Some differences between Evolutionary Christianity and Carvaka

According to Abigail Turner-Lauck Wernicki, “Indian Materialism” refers to the school of thought within Indian philosophy, usually called Carvaka, that rejects supernaturalism and rejects ethical systems that are grounded in supernaturalistic cosmologies. The good, for the Indian materialist, is strictly associated with pleasure and the only ethical obligation forwarded by the system is the maximization of one’s own pleasure. Wernicki says Indian Materialism pre-dated the British Empiricist movement by over a millennium.

The evolutionary Christianity of theological materialism applies the term “supermaterialism” rather than supernaturalism to avoid being mistaken for a non material worldview. Our ethical system is based in a supermaterial cosmology. The good is primarily associated with upward evolution to Godhood, which may or may not always be pleasurable to the individual in the short term but offers the maximum pleasure in the long term.

We are naturalistic in rejecting Plato's dualism, as well as Indian or Traditional spirituality, which says that there are two realms of reality, the material and the immaterial. We see the material and the supermaterial as one thing with different levels of evolution. Our naturalism affirms that all reality is in nature, but unlike naturalism we do not reject the idea that actions can have morally good and evil consequences. Upward evolution is sacred, devolution and entropy are profane.

But unlike the Carvaka we do not remain opposed to Traditional spirituality, we include it in the Involutionary Inward Path of the Twofold Path. This is the way ascetic and meditative practices lead to the bliss of the Soul, but not to Godhood. It is the Evolutionary Outward Path that affirms the Will to Godhood, or Spirit, in evolutionary survival and reproduction on the upward path to Godhood.

The body is a burden only in terms of attaining the Soul-Within in the Inward Path, but the body is essential in the Outward Path, as the vehicle of evolution to higher species, and eventually to Godhood. We dignify the material world in this sense, and we affirm science, even if some insights of intellectual intuition have not yet been validated by empirical science. But we do not reject supermaterialism and put science in it's place.  We do not reject theism as the Cavakas do, Godhood is seen as supermaterial and attained through long evolution.

We therefore accept philosophical and theological claims that have not been verified by direct experience, in doing so we have used the terms idealistic realism , or idealist naturalism. This means that our ontology rests on the affirmation of scientifically non-perceivable Objects, even though Godhood is not defined as non material. We agree with the Carvaka that the cosmos and the world, and the objects in the world are real, and that existence can be defined in terms of physical elements, although we include supermaterial elements, with the supermaterial realm yet to be understood scientifically.

We also believe that human consciousness is a material construct, but again, we add a supermaterial construct to consciousness. The Spirit Within, which exists at the Zenith of the Soul, is the ground of consciousness, but the Spirit is always based in the body. There can be no Soul or Spirit apart from the body, and the Spirit is passed on through material and supermaterial reproduction, which the Spirit, or Will to Godhood, activates.

We do not think it is futile to speculate as to the origin of the cosmos, but we acknowledge that higher evolution in conscousness and intelligence is necessary to know more and more. However, making connection with the Spirit Within can help in this difficult area.

Objects in the cosmos activated by the Spirit Within, with the purpose of evolving to Godhood, and objects are shaped by evolution from without. Existence is therefore purposeful and teleological.

Unlike the Carvaka we do not affirm egoism or individual selection over group selection, both work together, along with cultural selection, yet evolution has primarily taken place at the group level. Therefore altruism can this way be understood, as affirmed by sociobiology.

Unlike the Carvakas, Evolutionary Christianity is not negative toward traditional religion, even if traditional religion is negative toward us. We do believe that we revitalize Tradition.