Jesus Delivers a Discourse on Science 

When Jesus arrived in Athens on his Mediterranean tour as an interpreter for an Indian businessman, Gonod, and a teacher for his son, Ganid, they spent time listening to lectures and discussing a variety of topics. The Greek city of Athens was once the cultural center of the whole Alexandrian empire, whose borders extended into India. In Alexandria, Ganid and his versatile teacher discussed the teachings of Plato. Here in Athens they sought out more beautiful Greek statues and paintings and attended talks at the still thriving university.

One evening at their inn, they met a Greek philosopher who spoke to them for almost three hours, expounding on his vast knowledge and showing much attention to detail. When he finished, Jesus helped him to discern the boundaries between science, religion, and philosophy, their inherent strengths and limitations, and their interrelationship. Here are some of Jesus’ points through the lens of contemporary thought:

Scientists can measure energy but do not know what it is. We have made wonderful use of electricity today, from lighting to computers. Electrical engineers can balance every draw of energy in a circuit. But where does this energy come from? What is it really? We do not know. The same holds true for gravitation, light, and atoms. Our knowledge appears impressive, as one could spend a lifetime studying one specialized minuscule part. There is always the danger that overconfidence in what we know can blind us to how much we do not know. Forever will scientists be powerless to create one atom of matter or to originate one flash of energy or ever to add to matter that which we call life. The entire accrual of our knowledge could not have predicted or known that the union of two gaseous hydrogen atoms with one gaseous oxygen atom would result in a new and qualitatively superadditive substance — liquid water. Science’s domain is the study of physical-energy activities or quantitative things. Religion deals with eternal values or qualitative things. Philosophy bridges the gap between quantitative and qualitative observations.

Life is filled with qualitative decisions, all of which lie beyond the realm of logic and mathematics. Our lives transcend the material realm. Logic and mathematics fall short when applied to life problems. If one person can change a light bulb in ten minutes, mathematically, it would then take one minute for ten people. But it’s a one-person job; the other nine stand idle. Consider the synergy found in a team of five, which is more than the simple sum of its parts. An individual’s intellectual and moral values, when belonging to a social group in coordinated working harmony, equates to being twenty-five times more efficient.

Quantities can become proven facts. Quality persists in personal values derived from an individual’s experiences interpreted by their mind.

When science and religion begin to face how little they truly know, philosophy will unify the two, and provide a more intelligent comprehension of the universe. The deeper one delves into science and mathematics, the more akin to philosophy the subject matter becomes. There is unity in the workings of the cosmic universe. Every one of us is a child of the eternal God. All of God’s creations, from angels up in this vast universe, are friendly towards us and want us to succeed. How can our finite minds align in a logical, true, and corresponding unity of thought?

To help us better understand the universe, start by conceiving that quantitative facts and qualitative values both originate from the same first cause, the Paradise Father. If God powers the universe, then there is a purposeful unity throughout all of creation, and that fact underlines a pre-set goal for each of us, that of progressive personality achievement and spiritual growth. Amongst the random physical upheavals, the constantly changing impersonal relationships and ever-growing personal relationships, there lies a stable center of control, unchanging, and existing forever, lodging in the background of a living, unified universe.

The universe is made of matter, spirit, and a state intervening between them, just like water can be solid, liquid, or gas. The reality of material existence attaches to unrecognized energy as well as to visible matter. Energy moving slowly becomes mass, or what we can see. Our brains are visible, but our minds are not, yet they are both certainly real. The power that creates all this reality, seen and unseen, a universe of energy-mass, mind, and spirit, is eternal, existing, and consisting in the nature and reactions of God, our Universal Father.

Jesus’ understanding of science astounded them all. The Greek philosopher was so impressed that he enthusiastically declared, “At last my eyes have beheld a Jew who thinks something besides racial superiority and talks about something besides religion.” They then retired for the night.