Uncovering the Supernatural: Examining God and Nature

[Royce]

I must ask that you the reader suspend your belief or disbelief for the moment, only for the time it takes to read this post. I am trying to get across a point, a different way of looking at God and nature. Once you have read this with an open thoughtful mind and given it a bit of thought you are free again to believe and disbelieve what you will.

We have been taught to believe that God is supernatural. We think of supernatural as being mystical, magical and outside or beyond that which is natural. We have been taught to believe in miracles and spirits that break the laws of nature at will. This is, I think, the wrong way to view the supernatural. This view, I think, automatically sets up a reason to disbelieve just as we came to disbelieve in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

Lets look at the word supernatural a different way. let us look at it as we look at the word superstructure.
There is nothing mystical or magical about superstructure. It simply means the structure on top of the main structure like the superstructure of a ship - that structure that is above the main deck of a ship is it's superstructure. The superstructure of a bridge or building has similar meanings - that structure that is the top or on the top of the rest of the structure .

Now let's look at supernatural the same way. That nature that is above or on top of the main structure of nature. By main structure of nature I mean the natural physical wold or universe that we know and live in and are apart of. The superstructure of nature or the supernatural is that nature that is above or the upper layers of nature and that which we call God and the heavens or spiritual world, plane or realm.

Let us assume of the duration of this discussion that God exists and created the universe, all the natural laws and of course us. God created all of this to be a part of him. Nature and God cannot be separated anymore than we can be separated from nature or God. The universe is of God and God is the universe as are we and all that is, is one with God.

God is nature and nature is God. God is the most natural thing in the universe and in our world. God is so natural and nature is so much of God that we then call God super-nature or supernatural. God the creator and maker of laws and Master of the universe is the superstructure of nature, the supernatural.

We no longer need to, nor should we, look for miracles, magic or mysticism when we look for God.
We no longer need to look for holy spirits or ghosts to find God. We no longer have to suspend our beliefs in the natural order of the physical universe and its immutable laws. God is nature and natural.
Look only with in your natural self naturally to find God. Look only at nature to find evidence of God and his works.

What could be more natural than God the creator of nature and all of it's laws? Why would the creator of those laws have to break those laws to prove to you that he is? Why would the creator not use his own laws to do his work and let us see his work all around us every moment of our lives?

The reason so many of us have trouble finding God is that we are looking outside of nature or beyond nature for the magical and mystical. We all know that that world exists only in our dreams and imagination. It isn't real nor natural. No wonder we can't find God there.

Why do we insisted on looking at for and in the unreal for the ultimate reality. The supernatural is the super-reality.

Okay, discussion over. You can now reengage your belief and disbelief.

 

[Iacchus32]

Nature is only the form, of which the spirit is the essence. And yet, since we don't generally understand what the essence is, then by its very nature it must be deemed "mystical" (at the very least), unless of course we could we prove that "God the Spirit" actually existed.

You are correct in saying the natural world is the outward manifestation of God though.

 

[pace]

Royce, read B. Spinoza. He's the one you're looking for I think.

I'm reading his 'Ethics' right now.

These guys try to explain his God perspective: http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/s/spinoza.htm

 

[Royce]

pace, I read your link. I have also read some of Spinoza years ago.
I am not a panathiest nor a transcendentalist but some compination of those thoughts and others. While all of nature is of God. All of God is not nature. Nature is but one aspect or manifestation of God.
I also think God has intent and purpose but not one super final ultimate goal. This post is only to point out a way the view the supernatural as really apart of nature, i.e. God is natural.