Faith and Life in the Quantum Age

Lesson 1 We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: Today’s Worldview from Granddad’s Porch

I visited my grandparents often during my childhood years. Granddad Payne had a white, two-story house with a porch across the front. He was born in 1891 and raised on a small farm in southwest Missouri. He owned a produce store and raised cattle on the 40 acres behind the house. He raised three successful children in the small town of Neosho. I loved, as a child, going to visit. His world and faith fit together well for a lifetime of family togetherness, work, and community service. It’s important to think about how he viewed the world and how my grandchildren may be seeing it now.

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It is a basic truth that our theological beliefs are formed within the culture around us. We don’t have any other world to live in. We absorb our family values from the day we are born. We participate in school, listen to media, attend church, and connect to the community to form a foundation for our own choices. To live with wisdom, it’s vital to be aware of the beliefs around us and within us.

“Faith and Life in the Quantum Age” presents a philosophy and theology that integrates the modern worldview and Biblical teachings. The materials and classes will define aspects of modern thought and how these reshape traditional Christian theology. The sessions will present the basics of Process Theology and how the teachings offer a path toward a robust and vibrant way of faithful living in our society today.

The term “worldview” names our ontology, or what we believe about the nature and working of the world we live in. Psychologist Alison Gray describes it as a “collection of attitudes, values, stories and expectations about the world around us, which inform our every thought and action. Worldview is expressed in ethics, religion, philosophy, scientific beliefs and so on.” [1] The beliefs of our worldview usually operate behind conscious thought, bringing a mental filter to each experience. Each of us has developed our worldview across our lifespan from the impact of many experiences. The thoughts I have about God or about eating fried crickets are deeply influenced by the worldview I’ve built from all I have experienced. Entire societies can also be shaped by a worldview, as when the belief about Aryan Superiority created Nazi Germany.

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THE CLASSIC WORLDVIEW

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Humankind has always sought knowledge to survive and even thrive. Millenia ago our ancestors made tools, explored new regions, fought one another, innovated technology, and built societies in this quest. Across the planet, societies had great diversity, yet everywhere was a quest to find the ultimate answers. As professor Resa Azlan writes in his book, God: A Human History, “Undeniable is that religious belief is so widespread that it must be considered an elemental part of the human experience. We are homo religious… in our existential striving toward transcendence: toward that which lies beyond the manifest world” (Azlan, God 25).

Historians categorize human society into long periods of common experience, based on societal structure, technology, spirituality, and knowledge. The eras of Prehistory, Antiquity, Medieval, preceded the Modern Era. The underlying beliefs and experiences on this quest did not change century after century. The ideas of Granddad Payne in 1900 were not that much different from my maternal 10th great-grandfather, Dutchman Edward Bogardus, who stepped foot in the colony of New York in 1633, or my English ancestors who may have looked at Stonehenge 5000 years ago.

The life and views of one European man in 1500 illustrate the common worldview shared from Prehistory to the beginning of the Modern Era. His ontology, what he thinks about the nature of existence, shows many traditional ideas.

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Edward lived in a Dutch village with his wife and four living children. He worked daily on his small plot of land that his family had farmed for six generations under the same Baron. He had one slave and one ox and a few coins, trading mostly by barter. He thought about feeding his family more than being happy, though he did like to drink and dance. Kings, warlords, and priests made the laws and the doctrines to believe. Security was his to keep with the biggest sword or weapon he could find. He couldn’t read so his knowledge came by oral tradition from the clan and village. John knew his identity from his family and his ruler. He had never traveled beyond the mountains but had heard rumors about other villages. His medicine was herbal and ineffective. He knew the spiritual powers controlled everything, so they needed attention to ensure prosperity and avoid disaster. The stars held the fate of each person if you could decipher the meanings. He knew it was important to preserve the traditions handed to him so his life would be stable and safe for years ahead. More important was what to do know to prepare his soul for judgment after death.   

What happened to the world and those like Edward? Historians mark a dramatic change in human knowledge, society, and beliefs which began around 1500 in Europe. The Modern Age slowly brought a new way of understanding and experiencing the world.  Historians find many sources converging to change the way people understood the world. In time, facts proven by scientific investigation and experimentation replaced philosophy and traditions as the sources of knowledge. It is clear the matrix of beliefs in the Modern Age, then the Quantum Age worldview, are different than the Classic worldview that shaped the people of all previous history, the Judeo-Christian culture, and the traditional doctrines of the Christian church.

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THE QUANTUM WORLDVIEW

All areas of knowledge have changed over the past 525 years. In the last 175 years we can say a further shift has taken place to create the Quantum Age. The developments and impacts on worldview include:

Causality- The concepts about the source of physical events has shifted from divine action and elemental manipulation to materialistic explanations with engineering that alters fundamental structures. Every effect is now understood as having a material cause. The scientific method of Bacon on empirical investigation (1620), Hume (1740) on empiricism, and the work of Peirce on logic (1883) became the foundations for understanding the materialistic cause for all events. Medical research produces health from evidence-based experiments, medicine, and genetic interactions, with pioneers such as Pasteur (1857) on germ theory and Mendel (1866) on genetics. The shift accelerated in the Quantum Age with the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick (1953), shaping modern confidence in the biological cause of human health. Science can now create new elements, manipulate them at the atomic level, and alter DNA to build new organisms. The contemporary person may say, “I don’t see God and spirits making a difference in what happens every day.”

Cosmological- The understanding of the universe has shifted from a small, static, earth-centered perspective to the fact we live in an immense universe. The ancients held a three-tiered universe: Sheol, Earth, Heavens, as in Psalm 139:8. Copernicus (1543) proved the Sun was the center of the solar system. Galileo (1610) used the telescope to understand the Solar System. Newton published the mathematics of motion and gravity (1697). In the Quantum Age, Hubble proved the universe was larger than the Milky Way and receding (1929). Lemaitre proposed the Big Bang (1931) origin of the universe and Sandage (1952) proved the age of the universe was many billions of years. The age of the Earth was determined to be billions of years old by Holmes (1921) and Patterson (1956). Scientists now estimate the Universe is 14 billion years old with 200 billion trillion stars. Earth is a microscopically small and younger part of the universe. The Quantum Age woman may say, “Could God be big enough to manage the cosmos yet care about me?”

Physics- The basics of physics and physical science have changed from Newton’s laws of mechanistic regularity in the Modern Era. In the Quantum Age, discoveries about the basic building blocks of the physical universe have expanded knowledge and affected philosophies.  Pioneers of this science include Planck (1900) discovering Planck’s Constant, Bohr (1913) on quanta of energy, Einstein with general relativity (1915), then Heisenberg and Schrodinger with wave mechanics (1925), and Fermi with the first nuclear reactor (1942). Classical ideas of matter and time as stable and differentiated were disproved. Quantum theory has changed physics by finding the subatomic world is governed by probabilities, multiple simultaneous states, uncertainty, and entangled interconnections. All matter in the universe is a field of energy in constant flux as it interacts with other energy fields across at least four dimensions. The modern man may think, “What can I hold on to if nothing is stable in the universe?”

Historical- Awareness of historical facts has shifted from oral history of local events to the evolutionary model documenting universal multi-billion-year events. Winckelmann’s study of ancient societies in documented and systematic fashion (1765) brought the field of archaeology to understand human history. Paleontology emerged with the systematic study of fossils by Cuvier (1796) and offering a framework of all creatures in multi-million year eras.  The Quantum Age brought a seismic shift in Biology, as Darwin’s book on evolution (1859) revolutionized the paradigms for biological change and contradicted the classic interpretation of mankind’s origins. Homo Sapiens, evolving as only one of several hominoid lines, have existed for 300,000 years, only 1.3% of Earth’s history. The contemporary worker may say, “How can I be significant if I’m just one mammal among billions that has evolved from diverse ancestors?”

Technological- Technological innovations have shifted humankind from small scale productivity to global industries. New machines transformed the way humankind behaves, including the steam engine of Watt (1764), the commercial use of fossil fuels (1700’s), the transistor of Shockley and Brattain (1947), the computer of Zuse (1941), and the invention of synthetic plastics by Baekeland (1907). The Quantum Age in technology could be dated from the launch of Sputnik (1957) which enabled machines and humans to leave the atmosphere of Earth for the first time in 3.8 billion years. The flow of information has evolved from rare, handwritten books to instant digital communication. Gutenberg’s printing press brought the ease of manufacturing books at lower costs, inviting all to read for themselves. Newspapers began in Germany by Carolus (1605) and offered diverse veiwpoints available to everyone. The invention of the telegraph by Morse (1838) made worldwide communication possible. Radio appeared in 1893 with the work of Marconi. The first commercial television station began broadcasting in England in 1936. Digital communications and the internet protocol by Cerf and Kahn (1980) enabled mass communication by computer, linking anyone, anywhere, instantly to trillions of data points across the world—and beyond. Today’s college student may say, “I have more knowledge available than at any time in history but is that wisdom for living?” 

Psychological- Models of human thought and behavior have shifted from simple behavior or philosophical models like the Bible’s body, mind, and soul model to complex consciousness built on biology. Freud pioneered discussion of the unconscious and psychological therapy (1895) with theories of the psyche. The neurological sources of mental illness were advanced by Charcot (1881). The behavioral perspective of human actions expanded with Watson’s experiments (1913). Contemporary psychology teaches that emotional well-being is the product of complex physiological and psychological factors. The modern woman may say, “I deserve to have happiness and good emotional health, but it is very complex and difficult to maintain.”

Sociological- The way humans conduct society has shifted from tribes, patriarchy, and caste to nations holding ideals of equality of all people. The work of Comte (1842) and Marx (1844) brought understanding of societal forces that shape history. With Locke (1695) came the rise of liberalism and self-determination in government that paved the way for transformative, democratic governments and the end of divine rights of kings. Spencer (1874) brought empirical study to social structures and movements. Weber (1905) studied economics and society. The humanist movement advocating the equality of all people brought the abolition of slavery in the 19th century in the West and civil rights for women in the early 20th century. The Quantum Age took shape after World War 2 with a larger recognition of human rights that emerged with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The field of Anthropology has shifted understanding from isolated tribal societies to global multi-pluralism in the work of Boas (1902) and Levi-Straus (1962). Humankind is diverse in manifestations of color, gender, orientation, belief, and culture yet united in fundamental needs and actions. Patriarchy is considered misogynistic today. Nations, not tribes or communities, organize most aspects of life. The contemporary person of color says, “I deserve full equality, opportunity, and justice.”

Economics- Economic systems have shifted from ancient societies based on agrarian, slave labor, barter exchange, and local markets to multi-national capitalism and regulatory governmental oversight. The work of Locke (1689) on private property, Smith (1776) on wealth, and Mill (1848) on supply and demand form the basis of modern capitalism. The work of Berle on corporations (1932) shaped the role of government regulation of large corporations and fostered the Quantum Age of global business. The concepts of work, leisure, and vocation have changed for modern employees. Today’s worker might say, “I’m forced to balance work and leisure in the fight to have economic security.”

Ethical- The ethical systems of the ancient world were varied. Many were formulated as absolute moral laws for all people and that has changed to hold subjective, relative, situational morality. Pioneers of this shift include Nietzsche (1882) on rejecting deistic morality, Kant on the primacy of rational morality (1785), and Kierkegaard on the subjectivity of all truth (1935). The Quantum Age of ethics took shape with the work of Fletcher on Situational Ethics (1966). Every person and culture are now understood as the arbiter of truth in their own context. The young adult today may say, “I can figure out right and wrong on my own terms according to the situation.”

Spiritual- Religion has shifted from traditions that pervasively influence society through institutions to highly individual and private spirituality. Materialism as proposed by Diderot (1751) excluded divine causation.  The American Constitution and subsequent law separated religion from direct tax support. The Quantum Age spiritual worldview can be dated from the rise of Communism as an atheistic philosophy with Marx (1845), Engels (1878), and Lenin (1905) to become an international movement. In the 21st century, most nations do not have a state-endorsed religion. Many nations restrict religious liberty. International organizations to promote interfaith and ecumenical dialogue began with the Parliament of World Religions (1893) and the World Council of Churches (1948). Today, a majority of the billions of people in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Canada do not follow any religion. The majority of people in the world do hold a belief in God. The average person today may say, “I believe in God according to my own understanding.”

These ideas are the operating assumptions for much of the modern world. They form the air we breathe without a thought as we speak the words of modern discourse. We can use the phrase, “The Quantum Age,” as shorthand for this underlying belief system of the 21st century world.

About the time my Granddad Payne opened his grocery store in Neosho, Missouri (1932), a young movie star playing a teenage girl named Dorothy looked around a strange land and said to Toto, “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”[2] Many Christians feel the same in the Quantum Age.

We can consider the worldview of the Quantum Age with the ideas of a modern woman named Lexi.

She lives in a large city just like 60% of the eight billion people in the world today. ​She is in her fourth significant relationship, three with a man. Her nearest relative is 100 miles away. She buys groceries at the store and works a 40-hour week in a downtown clinic away from her small family. She wants to be happy. She talks with a therapist to understand her complex psychology of unconscious and conscious thoughts. She decides for herself what is right or wrong. She visits the doctor regularly and depends on medicine to keep her well, especially since she has high blood pressure. She controls when she gets pregnant with the Pill. She identifies with various sub-groups that share her viewpoints. She is proud to have a college degree. She owns a good condo. She expects the city government to keep her safe and support her equal rights. She knows instantly what is happening across the world and with friends in the city. She thinks about her small place in a huge, old universe and worries about the future since so many global events are bad. She hopes that different leaders and improved technology that comes every year will make things better. She occasionally thinks about God, sorting out her own belief system that is different from her parents. In her mind, what happens today is much more important than happens after death—who knows that anyway?

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THE CHALLENGE FOR FAITH TODAY

Moses, Paul, and Martin Luther would be bewildered if dropped into Lubbock today. This is not to say that the ancients were ignorant. They operated intelligently in the world as they understood it, holding a prescientific, phenomenon-based worldview. Understanding this demands that we do careful work to translate ancient thought to our modern worldview and the truths proven over the past 500 years.

What has been the impact of this revolution on theology? Each of these changes has brought into question some classic theological teachings. For example, demons appear frequently in the Bible, but psychology and medical science explain and treat illness without demonic forces. The creation of Earth and humankind is an act of God in the Bible, yet biology explains the emergence of life, including humankind, as a product of natural quantum actions and evolutionary changes. The Bible presumes patriarchy and the caste system as the divine order while modern ethical teaching supports the equality of all people. The Bible seems to teach a rejection of other faith systems whereas anthropology and ethics show meaningful spirituality in multiple ages and societies. The Bible commands dominion over the Earth and other creatures whereas ecotheology requires stewardship and the value of all species.

Apparently, classical Christian theology as taught in many institutions today has not kept up with the radical changes of the past 550 years. Most people today do not have a system of belief that incorporates the Quantum World into a meaningful mindset. God has become merely an icon of religion that is not necessary for daily life for billions of people. The findings of science and the teachings of faith are considered in conflict, or at least in separate categories.

Bishop John Shelby Spong states the situation boldly. “The primary way that Western human beings have conceptualized God has gradually lost its meaning and has become discredited… rendered nonsensical by the advance of knowledge… A crisis of faith is now afflicting modern men and women… Enormous fear accompanies this transition.”[3]

The great questions of life are still the same as for our stone age ancestors. How do I survive? How do I live with others? What is the best choice now? What can I trust as I learn? What gives me happiness? What happens when I die? It is vital that we adjust our thoughts about our self, others, and God. Beliefs that are based on the worldviews of a previous age cannot sustain abundant life now or for future generations. Even further, more revolutionary ideas are just around the corner!

My Granddad lived through the greatest period of change in human history, the Twentieth Century. By the time of his death in 1981, humankind had taken split the atom, landed on the Moon, embraced greater equality, decoded DNA, and extended the lifespan. Yet, wars brought destruction, injustice oppressed billions, and pollution threatened the environment. Could the faith traditions he held meet the challenges? 

Franciscan nun and neuroscientist Ilia DeLio looks to the possibilities of a new perspective. “The mysterious new universe calls for a renewed sense of divine mystery in the cosmos, a new religious myth, a new narrative that draws us into the cosmic [energy] waves that are, in some fundamental way, the source of our lives.”[4]

A theology that brings vital meaning to the Quantum Age person must be shaped by the facts of today. Beliefs that are based on the worldviews of a previous age cannot sustain abundant life now or for future generations. Process theology presents ways of understanding God and the universe that is compatible with many ideas in the Quantum Age. It presents a way forward which respects the universe as we know it today and the truths of the faith as complimentary toward a unified worldview.

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[1] Alison Gray, “Worldviews.” International Psychiatry, 2011 Aug; 8(3): 58–60. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6735033/

[2] Russell Walsh, “The Wizard of Oz.” https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/the-wizard-of-oz-have

[3] John Shelby Spong, Unbelievable: Why neither ancient creeds for the Reformation can produce a living faith today. HarperOne, 2018, p 33-34

[4] Ilia Delio, The Hours of the Universe: Reflections on God, Science, and the Human Journey. Orbis, 2021, p 5