The idea that the universe was created by God often meets hostile opposition from proponents of rationality and science because unlike science that creates empirical laws, religious theories seem to make no verifiable predictions. But in Vedic Creationism, author Ashish K. Dalela shows that a personal theistic account of creation given in the Vedas has radical implications for the study of matter and questions of creation, including new verifiable predictions based upon a different conception of reality. An expansive examination of the meaning of the universe by comparing and contrasting varying philosophical vantages, Vedic Creationism covers the journey from Vedic notions on God's personality and conscious mind to the implication these ideas have for the origins of life and the attainment of quantum gravity. Dalela relates the ideas in Vedic philosophy with the current state of affairs in modern science including the mind-body problem, the unification of quantum and relativity theories, and the question of evolution and origins of life. Presenting new, forward-looking ideas, Vedic Creationism will help put the age-old wisdom of Vedas in a modern light and open new areas of dialogue.
The leading voices in science studies have argued that modern science reflects dominant social interests of Western society. Following this logic, postmodern scholars have urged postcolonial societies to develop their own "alternative sciences" as a step towards "mental decolonization". These ideas have found a warm welcome among Hindu nationalists who came to power in India in the early 1990s. In this passionate and highly original study, Indian-born author Meera Nanda reveals how these well-meaning but ultimately misguided ideas are enabling Hindu ideologues to propagate religious myths in the guise of science and secularism. At the heart of Hindu supremacist ideology, Nanda argues, lies a postmodernist assumption: that each society has its own norms of reasonableness, logic, rules of evidence, and conception of truth, and that there is no non-arbitrary, culture-independent way to choose among these alternatives. What is being celebrated as "difference" by postmodernists, however, has more often than not been the source of mental bondage and authoritarianism in non-Western cultures. The "Vedic sciences" currently endorsed in Indian schools, colleges, and the mass media promotes the same elements of orthodox Hinduism that have for centuries deprived the vast majority of Indian people of their full humanity. By denouncing science and secularization, the left was unwittingly contributing to what Nanda calls "reactionary modernism." In contrast, Nanda points to the Dalit, or untouchable, movement as a true example of an "alternative science" that has embraced reason and modern science to challenge traditional notions of hierarchy.
A Journey from Consciousness to Matter In Vedic philosophy, creation is modeled as the creative activity of consciousness. Just as an artist creates a painting by first thinking about it and then embedding his ideas into matter, so the creator of the universe creates the world of objects by expressing meanings in His consciousness into undifferentiated matter. Creation Has Six Causes Creation in the Vedic view proceeds from the unconscious, to conscious experience, to material objects. Each of these three features has a subjective and objective aspect, thereby creating the six causes for which the author dedicates a chapter, as follows: The Personal Cause of Creation explores the properties of consciousness, its quest for meaning and self-knowledge and how that quest forms the basis for the creation of the universe. The Efficient Cause of Creation describes the mechanism by which the quest for meaning gradually becomes thoughts, desires, judgments, plans and actions, thereby creating various experiences. The Instrumental Cause of Creation discusses the Vedic view on the senses, mind, intelligence and ego as the instruments that experience meanings, and embed meanings into matter. The Formal Cause of Creation describes the nature of meanings and how these meanings are created as subtle information and then embedded into space-time to create differentiated objects. The Systemic Cause of Creation explains how information in the mind is transformed into energy which is then represented into matter as sound vibrations denoting meanings. The Material Cause of Creation describes how information is encoded as vibrations in space-time, and how modifications of these vibrations create other observable physical properties. The six causes are prefaced by a chapter discussing basic difficulties in knowing the past, the problem of meaning, how this changes our outlook about space and time, and how the solution requires consciousness to create the fundamental distinctions in terms of which everything is known. In the process, the book touches upon issues of intelligent design, creationism, the creation vs evolution debate and the unique Vedic view on it. The last two chapters treat the nature of God and His power, the nature of free will and how it interacts with matter, which creates karma and leads to repeated births and deaths (also known as reincarnation). How You Will Benefit from Six Causes Presented in lay person's language, and written for those who don't have any background in Vedic philosophy, Six Causes will allow you to assimilate a profound understanding of matter, conscious experience, the unconscious, God, philosophy of religion, morality, reincarnation, karma and time. In the process, you will also see many common misconceptions about Vedic philosophy such as impersonalism, polytheism and fatalism overturned. How Is This Book Different? Currently, the majority of the New Age books dealing in Vedic philosophy or Hinduism start from an impersonal interpretation of the Vedic texts. Not only does this negate the personal character of the soul and God but also fails to authentically describe the Vedic view of matter and the mind. While these books do point out deficiencies in modern materialism, they don't offer a concrete alternative that can be scientifically meaningful.There is no clear explanation of how conscious activity leads to karma and how consciousness itself is covered by the unconscious history of past experiences. This prevents many people from fully grasping the philosophical depth of the Vedas. Six Causes: The Vedic Theory of Creation tries to fill that gap.
Over the past five decades, the field of religion-and-science scholarship has experienced a considerable expansion. This volume explores the historical and contemporary perspectives of the relationship between religion, technology and science with a focus on South and East Asia. These three areas are not seen as monolithic entities, but as discursive fields embedded in dynamic processes of cultural exchange and transformation. Bridging these arenas of knowledge and practice traditionally seen as distinct and disconnected, the book reflects on the ways of exploring the various dimensions of their interconnection. Through its various chapters, the collection provides an examination of the use of modern scientific concepts in the theologies of new religious organizations, and challenges the traditional notions of space by Western scientific conceptions in the 19th century. It looks at the synthesis of ritual elements and medical treatment in China and India, and at new funeral practices in Japan. It discusses the intersections between contemporary Western Buddhism, modern technology, and global culture, and goes on to look at women’s rights in contemporary Pakistani media. Using case studies grounded in carefully delineated temporal and regional frameworks, chapters are grouped in two sections; one on religion and science, and another on religion and technology. Illustrating the manifold perspectives and the potential for further research and discussion, this book is an important contribution to the studies of Asian Religion, Science and Technology, and Religion and Philosophy.
Those opposed to the teaching of evolution often make well-rehearsed claims about science that sound powerful and convincing. This work seeks to serve as a resource for addressing over 400 of the most prevalent claims made by creationists. Each claim is followed by a scientifically valid rebuttal.
There has been a significant but little-noticed aspect of the interface between science and religion, namely the widespread tendency of religions to appeal to science in support of their truth claims. Though the appeal to science is most evident in more recent religions like Christian Science and Scientology, no major faith tradition is exempt from this pattern. Members of almost every religion desire to see their ‘truths’ supported by the authority of science – especially in the midst of the present historical period, when all of the comforting old certainties seem problematic and threatened. The present collection examines this pattern in a wide variety of different religions and spiritual movements, and demonstrates the many different ways in which religions appeal to the authority of science. The result is a wide-ranging and uniquely compelling study of how religions adapt their message to one of the major challenges presented by the contemporary world.
Providing new insights into the contemporary creationist-evolution debates, this book looks at the Hindu cultural-religious traditions of India, the Hindu Dharma traditions. By focusing on the interaction of religion and science in a Hindu context, it offers a global context for understanding contemporary creationist-evolution conflicts and tensions utilizing a critical analysis of Hindu perspectives on these issues. The cultural and political as well as theological nature of these conflicts is illustrated by drawing attention to parallels with contemporary Islamic and Buddhist responses to modern science and Darwinism. The book explores various ancient and classical Hindu models to explain the origin of the universe encompassing creationist as well as evolutionary—but non-Darwinian—interpretations of how we came to be. Complex schemes of cosmic evolution were developed, alongside creationist proofs for the existence of God utilizing distinctly Hindu versions of the design argument. After examining diverse elements of the Hindu Dharmic traditions that laid the groundwork for an ambivalent response to Darwinism when it first became known in India, the book highlights the significance of the colonial context. Analysing critically the question of compatibility between traditional Dharmic theories of knowledge and the epistemological assumptions underlying contemporary scientific methodology, the book raises broad questions regarding the frequently alleged harmony of Hinduism, the eternal Dharma, with modern science, and with Darwinian evolution in particular.
Religion and Conspiracy Theories: An Introduction is the first accessible volume to systematically examine the relationship between religion and conspiracy theories in the contemporary world in critical and historical perspective. It lays out the historical development of these important categories, considers different theoretical approaches and looks at case studies of conspiracy theories in religion, about religion and as religion. It maintains a critical perspective throughout on the relationship between truth and power, and in the process provides a fresh perspective on belief and worldviews in our modern world. Designed for use in the classroom, the book features helpful diagrams and resources for teachers. It is an essential read for all students of religion and conspiracy theories, as well as scholars of politics, religious studies, sociology, anthropology and cultural studies.
In light of the embattled status of evolutionary theory, particularly as 'intelligent design' makes headway against Darwinism in the schools and in the courts, this account of the roots of creationism assumes new relevance. This edition offers an overview of the arguments and figures at the heart of the debate.
Theological dictionaries are foundational to any theological library. But until now there has been no Global Dictionary of Theology, a theological dictionary that presumes the contribution of the Western tradition but moves beyond it to embrace and explore a full range of global expressions of theology. The Global Dictionary of Theology is inspired by the shift of the center of Christianity from the West to the Global South. But it also reflects the increase in two-way traffic between these two sectors as well as the global awareness that has permeated popular culture to an unprecedented degree. The editorial perspective of the Global Dictionary of Theology is an ecumenical evangelicalism that is receptive to discovering new facets of truth through listening and conversation on a global scale. Thus a distinctive feature of the Global Dictionary of Theology is its conversational approach. Contributors have been called on to write in the spirit of engaging in a larger theological conversation in which alternative views are expected and invited. William A. Dyrness, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Juan F. Martinez and Simon Chan edit approximately 250 articles written by over 100 contributors representing the global spectrum of theological perspectives. Pastors, theological teachers, theological students and lay Christian leaders will all find the Global Dictionary of Theology to be a resource that unfolds new dimensions and reveals new panoramas of theological perspective and inquiry. Here is a new launching point for doing theology in today's global context.
