Quantum faith

I've been reading a book about spirituality and the brain. Now, I know I have not shown it here, but I am a brain geek. At a later date, I will discuss this book, The Awakened Brain by Dr Lisa Miller, because it makes some fascinating claims, but today I want to discuss a rabbit hole it sent me down, quantum physics.

The first thing I did was look up quantum faith. Quantum faith is a concept blending the ideas of quantum physics with faith. It proposes that just as quantum particles react to observation, our focused faith and words can bring spiritual principles into tangible manifestation, seeing miracles (like Jesus walking on water) not as violations of physics, but as operating under different, deeper laws.

In the late 1600s, Sir Isaac Newton published the foundation for classical physics. He described the laws of motion: inertia, F=m x a and action/reaction.  One force he was particularly interested in was gravity.  But classical physics doesn't explain everything, especially very small things like electrons and particles and very large things like stars, galaxies, and universes.

In 1801, British physicist Thomas Young proved thatl ight had a dual nature, both particle-like and wave-like like with his double slit experiment, but this was not an either/or; it was a both, which is now referred to as wave-particle duality. We now know that atoms and particles also behave like this. In other words, everything in the universe has a duality. Everything is a wave, and the particle travels along the wave path, but you only see the particle if you look. Our attention collapses the wave of possibility into a single point. German physicist Werner Heisenberg had another way of describing this. Heisenberg said that our looking changed reality. This principle is called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. It says, we can't measure the precise position and momentum of a particle at the same time, because by trying to measure/observe it, you are perturbing the system. But there is a third quantum principle, quantum entanglement. Entanglement happens when particles become correlated, much like a butterfly effect. What this means is, if you have a particle, it is spinning in all directions until you measure it. Quantum theory resolves this seeming paradox with nonlocality. In other words, the particles can be very far apart and still have an effect on one another. Everyone and everything is part of a greater whole.

What does this mean in terms of faith? Annette Capps originally coined the term quantum faith, and it has several components:

Observer Effect & Belief:

Your focused belief and observation (e.g., on abundance vs. lack) can determine your reality, aligning with how an observer influences quantum states. Where or where is the particle, but the same can be applied to the mustard seed particle that is our faith. We see God when we look for HIm.

Power of Words:

Spoken words, filled with faith, are seen as creative forces that manifest desires, similar to how God spoke creation into existence. Study proverbs, and you will see many examples of the power of the tongue and words. Remember, we are "called," not picked.

Interconnectedness:

The universe isn't just objects but a web of relations. It seems pretty obvious to me that the God who created the universe is the underlying wave of "energy" possessed by ALL particles.

Spiritual Superposition:

Divine promises exist in limitless potential (superposition) until faith "collapses" them into reality, much like particles in quantum states. God can do ALL things, but He only does the things that are good for us and that we ask of Him.

Beyond Classical Physics:

Miracles and spiritual laws operate beyond our everyday "classical" understanding, akin to quantum mechanics' strange paradoxical rules. Axes float, Jesus walks on water, and the God who created the laws of physics can easily break them.

I would add synchronicity to this list, originally termed by Carl Jung, which describes meaningful coincidences that are nonlinear. For example,  thinking of an old friend just before they call, or seeing repeated symbols related to a current problem, suggests a deeper, acausal connection between mind and world, often seen as guidance or a sign from above. You have all had this experience where God puts a word or a concept or a person in your way several times over a short time period. What's the principle? When God repeats Himself, pay attention. I often think as synchronicity as a key to hearing the still, small voice, unrelated sources delivering the same message.

Isn't it cool how the theory that is supposed to explain everything has 3 basic parts that are all part of a greater whole? That all the parts interact and affect each other, but have clearly distinct features. It sure beats the egg metaphor of the Trinity, doesn't it? And the beginnings of the theory can be traced back to a light experiment.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn 8:12 Remember He has made us a light. Acts 13:47 is one more proof that we are not just made in the image of our creator but with the same stuff He created the universe with.