Archives 2005:
Vol. 4, Numbers 1-12
Read past articles including:
Standing up for Humanity
Unity in Diversity
Thought and Imagination
Imagination and Healing
Lessons of Katrina
Intelligent Design or Evolution

July, 2002
Vol. 1, number 7

Chapter I
The Search for God
(continued) Part 4

from the unpublished book
Science, Religion, and the Search for God: Bridging the Gap
by Richard Sidy

An important quality to develop in the search for God, or in the pursuit of God-consciousness, is to achieve a balanced life and outlook. This is the basis of success.

The basis of cohesiveness, unity, and creativity is to balance the opposite forces of nature. Every atom of nature seeks to achieve balance between its protons and electrons. In so doing, it unites with other atoms to create molecules and compounds. Electricity flows when positive and negative magnetic fields combine in equilibrium. A family is formed and grows when man and woman unite. When this relationship is balanced, there is love and unity, forming the foundation of creativity and prosperity.

When an individual is balanced in emotions and mind, both sensitivity and intelligence are developed. Each faculty is enhanced through the influence and interaction with the other. When thought and feeling work together, a person becomes understanding and uses knowledge for the good of the world. Such people inspire others.

Spirit and matter need to exert a balanced influence in people's lives. When one is pursued to the exclusion of the other, the resulting life is useless and even dangerous to the progress of the individual and of society. Idealism without the ability to act and to create is empty. Action without idealism is selfish and purposeless. The search for God is demonstrated by purposeful action for the improvement of life. Unless the balance of opposites is achieved through making them work together, one can not achieve the first step in developing "God-consciousness."

The concept of "God" in relationship to human beings also has a dual nature. There is the ruling, authoritarian God, and the nurturing, loving God. There is God of the heavens and God of the earth. There is God transcendent, above humanity and creation, all powerful, all knowing. There is God immanent, in individuals and in all animate and inanimate things, all-pervading spirit, the life force in the smallest speck of matter and in the infinite Universe.

The worship of God through the ages has reflected variations of these sets of opposite concepts and relationships. People create their gods to fit their purpose and self-image, to fulfill their needs, and to fit their lifestyle. Their gods are reflections of their level of consciousness.

Societies living close to nature and religious mystics in all cultures have worshiped God in everything: in the plants, in the animals, in the tiny bugs, in the earth they walked upon, in the wind and rain, in the warmth of the sun, and in each individual. This concept fuses both aspects of God — the transcendent and the immanent. This reflects an intuitive or childlike consciousness, a oneness with nature.

In societies where authority and social control were the main values, an authoritarian God was worshiped. The image of God was manipulated to give authority to the rulers of state. Most autocratic rulers derive their legitimacy from "God." Wherever power has been abused, the powerful stated that they were acting as representatives of God and were chosen by God. Whenever religion mixes with politics, "God" becomes a personification of human rulers on a grand scale, striking fear into the hearts of the subject people.

In industrialized societies where life and human welfare are tied to the vitality, storms, and negotiations of the market, God has become the Businessman and Chief Executive Officer par excellence of a corporate Universe. He can be hired, and He provides insurance against failure or against claims of malpractice. One meets God by appointment only, fitting the meeting into one's busy business and social calendar.

(Continued in Conclusion, August)