Astronomer Nahum Arav, an astrophysics research professor at Virginia Tech, PH.D from the University of Colorado, says science is the path to a new form of human spirituality.
Based on an awareness of evolution, connectedness to a changing and growing universe, this would put to rest and surpass antiquated ideas of a supernatural creator.
Nahum says, "we had a huge advantage in evolution once we developed brains and consciousness and an ability to understand things. But with that came a huge liability. Once we became self-aware, we also became aware that everything we are doing on a personal level is for naught—we will die one day.
One of the ways to get around that is to develop a very strong system of beliefs that transcends the natural world. The most common thing for all human societies on this planet is some sort of supernatural belief. It was extraordinarily necessary, because it is very difficult for people to live in an arbitrary and aimless universe."
He goes on to say,"It is very obvious that the spiritual beliefs that people practice are coming from their own family and community; it all comes from their nurturing environment. What I have tried to convey with the principle of spiritual equivalence is a simple but powerful idea: that people are in a better spiritual place if they are less judgmental and divisive. Equivalence would create a moral connection and more uniform relationship with all other spiritualities. We need to apply objective standards to our beliefs and accept the good that is found in all religious tradition. This is more productive than finding the differences and “unique truths” that make mine right and yours wrong."
Richard Dawkins and others are out spoken critics about organized religion and their teachings, Arav says,
"I think Dawkins and Hitchens are speaking against the dogma, divisiveness and self-righteousness that organized religions can cause. As for myself, I think we are very spiritual beings, and religion can have a powerful and positive effect on our lives."
"Religion filled the void for everyone by coming up with stories of how things started, or the meaning of plagues and diseases and things like that.
Then something dramatic happened philosophically and factually: we found a way, a method that can explain the material world gradually better and better. Ever since then, the religious authorities of all religions have incited a battle to keep their influence: “We said it’s this way. You can’t come and tell us that it is something else.” The truth of the matter is that, in factual and material things, I would advocate that it is rather silly for any religion to take a strong stand, because every single time that has happened over the last 500 years, the religious stand has lost."
