Contemplating Wisdom

Got coffee? Then let's get started. A third stream of similarity for religious ideas is related to the popular inquiry in several new books reflecting in-depth studies of the brain that ask the question: "Is there a physical location in our bodies that serves as a connecting point to God?" The newest medical techniques, that weren't available even ten years ago, allow us to study specific brain activity and provide research opportunity in mapping the brain during spiritual activity. This research brings us to the brink of possibly determining if there is a part of the our anatomy that is responsible for our God awareness. For those who are purely scientist, the location of this brain activity gives credence to the discussion that religion, and therefore God, is no more than a natural function of our bodies, thus, there is nothing beyond our humanness. For those persons at the other end of the debate the location of brain activity during spiritual experiences gives ri

I’ve been thinking about this second similarity of religions for a few days and it just so happens that I’m away this week in Santa Fe, NM. The local coffee is superb and I’ve already had more than I need. So, grab whatever it is you have and let’s talk more about religious similarities. Given that the God we speak of transcends existence and being, then such ideas transcend language as well. That means our language is limited to the point we cannot speak directly about God. The best we can do is use words that are bound to our existence, our being (not God’s), and our ability to comprehend. Therefore, we must accept that all speech about God is going to be severely limited. No matter what or how we say it our words will always fall short of the totality of what can be meant when we say God. That leaves us with the alternative: to use metaphor and symbol to convey our limited knowledge of God. And because metaphors and symbols are open to wide interpretation so that no single one