Design Engineers and God

From: Edward Riess, EE, CNIM Cincinnati, Ohio I am also an electrical engineer and one that sees promise in applying science to societal problems. The following short essay was MY submission to the NPR series "This I Believe" and it briefly presents what CAN be investigated using scientific principles applied to qualitative data. This is no different than the way science is currently applied to other fields such as psychology and psychiatry and was applied by Darwin when he uncovered the facts of natural selection. Following the essay is one approach for starting a science-based movement that, despite sufficient data for a robust beginning, needs attention and unbiased examination as much as did past discoveries of X-rays and micro-organisms. The present problems involving cultural and sectarian violence, and their effects on coexistence and ultimately world economy and security, are in desperate need of a unification effort that offers substance that is capable of fostering a realistic evolution of humanity. THE ESSAY It is not surprising when human beliefs and values tend to correlate with culture, religion, education, and even social class. It is when the beliefs of millions of people share a consistency with no correlation to these influences and in spite of a full range of disparate backgrounds that something surprising and quite persuasive is suggested. The “millions” to which I refer are the people from all cultural backgrounds that have personally experienced an extraordinary conscious awareness during an out-of-body or Near Death Experience. Contrasting with stereotypical opinions of people with their heritages, these experiencers’ opinions are essentially identical on issues like race- and gender-equality, survival of death, and the importance of respect and fair-treatment of persons different from them. They claim to know the correct positions on these issues without having religious, social, or historical reasons for their opinions. To these people, having “beliefs” cannot compare to having “knowledge”. They are adamant that their experiences were as real, or even more real with expanded awareness, than their normal waking consciousness. Frequently, when possible, their accounts have been objectively verified. For example, dozens of blind near-death experiencers observed and later accurately described details that “they”, in their physical bodies, were not in positions to witness. Many more experiencers, as patients that nearly died during surgery, witnessed and later accurately described unfamiliar procedures and instruments that were used on them. More important, though, is that extra and sudden knowledge they received during their NDE’s. They “know” that all human beings are equal, or ‘the same’ in that all are members of a single human race and equally important parts of a grand scheme that includes a spiritual reality. So strongly do they believe this that they (1) universally believe in life after death and have no fear of death, (2) commonly shift from organized religion to personal spiritual practice, (3) adopt a more positive view of themselves and others, an increased sense of purpose, and a reduction of interest in material success coupled with a marked increase in spiritual development. With this knowledge from the spiritual realm into which they claim their consciousness merged, they will tell you that prejudice, violence, religious wars, and inequality of race and gender are contrary to the purposes of this grand scheme. Research has shown that two- to three-percent of humans, worldwide, have had this kind of experience. From my personal acquaintances with NDEers, a skeptical engineer like myself had to admit that these events had characteristics that could not be produced by drugs or mere brain processes. So, after eighteen years of reviewing NDE research, what I believe is that all human beings truly are, equally, part of this grand scheme, but that cannot compare to “knowing” that fact the way that perhaps ten million NDEers know it. It seems to me that if humans were to become informed enough to accept the reality of these glimpses of the beyond, millions of experiencers from their various religious and cultural backgrounds might testify to this truth without fear of ridicule, convincing the rest of society of these apparent universal truths. Such testaments might also provide a powerful force for spiritual evolution and human unification. Then, the beliefs of those viewing terrorism as “God’s will” or a ticket to heaven, might evaporate. Human civilization might begin to realize an increase in intercultural understanding, personal freedom and safety, and hope for a peaceful future. Most people weren’t ready to believe such stories in April 1984 when The New York Times published a story about King Hussein’s near death experience, or in January 1992 when Vanity Fair wrote about Senator Bob Kerrey’s out-of-body experience in Viet Nam.* Today, we find out-of-body consciousness accepted as real in a 2001 issue of The Lancet in an article titled, “Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands”. We read, With lack of evidence for any other theories for NDE, the thus far assumed, but never proven, concept that consciousness and memories are localised in the brain should be discussed. How could a clear consciousness outside one’s body be experienced at the moment that the brain no longer functions during a period of clinical death with flat EEG? In that same paragraph, we read, ... blind people have described veridical perception during out-of-body experiences at the time of this experience. NDE pushes at the limits of medical ideas about the range of human consciousness and the mind-brain relation. Perhaps it’s time for the heavily invested skeptics to open their minds and actively promote the possibility of collective human growth. This I believe; and it’s all derived from accounts of honest people who claim the superior state of “knowing”. All human beings should responsibly pause and consider the evidence for this spiritual interrelationship with all human beings, juxtaposed with their own religious teachings and literature, and their other reasons for having their however-deeply formed beliefs and values. Civilized people acknowledge that wherever they can reshape and improve themselves – and collectively, the world – it is their duty to do so. Information from NDE accounts suggests this is what we’re supposed to do with our lives. Although understandable from our heritage of superstition and ignorance, our progress toward intellectual and spiritual evolution has been poor. In this age of terrorism and bombs, embracing this information about the nature of reality for humans may ultimately be our only chance to save us from ourselves. *Vanity Fair, Jan. 1992 page 98, Bob Kerrey’s Odyssey by Peter J. Boyer, and, The New