We may look at most discoveries and advances in scientific knowledge as re- discovery of what always existed and was created in magnificent and complex forms. The last four centuries has seen a remarkable increase in human understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological systems operative in nature. With this knowledge amazing new devices and applications to human life has been invented and developed.

There is as much controversy today as in former times about the nature and sequence of events relating to the creation of the universe. The "Big Bang" theories have the most adherents, perhaps because the experimental confirmation of the isotropic microwave energy predicted by cosmologists as existing remanents of the Big Bang gives this exotic hypothesis some creditability. However, the distribution of the gigahertz radiation seems to be too isotropic and, even by invoking quantum mechanical theories of physics, the lumpiness of the observed galaxies can not be readily explained. Perhaps there were many big bangs? What existed before the big bang(s)--which are estimated to have occurred some 15 billion years ago? Very intricate and fascinating theories have been devised pertaining to the first 10-exp36 seconds that the universe existed and during subsequent periods. Imagination and mathematics have constructed a possible model of creation--marvelous enough to worthy of a divine mind! [Reference: Spergel, David N. and Neil G. Turok, "Texture and Cosmic Structure", Scientific American, Mar. 1992, pp 52-59.]

In physics, unifying field theories have been elaborated that attempt to describe and relate the properties of all the known forces and particles of matter. But always there are phenomenon that elude the unified theories, and there are competing theories seeking to correct or generalize the published papers. Anyone reading these scientific papers senses that the human understanding is incomplete and, although always learning more about nature, the new knowledge introduces new questions.

Creative discoveries are unfolding today about the processes in biology. The inherited, and perfectly replicated in living cells, complex information contained in the DNA helixes discloses another amazing world. Living organism are preordained at birth by data stored in cells that determine the characteristics of every part of the body. Aging instructions are included in the genetic codes that weaken and destroy the living entity after an interval of time generally sufficient for reproducing the animal or plant. [Reference: Stuart A. Kauffman, "Antichaos and Adaptation", Sci. Amer. Aug. 1991, pp78-84.]

Many Nobel prizes have been awarded to investigators of human intelligence and the functions of the brain and nervous systems. These chemical, electrical sensing and storing mechanisms of animals are explored using modern instrumentation, primarily microscopes with excellent resolutions permitting studies in terms of molecular dimensions, and with novel biochemical techniques. This is really an applied area of research that has daunted and defied medical practitioners in all societies since man has tried to help sick people. Only recently have models been experimentally tested which delineate tentatively the physics, chemistry, and electronics by which sensory information is communicated and processed to affect animal behavior. The functioning of the brain with it prodigious storage of information and sublime capacities for recognition and thought are still only described by the external observed capabilities and not by the internal wiring and information retrieval phenomena operating within the brain. Scientific theories and experimental tools are just emerging that promise to discover the fantastic functions of the human mind in terms of substances and emanations of the brain. [Reference: Erwin Neher and Sakmann, Bert, "The Patch Clamp Technique", Sci. Amer. Mar. 1992, PP 44-51.]

Another scientific field that relates to human intelligence is called Artificial Intelligence. Among the various objectives of these scientific workers is the approximating of human intelligence and biological systems by computers and robots. Because the actually physical and chemical activities of the brain are not known, analog circuits and physical devices are designed to simulate biological capabilities. Again this concept is in its infancy but the extraordinary ability of humans to sense, store, and analyze information serves as a challenge to electronic systems designers. In recent years the advances in electronic information storage, the miniaturization of memory media, and high speeds at which information can be retrieved and processed give scientist hope that Artificial Intelligence can some day rival human intelligence.

Surveying these frontiers of human knowledge and speculation, what relevance do these discoveries and the appreciation and modern elaboration of the wonders of nature have on man's understanding of creation and the possible purposes of life? Our peering and probing into the universe, the properties of matter, and the process of biology have revealed worlds of amazing complexity, mathematical profundity, and infinities of scale and possibilities quit beyond imagination. Rather than being humbled by the immensity and grandeur of it all, scientist often take personal pride in their own discoveries or even when they have mastered some small portion of the complicated science theories that has been partially unravelled and described today! The principal uses of science have been to construct technology with commercial, saleable characteristics that contribute to the comfort and longevity of mankind, provide people with more efficient and deadly weapons of war, and allow more rapid exploitation of the mineral, biological, and energy resources on and of the earth. The beauty and splendor of scientific discovery is often sensed by the scientist or discoverer but seldom shared by people untrained in science and mathematics. The religious or metaphysical interpretation of our amazing, evolving world is disregarded by many people.

People are aware, however, of several accelerating crises exacerbated by the rapid discoveries of science. Writing 50 years ago Sorokin, then a professor at Harvard University, identifies the cause of the troubles of our age, not primarily with accelerating scientific discovery, but as the historically predictable results of a sensate culture in counter distinction to a theistic or ideational culture. Sorokin documents the frequency of crimes, wars, scientific discovery, divorce rates, and other social characteristics of Western civilization with the prevailing religious and philosophical views dominant in each historic era. He alleges that the declining years of the Greco-Roman period were years of sensate morality emphasizing sensual pleasures, acquisition of private wealth, and of entertainment and violence. The Christian Middle ages following the fall of the Roman empire were in contrast a period of altruism, obedience to laws, and faith in God. We are living again in a sensate epoch and social forces that caused the decay of the Roman Empire are active in destroying modern Western Civilization, according to Sorokin. [Reference: Sorokin, Pitirim Aleksandrovich, The Crises of our Age, The Social and Cultural Outlook. Dutton, New York, 1941] [Reference: The Columbia History of the World, Edited by Garraty, J. A. and Peter Gay, Harper Row, New York, 1981 Dorset Press, Read Sections: Enlightenment, "Science versus Theology" and The Brooding Present, "The State of Culture Today".]

Even if we do not accept Sorokin's interpretations of social forces shaping history, certain social dilemmas are evident today. perhaps the central, fundamental problems today are: What activities should people of the 21st Century engage in? What choices are available? Which of these activities are the most desirable and allow the survival of humanity?

During most of human history man's energy, time, activity have been engaged in gathering food and providing clothing and shelter. Hunting, farming, care of homes and children, and cottage industries kept men and women very busy. We in the more prosperous Western world are now emerging from a giant industrial revolution that employed most people in making things that revolutionized life with modern machines and computers for marvelous transportation, communications, and domestic conveniences. Unfortunately this same technological revolution have stripped us of most of the time consuming activities previously needed for survival. Food is produced on large farms that employ giant, efficient machines for planting and harvest. Very few people live and work on farms. The industries too have found procedures using robots and computer aided design and production to make most manufactured goods and to streamline most bookkeeping operations. Many manufacturing jobs have been exported to the Third World where labor is cheaper.

What are people, especially young people, to do with the time allotted to life? Many people are engaged presently in hard work and in the savage competition to survive in the modern high tech and management work places where the neurotic stress is often debilitating. Often both husband and wife work to acquire fancy homes and autos. The available work in the "Information Age" is mostly accounting, marketing and sale of goods, and in producing and routing paper in offices. Continuing education and military service are provided by governmental and private institutions and agencies. These empires of socialistic bureaucracy offer time consuming options that have some value to society. But amusements and sports seem to be the popular choices for young people. Television and collegiate and professional sports are spectator activities that attract many of the idle young people. Many take part in sports like skiing and golf that require some physical activities. Unfortunately drugs and street violence captivate many people and threaten the safety of our civilization. As our Information Age culture continues to develop smaller fractions of the populations will find remunerative work. Will the catastrophic activities relating to drugs and violence, and the greed and cupidity that permeates our sensate culture, lead to the downfall of Western Civilization?

In the Third World the more traditional activities of manual agriculture and cottage industries still occupy the time and energy of most people. In Africa, South America, and Asia the populations are growing rapidly. Many of these society are governed by moral and religious codes unlike those prevailing in the West today. Will these cultures, guided by traditional religious principles, survive and replace the hedonistic societies of the West?

This question leads to consideration of what causes the efficacy of religions in supporting a culture. All the world religions and their variants are available to the West, where in most countries, individuals are free to choose among them. Followers of most religious faiths are constrained to accept these guides for living: Adherents must share their wealth by giving to the poor. Men and women must be faithful in marriage and abstain from promiscuous sex. Honesty in business and personal dealings is required. Humility, poverty, children, and old people are respected. Prayer, study, confession, and purification are a part of daily living. Violence, hatred, and drunkenness are forbidden activities, but working for daily bread, seeking wisdom, and acts of love and hospitality are encouraged. Believers acknowledge a supernatural God who judges actions of individuals and nations; who punishes those who fail to follow the codes and spirit of the faith. It is clear that many of these standards of conduct and faith have been abandoned in contemporary Western cultures.

The major world religions differ however in many respects. Some faiths expect people to be resurrected from the dead and be judged on their earthly deeds. In other faiths judgment of human behavior is not by any supernatural intervention but consists mainly of peer pressure of other believers and legal codes enforced by governments. Most religions denounce war and killing, but many are ambiguous about national military objectives. Many religions are political and seek to rule both the religious and secular life of the society; however in recent times many religious factions favor the separation of church (temple, mosque, etc.) and state. The power to govern secular affairs tends to enrich and corrupt religious institutions--the temptation of earthly power is always there. Most faiths rely on ancient sacred writings for guidance. Some faiths are tolerant and accepting of other religions but most creeds teach that only their faith is true and God given.

But all faiths are greatly influenced by world views of the universe based on modern science--the subjects introduce at the beginning of this essay. Great societies like China and the Moslem World abhor the violence, avarice, sexual practices, and the lack of moral discipline of Western societies, but they value modern science and seek to import it without allowing the Western vices to enter their lands. Science has had a profound effect on the Christian religion with the Catholic Church constantly revising its world views based on discoveries in astronomy, physics, biology, and philosophical and psychological studies of mankind and human societies. Even the fideistic evangelical Protestant churches must reconcile their dogmas with scientific discoveries. Perhaps an important avenue to the re-introduction of religion--with its alleged benefits--into Western societies is by credible, sedulous efforts to study the impact of modern discoveries on religious faiths.

Recent space flights and mankind's ever expanding appreciation of the vastness and complexity of the universe have caused scientists and theologians to stand in owe. What forces or creative powers produce the galaxies and supernova? The scales of time and distance and been measured in light years in an effort to approximate "infinities" and to estimated cosmic dimensions. The more that giant telescopes gather new evidence about astronomy and new theoretical models of stellar phenomena are explored by number crunching computers the more apparent is the magnitude of our ignorance relative to what can be proven and explained about the origin of and physics of the universe.

Scientists are no less baffled by the complexities of the minuscule worlds of particle physics. The discoveries of the giant particle accelerators reveal ever deeper truths about the nature of energy and matter. Research never ends and never completely solves the mysteries. In fact the Big Bang theory of comic beginning seems to connect with concepts of arcane particle physics. The best human minds seem to be able to relate the phenomena in both worlds of physics with mathematical models. Yet these extraordinary theoretical constructs lack experimental proof and general agreement.

But the greatest mysteries of all are in the fields of biology and human life. Scientists with tools and knowledge of chemistry and physics are beginning to penetrate the processes that occur in living organisms. Recent discoveries about the genetic and growth control mechanisms of DNA and RNA have revealed elaborate codes that govern the shapes and functions of the components of all living things. Plants and animals are wonderfully equipped to find and use air, water, energy, and foods available in their environments. The life cycles are predetermined genetically and most of the organism's capabilities are fixed. Yet provisions for change and adaptation are evident too that lead to new living forms and species over the ages. Nature seems terrible wasteful with millions of egg cells and young needed at times to produce a few adults with reproductive abilities.

Even more perplexing phenomena are encountered by those seeking to understand the nervous system, sensing, memory and mental processes of humans and animals. The optics of the eye, the ability of the ear to distinguish and recognize sound are astounding. Human ability to store and remember faces and voices is truly amazing. The speed at which information flows through nerves which can control fingers and body motions is important for the survival of animals. But the billions of bits of information stored in human memory and that can be rapidly retrieved for thought processing far excels the capabilities of modern computers. The magical reins of our mind, with its unique sensitivities and moral codes, can manipulate the mountain of information stored in our cerebrum for conducting the affairs of our lives. This mind is the "thing" we identify as ourselves, as our individual personalities. Although there have been many studies of human intelligence and cognition, and recent efforts have located some regions in the brain where storage and processing takes place, there have not been great scientific breakthroughs relating to human mental physiology. Reading Saint Augustine in the reference cited below we find the descriptions of the output characteristics of the brain, its enormous memory and capacity to guide people's lives, were known to wise men before the fall of the Roman Empire. [Reference: Confessions, by Saint Augustine, Book X, (written in the 4th Century) Penguin Classics, 1961]

Do the magnificent discoveries of mankind in recent centuries lead people to belief in a Creator? Generally, no. In the 17th Century, Deism was a movement to reconcile science as then advanced by Newton and others with the Christian faith. But it, and scientific proofs of God and support for miracles, failed and were denounced by atheists and the Catholic Church alike. The Catholic Church however has attempted to relate scientific discoveries and new world views with official church doctrine. The catholic leaders who have done this always are condemned but, after their deaths, orthodox church doctrines are revised to include their new insights about the universe and man. Protestant theology has not struggled as hard with new scientific findings. Protestant churches tend to either take liberal views which see no conflicts with science, or to take conservative positions declaring the Bible to be inerrant and containing the final truths about nature. The historic Scopes trial, prosecuting a school teacher for teaching evolution instead of the Biblical accounts of creation, exemplifies this religious controversy in Protestant America.

So what are we to make of this world we live in? Did the universe just happen? All the galaxies, suns, and planets took form by mindless forces and processes only partly understood by the science of our age? Or is there a God- creator(s) with a mind superior but similar to humans who fashioned the world for some purpose? Or is the earth just an experiment set in motion by some deities who engineered biological species or beings and allowed them to ruthlessly compete for the life sustaining substances on the earth? These questions have baffled mankind since we first recorded our thoughts. Even with the accrued knowledge produced by human study, exploration, and science we are no closer to the answers than were the Egyptian, Hebrew, and Greek sages of past millennia.

Let me continue by stating that I believe there is a God and that he can be found. He can not be discovered and demonstrated by scientific proof or by logical and philosophical discourse. In this sense he is hidden, but he is approachable and knowable. The main pathway to him is through Bible study and prayer--which is communion with his Spirit. The marvels of nature and science are evidence of his creative attributes. Discoveries-- rediscoveries--can reinforce faith and suggest new truths.

How can we approach God? The secret seems to be in humility, truth, and purity. Only when we are child-like and give up on our own powers to resolve our problems, or to find purpose for our lives, can we experience the divine presence in our lives. There is ample guidance in scriptures telling us how God may be found. The following quotes may be helpful: Matt. 5: 8, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. James 4: 6-10, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." John 4: 21, "God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." I John 3: 1-3, "We shall see him as he is." Luke 10: 21, "I thank thee, o Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes."

Do many people find God by following the humble path of faith, prayer, and unselfishness? These people are rare among the rich, powerful, and successful in terms of worldly ambitions. But these folks can be found almost everywhere--I found some one time among the poor in the high Andes of Peru. Today in Guatemala I recently heard on the TV news that the evangelical churches there have many followers in that poverty stricken land, chiefly among the lowly Indian tribes.

What are we to make of the pentecostal church's approach to God with the dramatic charismatic experiences of healing, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual demonstrations? The phenomena described by these faithful, humble people is also well documented by scriptures. But the work of the Holy Spirit to which these remarkable gifts are attributed often is neglected or repudiated by ministers and rabbis. Scriptural reports of the Holy Spirit are plentiful with Acts, Chapter 2, being the primary source of information. John 14: 26 is often quoted and Paul in I Cor. Chapters 12-14 gives some details and the cautions of a clergyman about excessive demonstrations. Evidence of unusual spiritual displays are also mentioned in the Old Testament, for example, in I Sam. 19: 23-24 and in the Torah, Numbers 11: 24-30, where Moses is quoted, " I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would confer his spirit on them all!". Much has been written in recent years about the Holy Spirit with the reference below giving a strong testimony. [Reference: Hinn, Benny "Good Morning, Holy Spirit"]

Those people walking and communicating daily with God often trust that every event in their lives is ordained by God. When an accident happens to a Moslem believer he attributes the act to God's will. For many Christians too their lives are perceived as preplanned or predestined. The scriptures are full of teachings supporting predestination. (John 10: 25-30) This subject has been thoroughly debated by theologian and rejected by most. Free-will hypotheses tend to win these human arguments giving men and women more control over their fate and emphasizing the Grace and forgiveness of God.

But in the genetic codes that determine the detailed development of the fetus and of all the cells that grow in the living organism are prescriptions that govern most aspects of life--susceptibility of certain diseases, the upper limit to life span, the shape (ugliness and beauty) of the specimen, the intelligence and abilities of the individual. This is a limited kind of predestination that control the organism's response to the accidents and environments in which it seeks to survive and reproduce. The blueprint for complete replication of the living entity is contained in every cell. This miniaturization of information coding is incredible. What about the events that occur during the short periods of life for most organisms? Are all happenings pre-ordered too such that all things and all phenomena simply enact a pre-written script? It is hard to construct a model of God, "the great watch maker" guiding the affairs of mankind as Newton's Laws govern the motion of planets as was attempted early in the Renaissance. In such a world model God and/or his angles engineer the deterministic and chaotic forces of the universe such as to predestine all of history. Such a theology negates most religions, because God could not be appealed by priest or laymen to change circumstances if these have already been preordained. (Unless it was preordained that certain men and women would appeal to him and to alter the course of their lives by resolutions, choices, and actions, or by accepting grace!) The inconceivability and absurdity of predestination are approximated by the divine intercession hypotheses!

What about life after death? Resurrection is discussed in the Bible, mainly in the New Testament. Rabbis and most main-line Christian ministers seldom emphasize this topic in their sermons. How can the life forms, dead and disintegrated, be reconstructed or regrown? How can the person, you or I, be reborn with the memory and mind that is uniquely ours? Without our personal histories identifying who are we, and can we be judged for our earthly deeds? Some Old Testament references to resurrection are: Ezekiel 37: 12-14, Daniel 12: 1-4, Isaiah 26: 19, I Sam. 28: 7-25. In the New Testament read for example Luke 24: 36-49, Rev. 7: 4-17, 20: 11-14. Paul's letters often refer to the next life but details are lacking. Read I Cor. 15: 1-22, 51-57, II Cor. 12: 1-4, I Thes. 4: 13-18.

It seems possible that a single cell with our DNA codes could be nourished to rebuild our bodies. What about the mental images and histories filed in the memory embedded in our cerebral cortex? Again biological and computer memory miniaturization suggests that this information need not occupy large physical space. But how could such codes and data be stored, preserved, and rejuvenated? However, the degrees of impossibility for rebirth seem a bit smaller than before modern discoveries!

We can use Bible promises to contemplate the next, blessed life without tears and with our loved ones. Because we are to be in a happy state each person may be grown perhaps to optimum youthful bodies and minds from the DNA instructions recovered from cell of our former bodies. Our memories and minds might be restored from some biological chip? The Bible treats disembodied spirits in many places. These spirits appear to be transmitted from host to host by a radiation process. Consider the legion of spirits transferred by Jesus from a man to swine in the account written in Mark 5: 1-13. Paul deals with the spirit world in Acts 16: 16-19. The idea of being possessed by demons is reported in both the old and new testaments. In the Middle Ages these topics were considered but today little is said in the churches about these strange phenomena. Is it by some such processes mediated by the Holy Spirit that hope for reincarnation of all the dead can be postulated?

I believe the strongest available evidence of God's presence and his work on earth today is the frequent occurrence of charismatic gifts like speaking in tongues given to devout Christians. The large, unnumbered and generally invisible Kingdom, discernible among the poor people of this planet, is another fact which follows from scriptural forecasts. Eschatological events we should not expect to foresee. (I Thess. 5:1-2, Matt. 24:36.) But the spiritual presence of Jesus in available to all who seek to approach him. And science is another window from which to see God the Creator and to speculate about his plans for us.