GENERAL REVELATION & THE SIX MIRACLES

Ever since I was a kid I couldn't keep from asking, "What's going on here" -- "here" being the world in general. And, "Why am I here?" And, "What am I supposed to be doing about it?" You've seen that in later years I've tried to shed light on the matter by using a thinking tool called the Six Miracles of Nature Concept, which is outlined at http://www.backyardnature.net/j/6/

A Christian friend in Georgia writes that in some respects the teachings of the Six Miracles correspond with those of Christianity. In her last letter she included this quotation from her Bible's book of Romans, Chapter One, Verse 20:

"For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks)."

My friend interprets the passage as supporting the concept of General Revelation, which she describes as being a too-often overlooked feature of her religion, and which also seems to be the premise on which the Six Miracles Concept is based. General Revelation takes place when you look at the ocean teeming with many kinds of organisms and instantly understand -- without anyone interpreting things for you -- that the ocean is a diverse, productive and awe-inspiring ecosystem, and that whatever caused it to exist must deserve our consideration and admiration.

I agree with my friend that General Revelation offers important spiritual guidance. However, notice that the Romans passage says only that General Revelation helps us see the Creator's "invisible nature and attributes." The General Revelation provided by the Six Miracles Concept goes far beyond that by providing spiritual guidance for everyday life as it's being lived by people right now.

Of course, religions can be very clear about such details -- whether a male needs to be circumcised, or pig flesh avoided on Fridays -- but those instructions don't come from General Revelation, are not self-evidently true to anyone who thinks about them, and are not particularly helpful to us living on an increasingly human-overpopulated, globally warming Earth, which rapidly is running out of non-renewable resources.

In contrast, the Six Miracles of Nature concept can address current, real-life issues because, instead of depending on sacred, immutable text written by individuals centuries ago dealing with situations of that time, the Six Miracles' guidance is constantly updated. It updates as we evolving beings with our evolving intellects and sensibilities understand the world around us more and more, and develop more refined insights and feelings about it.

When the most highly evolved intellects and sensibilities on Earth studiously reach a consensus on certain specific, every-day matters -- such as whether human overpopulation needs to be controlled, whether our garbage should be sent to landfills, dumped into the ocean or recycled, and whether biological diversity should be protected -- it's a case of General Revelation vividly and unmistakably manifesting itself.

We humans have the license to declare such guidance as legitimate, self-evident and timely General Revelation exactly because of the Sixth Miracle -- which bestowed us humans with brains capable of thinking and feeling, and the implied mandate to wisely and lovingly express our thoughts and feelings in the way we live our everyday lives.