Proving God: Swedenborg's Remarkable Quest for the Quantum Fingerprints of Love [Paperback]

Edward F. Sylvia (Author), Ian J. Thompson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2010

<center>A daring work that unifies science and theology by challenging many of the world's current beliefs about both.</center> Proving God is guaranteed to create controversy and energetic conversation. Forget what both scientists and the clergy have told you about the ultimate reality. This extraordinary book shows you how scientists have misinterpreted the laws of the physical universe and how theologians have misinterpreted the revealed wisdom of God's Holy Word. Unknown to most scholars, Holy Scripture is a multi-dimensional document containing the patterning principles for all the laws of the universe. Proving God provides clear and rational evidence that the evolution of intelligence and consciousness on earth and the spiritual redemption of humankind is the extension of nature's laws and orderly process into the non-physical realm of heaven. Each chapter ends with an easy-to-grasp summary plus a bold prediction about where the paradigm shift in human worldviews is headed. Prepare yourself for the new laws of physics and the new theology that will fulfill God's promise to make "all things new!"
2011 Eric Hoffer Award Winnerrecognizing salient writing and independent spirit
2011 Montaigne Medal Winnerhonored as one of the most thought-provoking books of the year
2011 Silver Nautilus Award Winnerawarded to books that stimulate the imagination and offer new possibilities for a better life and a better world

Editorial Reviews

Review

Proving God is an ambitious project that aims to bring the theistic science and mystical theology of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) into the 21st Century where it belongs. Edward Sylvia achieves this goal from necessity: In order to make sense of the astonishing implications of contemporary quantum physics, an intellectually defensible model for spiritual-natural causality is an essential next step. In Sylvia's judgment, this model has been waiting in the wings of science and religion for 250 years, for the science of ultimates to ask the proper questions. That time is now, and Proving God matches seminal problems of matter and energy with Swedenborg's powerful ideas on being and becoming, with astonishing results. What emerges from this scientific treatment of divine metaphysics is a comprehensible world view in which spirit and matter are now finally and undeniably one. This is an important book. --Rev. Dr. Reuben P. Bell, Saco, Maine, USA
President, Swedenborg Scientific Association
Director, Samara Center for Practical Spirituality

Edward Sylvia follows the original route into metaphysics -- straight through the heart of physics -- and directly engages "the elephant in the room": the utterly improbable symbiosis of complexity and coherence that is characteristic of both our universe and our minds. His argument that the universe and our minds are profoundly akin is carefully framed, and his conclusion that the coherence is an effect of love and the complexity an effect of wisdom is far removed from simplistic romanticism. In his able overview of Swedenborgian theology, he presents a complex and coherent view of spiritual reality that not only welcomes partnership with present-day physics but urges it to continue its pursuit of deeper understanding. --Rev. George F. Dole, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Swedenborg School of Religion
Author of A Book about Us: The Bible and Stages of our Lives, and Freedom and Evil: A Pilgrim's Guide to Hell

This book presents a fresh new integration between the physics of the natural and the psychology of the spiritual. People interested in the rational resolution between science and religion will appreciate this lucid new account. Once you begin reading this fascinating book you'll want to come back to it again and again. It has a smooth, topical flow that lifts the veil of ignorance concerning the most basic issues in life that people want to know. It is profound, with surprising and delightful insights on every page. This is a completely honest book. The content hangs together as a coherent and consistent whole. It succeeds in its claim to deliver a "grand unified theory of everything" that "can come only from revelation." It presents in modern terms the unique revelation in Swedenborg's Writings. --Dr. Leon James, Professor of Psychology, University of Hawaii
author of the Web-published Theistic Psychology Series (2001) and A Man of the Field (2010)

About the Author

Philosopher/Theologian Edward F. Sylvia received his Master of Theological Studies at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. He is a member of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) and the Swedenborg Scientific Association (SSA). He has been a student of the ideas of both Emanuel Swedenborg and George I. Gurdjieff for over 30 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Staircase Press; 1 edition (April 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970252714
• ISBN-13: 978-0970252715
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 1.1 x 6.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > History > Europe > Sweden

More About the Author

Philosopher/Theologian Edward F. Sylvia attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. After a long career as a copywriter for some of the world's largest advertising agencies in New York, St. Louis and Chicago, he now "advertises for God," sharing insights daily in his blog as TheGodGuy. He received his Master of Theological Studies from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA and a Certificate of Swedenborgian Studies from the Swedenborgian House of Studies. Mr. Sylvia is a member of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) and the Swedenborg Scientific Association (SSA).

Author of "Sermon From the Compost Pile: Seven Steps Toward Creating An Inner Garden," his newest book, "Proving God," fulfills a continuing vision that God's fingerprints of Love can be found everywhere in the manifest universe. He has been a student of the ideas of both Emanuel Swedenborg and George I. Gurdjieff for over thirty years.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed everything but the title July 24, 2010

By Alan Laidlaw

Format:Paperback

I walked away with a different view of both of science and religion thanks to the arguments presented by the author of this book, Edward Sylvia. It was a compelling page turner for me and might be for you too if you are interested in the relationship between these disciplines. While it's definitely a challenging read, because it is dealing with challenging subjects, the author does an excellent job of explaining the essential points of a number of difficult topics in a way that was accessible. I was left with a very hopeful sense of what is possible for the future - if we take up the challenge of seeing revelation and science as complementing, not competing with, each other.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read - educational as well as captivating March 19, 2011

By Roger Noah

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I walked away with a better understanding of Swedenborgian theology and its greater relevance to our post-nuclear era than the other Christian theologies of Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wesley and the rest. Swedenborg resolves the false dichotomies of mind and matter, faith and works, theology and science that have been the bane of Christendom. Edward Sylvia does a great job of applying Swedenborgian insights to understanding the universe, including the dimensions of spirit. A very readable and enjoyable treatment of what can be a dry and abstract subject. A must read for all students of science, philosophy, religion, NDEs, whether they are Swedenborgian or not. If you have read and profited from Raymond Moody's "Life after Life", then this book will take you to a new level of understanding.