Chapter 12
Spiritual Realm or Not?
Some people seem to believe that if something can’t be directly seen or measured, then it doesn’t exist.
That viewpoint seems strange to me, since there is so much that is accepted by science that can’t be directly seen or measured. Take, for example, radio waves. Do you have faith that they exist? Why or why not? Have you ever seen or felt one? I haven’t, and I don’t think you have either. Yet I think you believe in their existence. Why? It is probably because you experience evidence of their existence whenever you listen to a radio or use any kind of wireless communication that is based on radio waves. These indirect evidences lead you to have faith that radio waves exist.
Likewise, does our inability to directly see or experience a spiritual realm mean that it doesn’t exist? Of course not. However, there must be some reasonable evidence for reasonable people to believe in things that can’t be directly observed, whether we are talking about radio waves, a spiritual realm, or something else. So, let’s consider some evidence for the existence of a spiritual realm.
- Perhaps the strongest evidence is found in the beliefs and experiences of millions of people over thousands of years. Virtually all cultures in all time periods have believed in some kind of spiritual realm. It would be somewhat arrogant of us to completely disregard the experiences of so many people without solid evidence to the contrary. Could so many people have been living in deception about this issue for so many years if the reality is that there is no spiritual realm? I think not.
- Millions of people living today (perhaps billions of people) claim to have spiritual experiences which involve a spiritual realm. Are all of those people deceived about their experiences? I find it to be very unlikely that all such claims are without any merit.
- People who have died and have come back to life often give testimonies regarding life-after-death experiences, which generally involve a spiritual realm. Are all such experiences baseless? I think not.
- Many people claim to have witnessed “miracles” that cannot be explained by natural science. People who experience such miracles often attribute them to some kind of spiritual force and a spiritual realm.
- Considering a scientific viewpoint, modern “string theory” suggests that the universe has many more dimensions than those we are directly aware of. A parallel realm, which we are largely unaware of, is proposed to exist to explain string theory models. Even modern science seems to be leaning toward the existence of what I refer to as a “spiritual realm.”
All of this evidence seems to result in another self-evident truth:
A spiritual realm does exist.
For Further Reflection:
- Have you had any personal experiences that are evidence of the existence of a spiritual realm?
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