Measurement, Matter, and Miracles

The Gospel Transcending Time and Space Continued

(Part 2)

Measurement, Matter, and Miracles 

In the early part of the 20th century, scientists discovered a remarkable phenomenon related to light. In an effort to determine whether light acts as a particle or a wave, they were surprised to find the answer was both. They discovered this by shining a light source through two adjacent slits against a second surface beyond. They expected to find patterns on the surface beyond the slits that roughly resembled the slits, somewhat like firing blue paintballs through two slits in one wall at another wall beyond it. The second wall would have blue paint marks roughly resembling the shape of the slits in the first wall that the balls traveled through. This effort is famously known as the double-slit experiment. 

What they found instead was a transference pattern on the second surface. It looked as though the paintballs had turned to liquid paint, gone through the slits as liquid paint, interfered with each other’s wakes, and spread in a pattern of multiple slit marks on the second surface. This reflected light was a wave not a particle. This result surprised the scientists who were expecting to find only two slit-shaped patterns of paint on the furthest surface. Then the scientists figured out a way to fire one photon of light at a time through the slits thinking that would surely create a pattern on the second surface resembling two slits. They were again surprised to find a transference pattern, which meant even when fired as particles, they acted like waves.  

So the scientist devised a method to measure which hole the photons were traveling through as they were fired. When they measured the photons, it grew even more mysterious. At this point, the photons ceased acting like waves of light and started acting like particles. The scientist found a pattern on the subsequent wall that resembled two blue slits. As though the paint had traveled through the holes as paintballs, splattering into two distinct slit marks on the preceding surface. This result demonstrated that the photons acted liked particles or paintballs when the experiment was measured or observed. This astounded the scientists. How could our observing reality change reality? However, this experiment has been tried thousands of times since, always with the same results.  

Later, prominent physicist Niels Bohr demonstrated atoms act similarly, collapsing or turning to matter only when observed or measured. This troubled Albert Einstein a great deal as he said he refused to believe the moon was not there when he was not looking at it. However, Bohr’s observations were proven correct, giving birth to Quantum Physics. 

There is not time in this essay to go more into the mysteries touched on above; thankfully, there are enumerable books available that provide this service. This illustration is only to demonstrate the mysterious way that our observation seems to impact our three-dimensional world. The Moon may, in fact, only be there when observed.  

But what if faith in God is simply the product of an enlightened form of measurement or observation in time and space? And what if space and time, as we see it, actually exists because God is looking at it through us? 

Since it is true, reality is a wave of probability in its smallest and most fundamental form until it is observed. What prevents the moon from disappearing when no one is looking at it and then reappearing when someone is looking at it? And how is it always the same moon even though viewed by different observers? These are perplexing questions. 

There are a couple of common theories offered to explain this. One is that the moon does appear and disappear, depending on who is observing it to reflect every particular possible collapse in the wave of probability. Our lives are also different, in different universes. Each universe reflecting the myriad of different ways that things could have turned out in our lives.   

This notion is the basis of the popular theory of multiple universes. At its heart, the idea is an effort to accommodate the measurement problem, explained above, while retaining a purely materialistic and random understanding of the universe. This theory proposes a different universe for each possible scenario that could occur in our lives, or, as physicists would claim, each wave function collapse. It would involve a complex assortment of zillions of different universes where every possible combination of our observations, or collapses in the wave function, exist.  In some universes we are poor, some rich, some married, some divorced, some happy, some sad.  A multiplicity of circumstances in a multiplicity of lives taking place in different universes at the same time.  Although interesting,  this complexity represents a dramatic nightmare for Occam’s razor.

A simpler solution, that avoids the menagerie of zillions of universes, simply reduces the number of observers to only one. If the number of observers increases the number of universes, reducing the number of observers reduces the number of universes.  In a dualist materialist three-dimensional world, this seems impossible. How can a multiplicity of intelligent observers in a universe be reduced to one? But it is very logical to refer to many, as one, in theological circles. Hindu tradition proposes that we are all part of one divine Being who sees or observes and experiences three-dimensional reality through us. Time and space divide this Divine consciousness into a diversity of forms. Hinduism teaches that all time and space is full of divine consciousness; the higher the degree of self-awareness, the higher the degree of consciousness. This notion is called non-duality and incorporates both the unity and diversity of nature.  

The Jewish mystical discipline Kabbalah teaches that we are all sparks of the same divine light. Although we are many, we are also one.  Christianity also has non-dual traditions. In Colossians, Paul claims Christ is the image of the invisible God in Whom all things are created and held together. (Col. 1:15-19) Paul is also clear that we are all part of Christ’s one body (Romans 12:5) and that in Him, we live and move and have our being in Him. (Acts 17:28)  

These theological traditions may provide some important clues to solve the puzzle that quantum discoveries have presented us.  What if we are simply God’s eyes in time and space? Then there could be many eyes, but one seer. In such a world, existence would be continuously collapsing into a particular world, with a degree of objectivity, as it would be the ultimate view of one, in many.  

And, what if time and space has a default setting? What if our observations automatically collapse reality in a certain way, like default settings on our computers? This function would ensure that a degree of predictability and objectivity is consistently apparent. And, what if humble faith in God, or enlightened observation, can act to bypass the default setting.? What if Jesus and Peter walking on water was just a higher dimensional way of bypassing the default setting on time and space. 

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says to Peter, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him.” (Mark 11:22-23) Many teach that this is not to be taken literally, but what if they are wrong? What if Jesus was very literal. What if he was teaching us the power of enlightened belief? I think we have far more significant influence over the world around us than we want to believe. Enlightened power comes from simply knowing who we are as a part of a non-dual Creative Power of the Universe, and acting accordingly. 

What if Peter walked on water because he believed he could. What if innocent, childlike faith or trust in God is just enlightened belief. A belief that allows God to think His thoughts and demonstrate his existence through us. Our part is allowing ourselves to be a conduit and not resisting. We open the spigot to higher dimensions by entrusting ourselves to Him.  

Peter believed he could walk on water because he saw Jesus walking on water and trusted Him. Time and space simply accommodated this enlightened intentional observation. Perhaps, trusting God allows Him to see space and time through us, unhindered by our self-imposed pride, limitations, and fear. Peter walked in faith but sank in fear; After-which, Jesus admonished him for the littleness of his faith. (Matthew 14:27-33)

Shouldn’t miracles be a regular result of our enlightened awareness in the world today? Shouldn’t they follow us the way they followed Jesus? Aren’t we the Body of Christ too? 

In Luke 8 verses 42-48, a woman who had suffered from chronic bleeding for twelve years was healed simply by touching the hem of Jesus’s garment. She was confident that she would recover, and the instant she touched Jesus, she was healed. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”  

In this passage, Jesus felt the energy leave His body the instant of the woman’s touch. The power collapsed into the intended reality of her faith, and she was healed; the reality of her physical condition conformed to her enlightened intention. This process is very similar to the experience scientists had with electrons, as waves of probability transformed into particles when measured. The difference being that the results reflected in the double-slit experiments are a product of a space-time default program. But faith provides enlightened intention that bypasses the default program and creates the illusion of miracles. An illusion that is merely the product of childlike trust in a higher dimensional world. 

When the centurion came seeking healing for his servant, his great faith surprised Jesus. 

And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel…And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment. (Matthew 8:5-13)

Again, by the centurion’s enlightened humble faith, reality collapsed to reflect his hope, and his servant was healed.  

Apparent miracles were a continuous pattern in the life of Jesus, but they followed his disciples too.   Peter also demonstrated these powers. In Acts 3: 1-10, Peter and John healed a man who had been lame from birth. When Peter and John were going into the temple, they were met by this lame man seeking a gift. They responded accordingly.  

But Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, “Look at us!” And he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God; and they recognized him as being the very one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for charitable gifts, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter was generous with what he had, faith to heal. 

I believe Christ is that non-dual source of higher dimensional power that we all have access to through enlightened belief. This enlightened energy can bypass the default setting on reality, bringing healing and restoring faith for all. True life transcends the dimensions we only see, taste, and touch and connects us to higher dimensionality, that changes the reality around us.  In a very important way, we make the world we live in, and some of the reality we expect to see, is the reality that collapses into form.