Quantum theology
From Theopedia
The term Quantum Theology most commonly refers to the New Age worldview of Diarmuid O'Murchu, a Roman Catholic priest. In his book of the same name, O'Murchu overlays old familiar New Age spirituality with a thin veneer of science jargon, and suggests that science gives us no choice but to recognize it as true enlightenment. The reality is that O'Murchu's Quantum Theology is neither science nor theology; it is one man's breathless sales pitch for a rather typical post-Christian spirituality.
Contents |
Summary
Key elements of O'Murchu's Quantum Theology are revealed in the following quotes:
- it encourages the reader to set aside all critical thinking: "And please leave at home your religious and scientific ideologies along with the dualisms you have inherited, which you tend to use to divide life into right and wrong, earth and heaven." [page 7]
- it is unapologetically anti-Christian, suggesting that Christianity (and all organized religion) should be abandoned "What we cannot escape is that we as a species have outlived that phase of our evolutionary development and so, quite appropriately (it seems to me), thousands of people are leaving religion aside..." [page 13]
- the "scientific" content, primarily contained in Chapter 3, is a "gee whiz" smoke and mirrors tour through selected tidbits of modern physics, with no explanation of the scientific foundations and a heavy emphasis on unconventional interpretations of "what it all means" to non-scientists: "Meanwhile, scholars of other disciplines detect far-reaching implications of the quantum theory for their respective fields (e.g. Chopra 1989, McFadden 2000, Zohar 1990, 1993, Wheatley 1992) leading to radical new understandings of this theory, often baffling and bemusing to mainstream scientists... They describe a new and more profound way of understanding reality, in fact, one known to mystics for several thousand years." [page 29]
- it explicitly rejects creation ex nihilo asserting instead a form of panentheism: "In quantum theology, the creative potential emerges (evolves) from within the cosmos." [page 56, italics in the original]
- it rejects not only the authority of the Bible, but even its significance: "Quantum theology abhors the human tendency to attribute literal significance to the sacred writings of the various religions." [page 57]
- it promotes a new approach to morality based on the good of the whole: "Morality, in the quantum context, attends first to the whole and only secondarily to the parts composing the whole... If the Ten Commandments were rewritten in the light of this guideline, what would they look like?" [page 160]
Influence
Quantum Theology has received widespread visibility and apparent support from some liberal Christians, particularly within the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches in North America. For example:
- the National Catholic Reporter gave the book a positive review, noting "...quantum theology tells us that the birth of the Buddha, the emergence of Hinduism, the journey of Judaism, and the person of Jesus do not exist in isolation from each other."
- the catholic social justice organization Call to Action featured O'Murchu at their 2004 conference
- Vancouver's Anglican Christ Church Cathedral:
- hosted a lecture by O'Murchu in 2004,
- warmly recommended Quantum Theology in the "Dean's Notes" of April 24, 2005: "Catholic theologian Diarmuid O’Murchu, in his excellent book Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics, in an appendix entitled Doing Theology in a Space-Time Continuum writes about the major challenges facing theologians — growing out of the insights of science:"
- are again featuring two talks on quantum theology in November 2006
This support is difficult to explain given, as noted above, the book's open opposition to the organized church.
References
- Diarmuid O'Murchu, Quantum Theology, Crossroad, New York, 2 ed, 2004
- Diarmuid O'Murchu website
- Prof.M.M.Ninan [1]
Other uses of the term "quantum theology"
- [2], Quantum Theology by M.M.Ninan
