Saturday Morning Confusion #2: What is Bio-Panentheism

The whole premise for my book "Being Human..." revolves around a new concept called... Bio-Panentheism! (We asked an Artificial Intelligence to give us a run-down on the particulars!)

HAL-9000 said:

Bio-Panentheism is a philosophical and theological perspective that merges aspects of panentheism with a deep respect for and focus on biological life and the interconnectedness of all living beings. 

In traditional panentheism, God is seen as present in all things and simultaneously beyond them, implying that the Divine is both immanent (within the world) and also transcendent! (Beyond it.) 

Bio-Panentheism takes this a step further by emphasizing that life itself—specifically, biological life and ecosystems—is a profound, Divine manifestation.

Key ideas within Bio-Panentheism include:

1. Interconnectedness of Life: This view highlights the unity and interdependence of all living organisms, seeing the Divine as not only pervading... but actively participating in biological processes.

2. Sacredness of Nature: Nature and life processes are seen as sacred expressions of the Divine, often placing a strong ethical focus on environmentalism, animal welfare, and ecological responsibility.

3. Dynamic Divine: Bio-Panentheism envisions a God who is not static or separate from life but is dynamically involved in the evolving processes of nature... suggesting that the Divine grows and changes in concert with biological and ecological developments.

4. Respect for Biological Diversity: This approach often entails a reverence for biodiversity, valuing each species as an essential, Divine expression in the tapestry of life.

5. Human Responsibility: Given the divine presence within all life, humans are seen as 'stewards' with a moral obligation to protect and respect all living beings... and the environment.

Overall, Bio-Panentheism reframes theological questions about God's relationship with us by grounding them in biological life ecological principles. 

It can be especially appealing to those who see science, spirituality, and environmental ethics as interconnected.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7J2C2FF

Saturday Morning Confusion: The Afterlife!

Is there any scientific proof that... after life... there is no heaven or hell?

Allan: 

Well, yes. In fact, there is a simple and blindingly obvious proof, but it’s not the sort of proof that many people are willing to accept since it conflicts with their childhood indoctrination and/or conflicts with what they really, really want to be true.

Before I present the proof, however, there are two important things that you need to keep in mind:

1. The complete and utter lack of any consistent, objective evidence for an afterlife is, in and of itself, evidence against an afterlife. Not proof mind, you, but certainly evidence.
2. Seriously, if you don’t have any good evidence for an afterlife in the first place, why would it matter if nobody can prove that there isn’t an afterlife? At best, asking somebody to provide evidence that an afterlife doesn’t exist is an admission that you don’t have any evidence to support your belief in an afterlife in the first place and are relying entirely on wishful thinking.

Still with me? All right, here is your proof:

1. For there to be an afterlife, our consciousness must be capable of surviving apart from our physical bodies (call it a “soul” or a “spirit” or what have you).
2. And if our consciousness is capable of surviving apart from our physical bodies, it can’t be generated by or produced by or be wholly dependent on our physical bodies (and certainly not by any one particular part of our bodies). We should, for example, be able to damage or even replace a toe or an arm or a lung or a heart and not have our consciousness be affected (assuming we don’t die in the process).
3. And this is generally what we find to be the case, with one glaring exception — our brains. Every other part of our body can be damaged or even replaced without our consciousness being affected, but not our brain. If our brains are damaged, our entire personality can change. We become, in effect, completely different persons. And, while practically any organ in the body can be replaced without changing who we are (they can even transplant faces now), does anybody imagine that if it were possible to receive a brain transplant that our consciousness with the new brain would match that of the previous brain?
4. Therefore, since it appears that our consciousness is inextricably and indelibly linked to our physical brains, that would indicate that our consciousness cannot exist independently of our bodies and therefore cannot survive the death of our bodies. And if our consciousnesses cannot exist without our bodies, then there cannot be any such thing as an “afterlife.” 

And, there you go! What further proof could you possibly want?

***

Well, what about my idea that we humans are just conduits for a Cosmic Consciousness!!!!!  ALLAN! (THE GOD TRILOGY! (4 book series) Hardcover Edition )  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGBHZF4H?binding=hardcover&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi

***

OK, OK, so maybe this isn’t absolute proof that there is no such thing as an afterlife. 

After all, I suppose one could come up with all sorts of hypotheticals to explain the known facts while still preserving the possibility of an afterlife, such as, oh, I dunno, that our brains are just “receivers” for our consciousness that are being broadcast from some other dimensional plane (whatever the heck that means) and brain damage is like what happens when a radio has a damaged antenna and the signal gets all static-y or something. 

Or maybe there exists some sort of all-powerful “immaterial pure spirit” (whatever the heck that actually means) that somehow exists “outside of time and space” ("ab extra" -  A.W.J.) that for some unknown reason wants to make it seem as though our brains create our consciousness for reasons of its own. 

You get the idea!

Barry Goldberg, Author of the "Common Sense Atheism" series of books