Epistemology and ontology reformed

 

The spiritual has been debunked at least since the Enlightenment, but religion should not have been debunked. Religion and philosophy have hated and mistaken the material world for too long. I think reviving religion depends on seeing or understanding that what was formerly known as spiritual is material---and that includes Godhood.

God has been misrepresented as a spiritual "I" within with no real material connections to the material body. God has been thought of/experienced as an inward, non-material, spiritual consciousness by the esoteric gurus, and more as a non-material outward God by exoteric followers. But materiality is the foundation of real godliness.

Here is the contrary religious/philosophical position: The material activation of life from within seeks material/supermaterial Godhood and works along with whatever outside environment life finds itself living within---this is natural selection, and yes, with a teleological goal.

All knowledge, perception, and reasoning stem from this material, physical, biological, evolutionary functioning. All idealism is grounded in the material or supermaterial, or it is illusion. Religion and morality are also grounded in this material, evolutionary reality---as is Godhood.

Religion and science could join in this worldview if they wanted to, and both could help each other in developing a long-term sacred civilization that seeks real Godhood by way of material/supermaterial evolution. Then we would really be sparkling, whether we are alone in the cosmos or not...I suppose there could be various levels of materially evolved Gods out there.