The conservative way to adapt the symbolic experience of the God within to the Outward Path of material evolution to real supermaterial Godhood

A great respect for conservatism was once shown by Thomas Aquinas when rather than turning to the metaphysical and epistemological philosophy of

the newly rediscovered Aristotle, Aquinas developed a brilliant synthesis of Greek rationalism and Christian doctrine, which probably saved Christianity from being swamped by the Greek philosophers.

As theological materialism transforms the philosophy of traditional religion and philosophy, a great respect is also shown for conservatism by affirming the Twofold Path, the involutionary and evolutionary paths, when the involutionary spiritual path could have been detached as being a great spiritual blockade against the evolutionary path of material evolution to real supermaterial Godhood.

“Transcendence-over-function” in religion and philosophy is not real or possible, but we can increasingly understand the functions of nature. The beatific vision, like nirvana, was/is a peak material experience brought on by severe ascetic restrictions of the body, and not a transcendence of the natural material functions, and not an experience of God.

We can indeed immanentize the eschaton, attain Godhood within nature and evolution, when we affirm that evolution moves inevitably in a pattern, even though it has its random elements, and the pattern has a discernible direction, in spite of instances of stagnation and retreat, toward higher and higher more effective living forms, all the way to ascending levels Godhood.

But respect for the strong pull of tradition and order, and the commitment to traditional values and ideas, was/is very successful to the survival of human beings and human cultures, as the best of the past is retained. We need a new Mass for the Twofold Path where the ascetic Sacrificial Mass of the spiritual Inward Path can be redeemed by a Mass of Celebration affirming the Outward Path of material evolution to real Godhood, joining the old and new, religion and science, martyrs and heroes.

It will be awkward to turn the big metaphysical and epistemological ship of religious philosophy around and point it in the opposite direction, but the Twofold Path is the conservative way to adapt the past preliminary Inward Path, with its symbolic experience of the God within, to the present Outward Path of material evolution to real supermaterial Godhood.