The friction between science and religion stretches from Galileos famous letter to todays leading thinkers. And yet were seeing that, for all its capacity for ignorance, religion might have some valuable lessons for secular thought and the two need not be regarded as opposites.

In 1996, mere months before his death, the great Carl Sagan cosmic sage, voracious reader, hopeless romantic explored the relationship between the scientific and the spiritual in The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (public library). He writes:

Plainly there is no way back. Like it or not, we are stuck with science. We had better make the best of it. When we finally come to terms with it and fully recognize its beauty and its power, we will find, in spiritual as well as in practical matters, that we have made a bargain strongly in our favor.

But superstition and pseudoscience keep getting in the way, distracting us, providing easy answers, dodging skeptical scrutiny, casually pressing our awe buttons and cheapening the experience, making us routine and comfortable practitioners as well as victims of credulity.

And yet science, Sagan argues, isnt diametrically opposed to spirituality. He echoes Ptolemys timeless awe at the cosmos and reflects on what Richard Dawkins has called the magic of reality, noting the intense spiritual elevation that science is capable of producing:

In its encounter with Nature, science invariably elicits a sense of reverence and awe. The very act of understanding is a celebration of joining, merging, even if on a very modest scale, with the magnificence of the Cosmos. And the cumulative worldwide build-up of knowledge over time converts science into something only a little short of a trans-national, trans-generational meta-mind.

Spirit comes from the Latin word to breathe. What we breathe is air, which is certainly matter, however thin. Despite usage to the contrary, there is no necessary implication in the word spiritual that we are talking of anything other than matter (including the matter of which the brain is made), or anything outside the realm of science. On occasion, I will feel free to use the word. Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual. So are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or of acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.

Reminding us once again of his timeless wisdom on the vital balance between skepticism and openness and the importance of evidence, Sagan goes on to juxtapose the accuracy of science with the unfounded prophecies of religion:

Not every branch of science can foretell the future paleontology cant but many can and with stunning accuracy. If you want to know when the next eclipse of the Sun will be, you might try magicians or mystics, but youll do much better with scientists. They will tell you where on Earth to stand, when you have to be there, and whether it will be a partial eclipse, a total eclipse, or an annular eclipse. They can routinely predict a solar eclipse, to the minute, a millennium in advance. You can go to the witch doctor to lift the spell that causes your pernicious anaemia, or you can take vitamin Bl2. If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. If youre interested in the sex of your unborn child, you can consult plumb-bob danglers all you want (left-right, a boy; forward-back, a girl or maybe its the other way around), but theyll be right, on average, only one time in two. If you want real accuracy (here, 99 per cent accuracy), try amniocentesis and sonograms. Try science.

Think of how many religions attempt to validate themselves with prophecy. Think of how many people rely on these prophecies, however vague, however unfulfilled, to support or prop up their beliefs. Yet has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science? There isnt a religion on the planet that doesnt long for a comparable ability precise, and repeatedly demonstrated before committed skeptics to foretell future events. No other human institution comes close.

Nearly two decades after The Demon-Haunted World, Sagans son, Dorion, made a similar and similarly eloquent case for why science and philosophy need each other. Complement it with this meditation on science vs. scripture and the difference between curiosity and wonder.

See original here:
Carl Sagan on Science and Spirituality Brain Pickings

Shantikunj is an academy for social and spiritual awakening. It is a spiritually charged pilgrimage center that has given righteous direction and long lasting peace-happiness to the lives of crores of people. Here, about 24 lakhs (24,00,000) Gayatri Mantra are chanted daily by dedicated spiritual seekers and about 1000 people tale part in the Gayatri Yagya.

This is an ideal center that imparts training to the masses based on divine spiritual principles. Training on Scientific Spirituality is imparted here free of cost. All thesacramental rites are conducted here in accordance with the divine Indian culture and by arousing divine inspirations; all these are conducted free of cost.

"The souls of Risis residing in the Himalaya in astral bodies had to be summoned, invoked and installed here in Shantikunj. Temples of various gods have been built at various places but living installation of the souls of all the Risis at one place cannot be found elsewhere. It is still more important to know that not only mere idols of Risishave been installed here for symbolic worship but anyone sufficiently purified and fine-tuned can feel the strong vibrations of their particular energies. Thus, Shantikunj and Brahmavarchas represent the energies of all the Risis." -Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya (my life, its legacy and message)

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Shantikunj Ashram (All World Gayatri Pariwar)

This page is devoted to the Orisha, yet, as you may have noticed, this page transcends the typical Nigerian-Yoruba presentation of it. Certain practices (ritualistic divination, polygamy, expensive initiations, etc) are regarded on this page as Maafa (Era of Massive Enslavement) derailments that were not initially a part of the Orisha system.

Many believe that the modern Nigerian-Yoruba system is identical to that before the Maafa and so I have no right to restore it. How...ever, there is clear evidence that the modern Nigerian-Yoruba system is a Maafa corruption of the original Orisha system and not identical to it.

I bring this to your attention because more than anyone, it is the African Diaspora who have become the biggest victims in this charade. It is the African Diaspora that deserves to know the True God that was stolen and is now being sold back to them in corrupt form.

Not only are the Nigerian-Yoruba selling "titles" and credibility to Mestizos and Iberian-Americanos but these non-Blacks then use their authority to dominate the Santeria and Candomble community in the Americas. In addition, as the economic controllers of the Orisha society, the images of Orisha are being bleached not only by non-Black artists, but even Black artists who want to appeal to and sell their images to non-Black "orisha" followers. While this is certainly not the case with all Nigerian-Yoruba, it is a rapidly growing practice as African religion becomes a commodity that non-Black tourists consume as they "slum" thru Africa.

Below is a blasphemous Euroasianized faux-shrine for Sango in a 1982 photograph in Benin City, Nigeria (the Edo and Yoruba share much of the same Orisha religion). The race of the beings on the shrine are either Eurasian shades of pink, yellow, beige, or abstract light colors like light blue. They are purposely avoiding showing actual darkskin images of deity because it offends the tourists. The shrine has lost its authenticity (and even racial identity) in an attempt to appeal to culture-vulture tourism by non-Blacks in Nigeria.

It is because of a culture of slave-trading (first selling their own people, then their own land, and now their own spirituality) in West Africa that we cannot rely on them for an uncorrupted presentation of the original spiritual system.

So how do we know the truth about Ifa? We walk pass the Mestizo and Iberian-Americanos, and pass the Nigerian-Yoruba, and go directly to our Egungun. It is they who will expose the true nature of Ifa. They have charged me with the responsibility of this humble blog in order to dispell the useless capitalistic superstition being presented as Ifa, and to expose the true nature of Ifa as a scientific and PRACTICAL system for cultivating the God-Self.

Go here to see the original:
IFA: Yoruba Scientific Spirituality - Facebook

This book explains why, when and how humanity invented various religions and gods. The process began around 100,000 years ago; during this epoch, many nomadic human bands, all over the world, invented primitive languages and began to decipher each happening around them. Whatever they could not comprehend, their chiefs or priests attributed to some unseen power. At some point in time, we do not know exactly when it happened, humans invented an activity: they began to worship each seen or unseen power, which was beyond their control, but could either harm or help them. They invented almost identical methods of worship, such as folding their hands, bowing, kneeling, floral offering, prayers and sacrifices. For example, anthropologists believe that during the last Ice Age, humans had largely inadequate protection against cold; their survival depended largely upon available sunlightsomething beyond their control. In that scenario, solar worship was a logical outcome. In a similar manner, they found thunder and lightning inexplicable and frightening; gradually, they began to worship the sky as a god. There is enough historical evidence to assert that the ancestors of Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christians and Muslims worshiped the sun and the sky, before their religions came into practice. The ability to speak and share their ideas helped humans invent many useful devices such as hearths, stitching needles, leathers and footwear. With their aid, they began to lead an easier, healthier and safer life. Consequently, their population began to increase: approximately 10,000 years ago, it exploded to such an extent that they faced a food crisis. Since necessity is the mother of inventions, several human bands invented the technique of cultivation. Farming necessitated them to settle down near fields and ultimately gave rise to homes, villages, cities and civilizations. Gradually, farmers began to face famine caused by droughts and floods. The priests of several places in the world visualized fertility gods and goddesses behind the growth of their crop, and people began to worship them. Around 3,000 years ago, cultivation paved the way for another population explosion. At the same time, a sedentary lifestyle exposed people to pets, rodents, mosquitoes, houseflies and other parasites. All these factors together gave rise to devastating new diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid and plague. Furthermore, huge population instigated social diseases such as poverty, inequality, injustice, crime and exploitation. Consequently, most people were forced to lead miserable lives no better than hell. Around this time, several saints such as the Buddha and Moses visualized the remedies of human sufferings. Contemporary priests transcribed their teachings as the holy scriptures. These books mentioned worship of new gods, sacrifices, magic or morals to eradicate human miseries: the miserable masses had no option but to follow those advices. These scriptures fashioned the organized religions of today. Thus, history demonstrates that whenever humans faced a new challenge, priests invented a more useful deity and consigned the older one to oblivion. Although humanity invented gods to wrestle with their mysteries and miseries, religious dogmas halted the progress of science, facilitated human exploitation, instigated many massacres and wars throughout history and ultimately gave rise to modern terrorism. The knowledge about the evolution of gods may vaccinate the readers against the disease of fanaticism. Let us think for a moment why humanity developed several religious concepts but only one science. For example, one dogma avers idol worship and the other asserts the contrary: scientific principles have no such ambiguities. There is a concrete reason behind this contradiction: about one thing or concept there is only one truth, but there can be many lies. This book is an effort to light a candle in the darkest corner of human consciousnes

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The Evolution of Gods: The Scientific Origin of Divinity ...

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Go to a place with no noise at all and sit down. If you can't find a completely quiet place, go where at least it is comforting sounds, and sit down. Consider bringing a notebook or journal.

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Clear your mind from all thoughts. After clearing your mind, either free-think or else, if you have a topic in mind, focus on that. However, avoid dead end, angering, and solution-less subjects. Focus on subjects where you are certain you can find new ground and progress. Another option is to look into your life, or your inner self, and think about what's going on right now. Anything that will help you focus and see helpful pictures or thoughts. If you want, journal or draw.

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Ask yourself why you are feeling the way that you do or why you are feeling so empty. "How can this be a good or bad thing?" "What causes it?" "How can I solve it?" After looking inward, consider your position among others around you. It may be high or equal or low, but don't let that determine whether it is good or bad. Examine each type of situation, each relationship, and decide whether it would be better to be change or be more flexible.

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Research the native religions/spiritual beliefs of the people who lived in your country in the past -- check the internet and the library for more information on such old religions for an alternative spiritual view. The spiritual beliefs of your ancestral roots may speak to you about your family history.

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List some of your life goals, and celebrate if you have achieved them. Create steps to progress with goals still remaining. Say a prayer. Sing a song. Take a break and hop around a bit.

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Planning for next time. Think about what activity or what action(s) you've done recently that helped you feel fulfilled. Was it reading books, or a holy book(s), or taking a walk, meditating, helping people in need, doing yoga...? Plan steps to do something fulfilling in the next few days and weeks. Close with a prayer, a resolution. Consider sharing it with others.

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Ask yourself each day before going to bed what you have done to keep your inner self or being healthy or sensitive. Don't only think about your body (though you should do that too), your soul is also important for you. Don't only think about your own concerns, but think about those of others as well.

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Additional spiritual goals: grow in vulnerability. (Most, though not all, icons of spirituality possessed this quality.) Grow in shrewdness or wisdom. (These teachers also possessed this!) Explore other belief systems. Develop an open mind in order to develop a closed mind. This means learning ideas and perspectives different from your own so that you can develop your own opinion about them. Sacrifice and accept the sacrifice of others.

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Read or Journal further. Doing this even on scratch sheets of paper is fine. Literate people have some amazing gifts--along with responsibilities--the rest of the world is doing without, so take advantage of them. Have a conversation with people who have experiences you want to know more about or who have 'been there.' Discuss or explain spiritual concepts, practices, or inspiring words with someone else in need. Teachers are learners.

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Seek out a spiritual group in your environment. Go with a friend. This can be any size group. Have some questions in mind before-hand and ask them at an appropriate time.

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Follow your hobbies - Do what you enjoy the most. Avoid what you dislike. Look the world as the platform for presenting your talent, always seek advice and guidance from elders. Enjoy all moments of life.

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Practice non-attachment. Try giving things such as clothes that you no longer need or use to those who could really use them. You'll feel much lighter after the experience, freeing you up to live your path even more.

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See the article here:
How to Become More Spiritual - 13 Easy Steps - wikiHow

The first real spiritual self-help book I ever read was The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. You may have heard of it (thanks to Oprah), read it yourself or seen the movie.

As inspiring as I thought it was, it was far too mystical for my liking, and I couldnt buy into the whole law of attraction thing until I gained a much more practical understanding of it. But thats the thing about spiritual topics sometimes. For the science geeks, the rational thinkers, the non-religious, the skeptics and the existentially confused, like me, some of the books out there on spirituality just dont resonate with us in the typical way.

Fortunately for humans living in 2015 and beyond, the trend is shifting further toward bridging the gap between what we consider to be science and what we consider to be spiritual. All it takes is a little bit of digging around Amazon or your public library to see that nowadays, a goldmine of scientific spiritual books are available.

Here are just five you should consider checking out!

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, by Sam Harris

The title of this book really says it all, and you get the idea of who its really geared toward.

If you dont subscribe to any particular religious belief system, yet suspect there are fundamentaltruths that can be learned from thereligious prophets behind the biggest religions in the world, then this book is a must-read.

It also serves as a great beginners guide to meditation without any of the mystical stuff, instead presenting it from a very rational, scientific standpoint.

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works A True Story, by Dan Harris

Ever notice how that little voice in your head just constantly yammers on and on, and never shuts up?

10% Happier is based on Harris personal journey towardtaming his monkey mind through meditation after years and years of being a spiritual skeptic. An anxiety attack on live TV waswhat sparked his motivation to start taking it seriously.

Harris takes what he learned fromthe biggest gurus in spirituality andputs it to the test using science. Hetakes thewoo woo out of spirituality and instead offers a fresh, practical perspectivethats both easy and enjoyable to understand.

Infinite Mind: Science of the Human Vibration of Consciousness, by Valerie V. Hunt

For people who want to really dive deep into how the human mind works, and arent afraid of reading into scientific terminology on a slightly more of an advanced level, then Infinite Mind is worth the read.

Throughout the book, Dr. Valerie Hunt takes a scientific approach to explaining mystical teachings, with experimental research results to back it all up.

Anyone who has ever wondered about the workings of the human mind, or how we experience consciousness, would find this book absolutely fascinating.

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment, by Martin E. P. Seligman

Seligmans Authentic Happiness is a bestseller that helped introduce the new realm of positive psychology to the world. It seeks to focus on peoples strengths rather than their weaknesses for creating lifelong happiness.

While many of us tend to believe that certain people are just naturally happier than otherswhether out of luck or favorable genes and personality traitsSeligman challenges this idea. So if youve ever wondered why the things you thought would make you happy in life arent living up to your expectations, then this book could help you find clarity in what it takes to develop real lasting happiness.

The book even includes surveys and exercises you can do to apply the teachings to your own life.

The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, by Lynne McTaggart

Investigative journalist Lynne McTaggart really challenges popular worldviews through this book and presents the idea that humans are not separate entities from their environment. Her findings are based on all the discussions shes had with some of the worlds bestscientists.

This truly is a book for the very open-minded (but then again, all five of these books on this list are). Reviewers have called The Fieldan excellent primer on the law of attraction, as well as agreatresource for real insight intothe true nature of life.

Youll be in for an exciting and very eye-opening ride with this bookthatsfor sure!

There are countless other great books out there, so this is obviously an incomplete list. Whats your favorite that youve read?

If you liked these book suggestions, come on over and check out my list of28 daily must-do rules for getting stuff done and becoming a better person.

RelatedThe Psychology of Poverty The One Health Myth That Will Not Die 10 Tips For Using Less Plastic

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5 Top Spirituality Books for Scientific-minded People ...

(Above) NBC News states: Dr Morse has done more to prove the existence of life after death than any other scientist

Dedicated to healing therapies for grief and loss, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and the human spirit"

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LEARNING FROM THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

"If an angel spoke to you today, would you listen? How would you know it was real? How could you trust what the angel had to say?"

What is a Near Death Experience

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MELVIN L MORSE MD FAAP Onemissionis to promote an understanding that we all have a"God Spot"in our brain which permits communication with a source of wisdom and knowledge that exists outside our physical bodies.Our organizationwants to explore and promote the practical applications of understanding thisnew paradigm of consciousness.

Idon't "believe in" near death experiences. It is my opinion that the scientific research validates that near death experiences are real. The science of 2014 indicates that we all have a "god spot" or (as per Mario Beauregard MD) a "god brain" that connects us with the divine, the all knowledge timeless space-less domain.

Children who have experienced thisall knowledge domaindescribe it as a "light that had a lot of good things in it" (age 5), or "I saw the sun and it had a happy face for me" (a 3 y/o),"you'll see, Dr. Morse, heaven is fun"(age 7), most intriguingly, "I went into a huge noodle when I died, well it must have been a tunnel because I don't think noodles have rainbows in them.(age 5).

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Spiritual Scientific