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Richard,
My view is that the Universe (with a big 'U') is self-similar, and that self-similarity shows itself on the grand scales (e.g., galaxy clusters), as well as sub-atomic scales. If God exists, and if his presence is a type of force/energy that holds tremendous influence to the world, then we should see this materially as a self-similar structure on the grand scales all the way down to the sub-atomic scales.
On the grand scales, the self-similarity of God as a hidden factor to the structure of the world is very similar to Dark Energy. God, is in a sense, influencing the world structure of the universe (small 'u') with an almost universal and all-powerful invisible presence.
On smaller scales, the hidden structures also shows itself. For example, gravity is a type of 'force' that is 'dark' in that you cannot see it. However, for the most part, galaxies, solar systems, planets and their satellites, etc, are held together by the invisible 'force' called gravity. In nuclei terms, this 'hidden force' is the strong force.
There are many non-existent forces (e.g., wind), and also forces that aren't really mysterious 'forces', but rather are particles being exchanged (e.g., gravitons, gluons, etc).
The self-similarity is not limited to physics. It appears in chemistry in terms of charges, etc (i.e., electromagnetic 'force'), in biology in terms of genetics, in sociology in terms of culture, social interaction in terms of language, personal relationships in terms of love, in economics in terms of an 'invisible hand', in weather systems in terms of eddys and pressure systems, etc, etc.
What the Universe is, is One system acting and behaving as billions and billions of separate systems each sharing common structures that depend on some 'invisible' mechanism to keep them together. The ancients were of course ignorant of the actual material science (e.g., molecules, atoms, sub-atomic particles, etc), but they were very good at generalizing.
So, wind was synomous with the 'Holy Spirit'. God's wind is a force that they saw shaping the world. Today, we can draw a parallel with 'dark energy'. Yes, it's all material, but self-similiarity points to the invisible God who, behind the scenes, is active in bringing all of life together as well as scattering it once it is established (e.g., Tower of Babel).
All of life, or the Universe if you prefer, is one large system. God is in the very small, and in the very large. The strong wind that Elija had hoped for was where he expected to find God, but it was in the small wind that he actually did. So, we can look to 'dark energy' as yet another appeal to find God, or we could look at the love we have for our fellow man, and find him still.
Harv |
