Recently scientists working at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland made the announcement that they have discovered what could be the famous Higgs boson, a subatomic particle dubbed the “God particle” because of the fundamental questions it could answer about matter and the creation of the universe. The existence of the God particle could be the cornerstone of our understanding of how nature works at the very smallest scale and the key to us understanding how the universe actually unfolded. [1]

Such a provocative label as the “God particle” brings to the fore the long-standing debate about the reconciliation of religion and science and the question of what would happen to our spirituality if these two different realms were reconciled. Many great minds have grappled with this question and its implications. For instance Albert Einstein said (in the opening paragraph of his 1937 essay “Moral Decay”) “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” [2]

There has been great unease and even dread surrounding the potential reconciliation of these two realms and I believe this is based on an underlying fear that if we can understand God—know who is God or what is God—it will nullify the spiritual dimension to life. I believe humans are intrinsically spiritual or soulful beings and we are right to be protective of that all-sustaining spirituality—the element to life that can bring such meaning, beauty and even a little bit of magic. Yet in my experience the more I let science explain the universe to me the more in love with the wonder and specialness of life and humanity I become. As a young woman I had a great thirst for knowledge and the more I have understood our physical world through science the more of a spiritualist I have become. Now in my 50s I even feel I can call myself a religious person even though I am not an adherent to any specific religion.

I view religion and science as two processes working together to hopefully one day find the answers to how the outer physical world works but also how our inner spiritual world works—with the ultimate goal of being able to solve the human condition and bring physical equality and spiritual freedom to the planet.

Religions have thankfully upheld the moral and selfless orientation to life that we all crave and aspire to. It is as if religion has been our spiritual guardian upholding and protecting the universal ideals and providing us all with a sacred and pure place we can go to for guidance, inspiration and love.

Science on the other hand upholds the great potential of human consciousness of being able to explore and therefore understand our universe. If we can understand how a bike works then if it breaks we can fix it. Therefore if we can understand how the world works we are then in the position to be able to solve the immense social and environmental problems we face and protect and look after our planet for generations to come. As biologist Jeremy Griffith writes “This knowledge of, or insight into, what has commonly occurred in the past enables you to predict what is likely to happen in the future and to adjust your behavior accordingly”[3]. I see science is a guardian of knowledge, understanding and self-management.

So I very much agree with the inspiring American Charles A. Lindbergh who so marvelously said that science doesn’t nullify but rather enhances our spirituality. I would like to conclude with this quote because it expresses so beautifully what I so strongly feel.

“Decades spent in contact with science and its vehicles have directed my mind and senses to areas beyond their reach. I now see scientific accomplishments as a path, not an end; a path leading to and disappearing in mystery. Science, in fact, forms many paths branching from the trunk of human progress; and on every periphery they end in the miraculous. Following these paths far enough, one must eventually conclude that science itself is a miracle—like the awareness of man arising from and then disappearing in the apparent nothingness of space. Rather than nullifying religion and proving that ‘God is dead,’ science enhances spiritual values by revealing the magnitudes and minitudes—from cosmos to atom—through which man extends and of which he is composed.” [4]

References:
[1] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120704-god-particle-higgs-boson-new-cern-science/

[2] Albert Einstein, “Moral Decay” (1937) later published in “Out of My Later Years” (1950)

[3] http://www.worldtransformation.com/is-there-a-god

[4] Charles A. Lindbergh, “A Letter From Lindbergh”, “Life” (July 4 1969), p.60B. In Eugene C. Gerhart, “Quote it Completely!” (1998)