings ever, McCain was actively putting the final nail in the entire Neo-Con revolution, a revolution that he himself had never fully endorsed or participated in.

In addition, it has become evident that John McCain has maneuvered himself to be a very prominent and influential player in the new Obama administration, basically becoming the poster child for the Obama administrations to truly “reach across the aisle” and mend the political rifts caused by divisive tactics that have defined the past eight years.

John McCain is a proven survivor, in life and in politics. No one questions the courage and fortitude that he displayed during his time as a prisoner of war, and he has leveraged that same strength and fortitude into his long political career. Perhaps he learned in prison that one can stand against a powerful force on the strength of one’s convictions, and that by doing so, outlast the powerful force.

Essentially, John McCain is a good and honest man, who has built a career of “being his own man”. He has also learned to become a wise political player who recognizes the value and strength in being flexible in alliance and temporary ideology so as to achieve a more lasting and broader objective. Some would call this flip-flopping or some other type of derogatory term…others might call it savvy political survival.