John Scoble & Robert van Mourik
“New ideas are not generated by deduction, but by an artistically creative imagination”
Max Planck
Introduction
Recently, we considered the concept of “Original Blessing” as an alternative to the doctrine of original sin. Founded in the recognition in Genesis that humankind is made in the image of God and all that God made is good, the concept leads to a reappraisal of our underlying values and purpose in life. It enables a far more fulfilling and life affirming worldview of ourselves, laden with potential.
Despite the church’s teaching on original sin, it seems only a few believe they are “wretches”, as portrayed in the hymn Amazing Grace. Nor did Jesus. “You are the light of the world….seen like a city on a hilltop …. not hidden under a bushel”, he said. (Matt. 5:14-15). At his 1994 inauguration, Nelson Mandella quoted this poem by Marianne Williamson:
Let Our Own Light Shine
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
A current era proponent of Original Blessing is Mathew Fox, an internationally acclaimed spiritual theologian, formerly a Catholic Dominican priest and now an Episcopal priest, and activist. He holds a doctorate in History and Theology of Spirituality from the Institut Catholique de Paris and has devoted 45 years to developing and teaching the tradition of Creation Spirituality. He has written 37 books that have been translated into other languages over 70 times, including Original Blessing (2000) and Creativity (2005).
On 23 July 2017, Fox gave a 30-minute sermon at the Irvine Congregational Uniting Church in California, USA. His topic was “Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet” and this is the subject of episode 18. A video link to his sermon is provided below.
Some of the highlights from Fox’s sermon are:
Our Creativity has the capacity to empower us.
The fierce power of imagination is a gift from God.
We are all artists – painters, dancers, musicians, parents, healers, teachers etc.
The planet needs us to use our creativity urgently.
Creativity comes from the realm of the mothers.
Every prophet (such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King) was an artist.
Education is failing our young people by diminishing the joy of learning.
Creativity leads to joy and energy.
Contemporary human consciousness limits our creativity.
Our society values and rewards left brain activities.
Values come from intuition (the right brain).
Quantum Theory
Fox’s comments about consciousness relate closely to the field of quantum theory. Max Planck (1858 – 1947), quoted above, is considered the founding father of quantum theory[1]. Unlike classical Newtonian physics which conceives the world as governed by fundamental laws of the universe, quantum theory recognises that, in addition to matter and energy, the universe includes a third component – consciousness – and the three are interrelated. Whereas classical physics relied upon and assumed an independent observer, quantum theory recognises that the mere participation of an observer influences outcomes. Our universe is constantly changing, and not subject to immutable laws. Quantum theory has been proven through several experiments.
In The Quantum Revolution, Paul Levy writes [2]:
Great scientific discoveries often come, to quote the renowned physicist Baron Carl Friedrich von Weizsacker, “as an inspiration or a special gift of grace which comes to the researcher when and as it pleases, like an answer from ‘another authority,’” whose origin, he continues, is not from the ego, but from “a more comprehensive self.” This higher authority uses the creative imagination as its instrument of revealing itself.
Quantum theory is revolutionising scientists’ understanding of our universe and suggests revolutionising our understanding of “God”.
Discussion Questions
Please watch the video by clicking on this link: “Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet” and reflect on the questions below in preparation for our meeting.
1. Do you consider that you are an artist, that you have creative abilities, potential?
2. Inspired by Marianne Williamson’s poem, could you give yourself permission to be creative, to bring to fruition your latent dreams or ambitions?
3. What possibilities do you envisage for our education, our society, our world?
1 The Quantum Revelation, Paul Levy, 2018, page 45
2 Ibid page 46
May 2023
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