Together in the Space Between: Science and Religion in Process

By Greg Kinsch

In Together in the Space Between, author Greg Kinsch compiles information from various disciplines not usually seen as compatible by postindustrial modern man. It discusses how the world and universe operate and how that knowledge can be used to help move the human species toward peace on earth.

He begins with the premise that current paradigms wont work in the coming years because the exponential growth and decay that underlie their functioning is unsustainable. He goes on to say that our product-based way and view of life has had a devastating effect on our understanding of process in our lives. Kinsch goes to the root of the problem and discusses:

How the workings of our brain show our perceptions may be unreliable and we may have some control over our own perceptions of happiness
The phenomenon of near-death experiences and why they occur more frequently in the modern age
Why man is progressing toward a higher consciousness and that these experiences are part of the evolutionary process
The zero-point field, a part of quantum physics showing that what seems impossible is capable of being studied and researched
World religions and the role theyve played in the world to this point

After admitting the failure of religion to remain open to truth in others, Together in the Space Between offers hope through Kinschs unique interpretation of the Eucharist. He offers a survival guide to adapt to the changes that need to be made and are certainly coming.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504900584

Greg Kinsch

Greg Kinsch taught as a special educator in Pennsylvania for thirty-nine years. Near the beginning of his career, he was rejuvenated by what he later learned was a classic near-death experience. This experience led him to a continual search for information about the workings of the brain and the workings of the spirit.

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© 2015 Greg Kinsch. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  03/17/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0059-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0058-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015903932

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1   The Problem With Linear Thinking

Chapter 2   The Problem Of Dysfunctional Feeling

Chapter 3   The Problem Of Not Seeing Our Connectedness

Chapter 4   The Problem With Our Perceptions (Brain Studies)

Chapter 5   The Problem With Near-Death Experiences

Chapter 6   The Problem With The New Kids

Chapter 7   The Problem With Newtonian Physics

Chapter 8   The Problem With Religion

Chapter 9   The Answer Of The Eucharist

Chapter 10 Hymn To The Universe

Endnotes for Each Chapter

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my children, and their children, and the generations to come, that will have to solve the predicaments that my generation,

and the generations before mine,

have left as our legacy.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the contributions made by Kara Carisio to the completion of this book. As I wrote each chapter she was there to read it and make suggestions that hopefully, clarified the murky waters so that others could see what I was trying to communicate. As my daughter she was aware of the fragile sensibilities of a father and writer, and gently guided me to continue to the finished product. I would also like to thank my grandchildren who showed great understanding, as I sought periods of solitude each day. Timothy and Lucy showed interest by asking pertinent questions, such as, Is chapter 10 done yet? My wife, Karen, also deserves recognition for putting up with me, as I seemed to bring every conversation back to the book. I had to realize that most people were not as interested as I assumed they were. A special thanks is extended to Anne Wilson Schaef, who took the time to respond to my inquiries, and clarify her positions on addiction and recovery. I would not want to misrepresent her thinking, in her words: "healing and living fully have nothing to do with control. They are about participating and trusting what the process presents to us." I thank Author House Publishers and in particular Corina Palmer and David Bell. Lastly, I want to thank God, for giving me inspiration, and a life-long quest to put in writing the truth I’ve found up ’til now.

INTRODUCTION

December 11, 2013

This book is about how the world and the universe operates and how that knowledge can be used to help move the human species forward toward what we all want…. peace on earth and good will to all. There have always been times when the inhabitants of our planet have feared the end of our existence, but these times have intensified in the last century. My hope is that this book will be a sort of survival guide as we make our way through the changes that are coming. I write it with humility, even though the mere thought of teaching you is arrogance and hubris. But love drives me forward and hopefully will guide the process. So here’s to you Holy Spirit…. I give myself to you.

In writing this introduction, I have just experienced an hour and a half of wasted time trying to update my I-tunes software when my little netbook does not have the capacity to make the change. I watched the tiny circle go round and round while my peace slowly ebbed away and I repeatedly had to pray myself back into calmness. There is a lesson here…. there is just not enough ability in the current setup to manage what is being asked of it. We are at the same point in our human development. We do not have the ability to handle the work that is before us at this point in our history. Hence, we are at the point of an evolutionary breakthrough. Our old paradigms are no longer sufficient for what we are asked to manage. So this book will be an attempt to shift the paradigm in some little way so that we can move forward. Whenever there is a paradigm shift people will be offended. My hope is that if I offend you, we can at least find reconciliation in the new order that follows.

The shift in thinking involves three major global concerns: 1. An economic system that will work in the future of man’s quest for liberation. 2. A scientific model that incorporates the spiritual as well as the material. 3. A social model that recognizes the value of life in all its forms and respects the differences that manifest themselves in interaction with others.

What do we have at the moment? Our best economic systems to date are capitalism and socialism. Our scientific model is one that is weighted to materialism because that lends itself easily to measurement. Our social interactions are based on a model of evolution that suggests the survival of the fittest, which is interpreted as the strongest individual.

EVIDENCES THAT A PARADIGM SHIFT IS NECESSARY

Genocide—The deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group, has become part of the collateral damage of modern warfare in many conflicts.

Starvation—Large portions of the populations of ‘Third World’ countries die or perish from lack of food or nourishment while the rest of the world has ample food to meet their needs.

Ecological Imbalance—Developed nations have been the cause of the destabilization of our fragile environment, often as a result of economic development.

Economic Inequality—Economies exacerbate the difference between individuals or populations in the distribution of their assets, wealth, or income. The term typically refers to inequality among individuals and groups within a society, but can also refer to inequality among countries. The issue of economic inequality involves equity, equality of outcome, equality of opportunity, and life expectancy.

Religious Intolerance—Unfortunately, an increase of religious fundamentalism has sought the harm of others rather than the good of all.

In her book, The Big Book of Near Death Experiences P.M.H. Atwater makes a list of ideas central to the so called ‘religion of the resuscitated’ consisting of eleven beliefs that are common to those who have had Near Death Experiences:

1. They are not afraid of death.

2. Part of the reason for not fearing death is the belief in an existence after a bodily death.

3. Service is perceived as the ultimate purpose of life; while material gain is of little consequence.

4. The fear that comes from judgment is replaced by an understanding that forgiveness is freely given.

5. A human being is a human being whether a male or female.

6. An experience that brings one into contact with the superior being of unconditional love is also an experience of oneness with all.

7. Life itself is a purpose for living in that each life is unique.

8. Our limited perspective makes it difficult to know the meaning of what happens to us.

9. We are more than just a physical presence; we each possess a soul and can communicate with our soul.

10. It continues to be possible to be given knowledge that is beyond our limited mind sets, because revelation is ongoing.

11. When we unite with the powers of the all knowing one we are also empowered, since prayer works when the aid requested is surrendered to the Will of God.¹

I am not suggesting that a new religion be formed, but I am suggesting that these ideas, although found in many religions we already have, might be useful if actually applied. Those who have had NDE’s have had life transforming consciousness raising episodes. Most have glimpsed a oneness with the universe and feel a mission to contribute to its progression. It is our responsibility to see how these ideas can be incorporated into our being to raise our level of consciousness.

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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM WITH LINEAR THINKING

The time has come. There was a radio evangelist a few years back who made the prediction that the ‘rapture’ was going to occur on a specific date in the future. The date came and went and nobody wound up missing. Recognizing his error he revised his prediction to a second more convincing date; which also came and went with no missing followers. God in his mercy saved the world from a third prediction by striking the man with a stroke which silenced him until his death. I don’t actually think God struck him silent; but the prophet himself, would have made that assumption and so I thought I would continue his line of reasoning. It’s not that I don’t think the world could end, after all, I grew up ducking under desks at school to protect myself from the nuclear blast, but I take issue with the specificity of the prediction. The prophet even reduced the event to the actual hour. The irony is that the time may be quite different in Australia than it is in California. The date and time would be different in different parts of the world; would that then mean that the ‘rapture’ would be experienced on time delay? Even Jesus, who the evangelist was presumably following, said that he could not tell the hour or day of the Lord’s coming.² So while this chapter may cite predictions of doom and/ or glory; I will try to avoid the specificity that could prove those predictions wrong prematurely.

Before I leave the topic of the ‘rapture’ I will make sure that the reader understands what I mean by the term. The ‘rapture’ to my understanding is an event in which the true believers in Jesus are assumed into heaven prior to the unleashing of calamities on the world. Time frames differ depending on which biblical interpretation is used; but woe to those who are not standing in doctrinal correctness. I have a personal bias against such an interpretation since it is clearly exclusive, and does not reflect the Jesus who went out of his way to be inclusive of people whose hearts were open.³ It is not my intent to pursue doctrinal issues tied to peoples’ faith; but it is my intent to show why we must think inclusively, and not exclusively, when considering the challenges that confront the coming generations.

The time has come can be a warning for all who are intertwined in our global systems. In his book The Crash Course, Chris Martenson drives home the unsustainable future of our current economy, energy and environment. His work is solidly researched and based on verifiable data. While it is true that data can be manipulated, he shows graph after graph with the same exponential curve, whether the graph is illustrating the state of petroleum reserves, oil usage, debt cycles, fossil fuels, or aquifers that supply the world with water. The human race has a tragic flaw which is that we tend to think linearly. Perhaps this way of thinking was to our advantage when we were progressing to this point in our evolutionary history; but it is now time to grasp the concept of exponential growth. Y = bax. You might think of it as geometric progression.⁴

Martenson gives a beautiful example that is filled with drama and pathos.⁵ Imagine that you are in an empty stadium but sitting in the uppermost row of bleachers. This stadium can seat at least 60,000 fans and is in the shape of a bowl. In the center of the grassy area is a very tall (100 ft.) faucet that unfortunately has a leak. It drops one drop of water at 12:00 noon. But the water drop is magic; it will double every minute. No more water falls; just the doubling of that single drop every minute. You have been handcuffed to the seat in the bleachers. I don’t want to worry you but you should know that the stadium is watertight. How long before you have to tread water? Well, after six minutes you’ve got a thimble full of water, so there’s probably plenty of time. The answer is this: You have until exactly 12:50 pm on that same day—just 50 minutes—to figure out how you’re going to escape from your handcuffs. In only 50 minutes, our modest little drop of water has managed to completely fill the stadium. We could have a stadium that is 100% larger and the time would only vary by one minute, or 50% smaller, again only a minute difference.⁶

Now a more important question: At what time is the stadium still 97% empty or only 3% full? Would we recognize a real danger, if the stadium was only 3% full? That gives us lots of time to solve our problem, right?

The answer is that at 12:45 pm—only five minutes earlier than completely full—your stadium is only 3% full and remains 97% empty. You can understand that there would be little urgent concern due to circumstances.⁷ However, that is linear thinking. In five minutes you are under water and in a fix.

Now as frightening as this story is; it is the real story of our money system. Due to unsustainable debt and a principle that relies on continual growth money will soon loose its value and our current system will collapse. When the curve (the graph looks like the blade of a hockey stick, a gentle bend and then a sharp turn) hits the bend in the blade of the hockey stick, the acceleration is hard to imagine. (Fig. 1) By then it’s too late to do much but cry over lost opportunity.

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Fig. 1 Graphs of Exponential Growth and Decay

Many real world phenomena can be modeled by functions that describe how things grow or decay as time passes. Examples of such phenomena include the studies of populations, bacteria, the AIDS virus, radioactive substances, electricity, temperatures and credit payments, to mention a few.

Any quantity that grows or decays by a fixed percent at regular intervals is said to possess exponential growth or exponential decay.

At the Algebra level, there are two functions that can be easily used to illustrate the concepts of growth or decay in applied situations. When a quantity grows by a fixed percent at regular intervals, the pattern can be represented by the functions shown above.⁸

The same dynamic is present in the use of fossil fuels. The Petroleum Industry has a huge bearing on the world’s economy and the two are inseparably linked. It is of interest to note that world population, the mining of natural resources and the availability of finding suitable farmland all follow the dynamic that has just been illustrated.⁹

The reason the world is in such a predicament is because the world has been very, very, good at growth. We tend to trust what has worked in the past and what has worked in the past has been growth. But reality dictates that infinite growth is not possible in