The Finite Order

The Finite Order, a novel I have been writing, shelving, and renewing for three decades. Let me set the stage. The year is 2050. Robotics, nanotech, and the digital transformation of society have advanced at warp speed. But their complexity breeds confusion even amongst the educated, yielding a resounding call for simplification. His Holiness Pope John XXIV meets with anxious papal statisticians. They note the sharp escalation of mortal and venial sins and crime in recent decades. Ominously, they predict critical mass, the imminent descent of human civilization into chaos. The pope prays to the Almighty Lord for less complexity in the universe. His prayers are immediately answered; God issues the Finite Order.

Secular Spirituality, Religions, Faces of GodEd ChandlerSeptember 24, 2022Comment

Secular Spirituality, aka, Spiritual Atheism - Blog#21 - 12 July 2019

The following blog recreates the lecture I recently provided, on June 30, 2019, to the members of the United Universalist Fellowship of the Emerald Coast, in Valparaiso, Florida. The topic of secular spirituality requires us to define spirituality, its evolving meaning, and why it is important to human beings. It further requires us to distinguish between secular and religious versions of spirituality. And what is nonreligious spirituality?

Is there evidence to support disembodied consciousness, as in gods, ghosts, and souls? If spirituality isn’t about spirits, what is it about? Spirituality lies at the intersection of consciousness and connectedness. We can celebrate our consciousness of the gift of life, and our connectedness to each other, and the “All,” without believing in spirits or immortality. We can practice the positive spiritual emotions: existential joy and gratitude for the gift of life, humility regarding our special, small place in the universe, awe regarding existence, and love for our brethren. We can indeed be spiritual, but nonreligious.

Birth, Death, Sex, Awe, and Mars - Blog#18 - 7 June 2019

Birth and life are amazing, and reproduction all the more so. There is incredible variation in the ways that living species recreate themselves, and thereby produce the gift of life. Our daily dose of spiritual awe is bolstered when we take time to notice the diversity of life, and appreciate the intricate wonders of its recreation. Whether sexual or asexual, single-gendered or hermaphroditic, there are a host of ingenious strategies out there that renew life, propelling it forward, generation after generation. We hear about them in school, but appreciate them more with age.

Spirituality versus Religion - Blog #1 – 12 January 2019

Spirituality and religion are not synonymous. Religion is the most popular form of spirituality, and encompasses many different faiths. Spirituality is a broader concept, which includes religious spirituality, but also encompasses secular methods of connecting to something or someone greater than oneself.

Spirituality, Secular SpiritualityEd ChandlerJanuary 13, 2019Comment

Ed Chandler and Beyond