No Non-Being, No Science—In Non-Being Only Becoming Exists

Halifax Bar Conversation Continues
July, ‘82

"God is a frame of reference, and more," I said.

"Am I hearing a broken record or what? Why do you keep saying the
same thing over and over? God—if God existed—would have to exist
outside of time," Bruce replied. "All traditional religious views say
so; otherwise, God would be limited by time. God is not limited by
time, or, are we talking about something different here?"

"No, we're not talking about something different," I responded.
"Because God exists in time, because power and knowledge exists in
time, God is in it all and it is for this reason that I can say that
God is all powerful, all wise, and all present. Traditional
descriptions of God remain unaffected. Within this view God becomes
the condition of the possibility for any description at all."

"What are you saying? What's that got to do with reference frames?"
said Bruce.

"Einstein was right," I replied, "but not totally. He described the
time of `things,' space-time events, but so too does a different kind
of time exist, a second time, the time of self, or I should say the
time of `no-self.' If that time didn't exist, science couldn't get
done. For Einstein, the observer is enmeshed in space-time, but that
didn't stop him from questioning why we can comprehend nature. Indeed,
nature's comprehensibility was a big issue for Einstein, but, for the
most part, he remained silent on that issue. Deep down, though, he
believed that the comprehensibility of nature was no less than a
miracle, and for him that meant that everything was a miracle. The
time of `no-self,' the time of non-being, is only found in our
consciousness of becoming—our free will; in that time `surprise'
becomes an event. In Einstein's space-time I live and die, but before
I die I leave behind a history, and that history is fully represented
in the cross-section of events—world lines-- that we call `a life.'
Adding a second kind of time to that equation changes everything."

"What about God? It seems you have excluded God in your `no-time,' if
that's what you want to call it!" responded Bruce.

"Far from it," I replied. "In the time of non-being `world lines' are
replaced by motives and actions. In the time of non-being only
`becoming' exists. In that time responsibility is birthed. In that
time the consciousness of `right and wrong,'—the stuff that remains
invisible to science—speaks for God."

"You're telling me that humans exist in a time-frame different from
the rest of nature? I don't buy it. The last time I checked," Bruce
responded, "my cat lived in the same time that I do. If you want
proof, come to dinner."

"Your cat lives in the present," I said, "but not in the time of
self-consciousness. Self-consciousness is reserved for those who can
judge good and evil and right and wrong. "God is made manifest in that
consciousness. In a manner of speaking, God reaches out and touches
everybody in self-consciousness."

"That sounds so tacky," Bruce replied. "You know what Freud said
about self-consciousness don't you?"

"No I don't," I replied. "But I imagine he had something to say about
everything?"