Godspell, Philip K. Dick, and Ponderings of Life and Death and the Eternal

2006 was a rough year for me. I lost many people I loved to unexpected death. I lost friends because of my ability to hurt others. I felt helpless to the world. During this time I read "The Divine Invasion" a science fiction novel written by Philip K. Dick. It is about God and the Devil, and a novel I would whole heartedly recommend.

Essentially, it is about the second coming of Christ, but more than that man's ability to turn away from God.

This being said I watched Godspell last night (and finished it this morning).

It reminded me of many of my beliefs on God and the Universe.

The Universe, when broken down to the most minute scale is comprised of nothing. We see and feel solid matter, liquids, etc. These are comprised of chemicals which are further comprised of atoms. Atoms are made of protons, neutrons and electrons. What are these made of? Nothing. These molecules are made of nothing, hell, the atom itself is made of 99% empty space. The Universe is made of mostly empty space.

What does this mean? Honesty in the scientific realm I don't really know. I have another theory on what this "empty space" really is.

If God is omnipresent, then God exists in everything. As science has put it everything is made of nothing. So what is this nothingness? I believe it is the "flesh and blood" of God. That everything is a physical manifestation of God. The rocks, the birds, ourselves. Every atom that comprises us is the physical manifestation of God.

Further more, we live in a 4 dimensional universe. Human beings, however, exist on a 3 dimensional plane. For us, the 4th dimension is linear. Time moves forward.

To something (theoretically) that exists on a 4th dimensional level it can co-exist in multiple points, further more separate points can co-exist in one location.

When the theory of relativity is applied to light (I cannot at this time recall the exact formulas) light exists as 1 over 1. This means that were you or I to be light we would perceive ourselves to exist in every point of the universe simultaneously. Not unlike the belief of God. It means that time does not exist for light, and that everything is essentially one point, one locale.

Could this be another physical and tangible manifestation of God? I believe so. Really, everything is the physical manifestation of God, because without God there is no physical. Without God there is no manifestation of anything. The computer I type on right now is a physical manifestation of God, because it could not exist independently of God.

What does this have to do with Philip K. Dick and Godspell? I'm getting there.

Philip K. Dick stated that his belief was the entire universe, every moment of existence is actually one moment. The dying dream of Christ on the Cross. In that moment of death Christ took on the burden of humanity's sins. Dick's belief was that Jesus actually lived everyone's life in that moment of death. That we are actually the dreams of God. I say the dreams of God because Jesus (as belief would state) was fully divine and fully human. Therefore Jesus was and is God.

The most basic and true definition of Hell is "The Absence of God." If God is all-present and exists in everything does a hell exist? I have heard many say that hell is when one is given the choice of "Glory," the salvation of God, and one turns away from God.

Could anything look into the face of God and say "I don't love you?" Even with all of life's hardships, even with the toil of man, I don't think it is possible to turn from God when confronted with pure love. Because isn't that what God is? Love?

It was "Godspell" a silly 70's musical about the Gospel of Matthew that began these ponderings this morning. These thoughts of Jesus and Philip K. Dick. These ideas of atoms and nothingness and everythingness.

This may be a strange thing to ponder on a Friday at 11 in the morning. These beliefs may seem strange and alien or worse, blasphemous, to many. I don't care. I could be wrong. But I believe, and that is what is important to me.

To end this post I will leave you with a quote:

"Day by day, day by day, oh dear Lord three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, to love thee more dearly, to follow thee more nearly. Day by day."