FAITH WITHOUT THE SUPERNATURAL: FAITH AS A RESPONSE TO THE EXISTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF SYSTEMS THEORY

摘要

As finite beings conscious of a larger, integrated whole, how do we respond? I believernthe ethos of systems theory suggests we respond by striving for integrity. In movingrntowards integrity, the individual strives for both differentiation and integration. We mustrnembrace the world, achieving the religious perspective John Dewey called "a sense of thernwhole." However, we must also identify the source of purpose and providence that PaulrnTillich called "the object of ultimate concern," that Gregory Bateson called “the patternrnthat connects,” what we might also call a sense of the sacred.rnRejecting objectivism and capitalizing on interactionism, the process of faith enables usrnto grow a viable worldview through two interactive dimensions. The receptive dimensionrnof faith fosters a sense of the whole while the speculative dimension articulates a sense ofrnthe sacred. The existential implications of second order cybernetics suggest that inrnmaking sense of the sacred we can actually change the world. The dynamics of faithrncapitalize on this implication, enabling us to develop a worldview with deep meaning..rnFor example, the believer recognizes that the symbol of God can originate as an emergentrnproperty of a community of believers, and then become an active force in history. Thernbeliever recognizes that epistemology can affect ontology, that belief can transform thernworld.