Journey into Truth
Reflections on life's ultimate questions
from first principles, the natural sciences and the Bible;
integrating insights from diverse sources, and
deriving a broad coherent worldview
beyond rigid dogmas
As I explored the Bible, I critically reassessed everything I had been taught, starting from foundational principles such as the concepts of space, time, nothingness, and existence. This inquiry led me to the fundamental axiom that “nothing comes from nothing,” ultimately guiding me to the idea of Creation ex-Deo (Creation out of God) as the cohesive basis for all existence and knowledge.
I examined various concepts, including the nature of God and His attributes or traits, the essence of humanity and the soul, the realities of death and immortality, the mystery of evil, as well as the seeming complexities of free will, foreknowledge, and predestination. I also glimpsed the profound destiny that lies ahead for humanity.
Notably, significant advancements in the natural sciences over the past century have provided holistic insights that address longstanding theological questions within the Christian community. The natural sciences play a complementary role in informing and refining theological understanding.
I invite you to join me on this ongoing journey.
My name is Tony Yeap (aka Yeap Teik Sinn).
The Book
GOD and Man - A Holistic View
Acknowledgements, Review and Contents
Introducing my story
Reassessing personal beliefs deeply to find coherency and an accurate understanding of God from the Bible, supported by reason and the natural and life sciences, and hurdling two crises along the way in my pursuit of truth.
Chapter 1 : First Principles and God
Delving boldly and deeply into comprehending GOD, starting from foundational principles, asking what is space, time, existence, nothingness, God, matter, arriving at Creation out of God, ex-Deo, understanding the image and complexity of God, God's perfections and the place of faith.
Chapter 2 : The Living and Non Living
Rarely known scientific experiments at the fundamental level reveal that living and non-living things respond in the same or similar manner (Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose), intents from one can affect another (Masaru Emoto), memories are kept, bluffs and real intents can be differentiated by plants (Cleve Backster), emotions are basic to consciousness (Dr Susan A Greenfield). The Body Doesn’t Lie (Dr John Diamond). The Web of Life. Music and Life. Fabric of Space. Immanence or Transcendence? Electromagnetic Undercurrent.
Chapter 3 : Holistic Man
More experiments and observations into the root processes in Nature by pioneering scientists may enlighten theology profoundly: in concepts such as Etheric Fields, Subtle Body, Kirlian Photography, Meridian System, Body Electric, Machine in the Ghost, Parts become whole, Flatworms and magnets, The stuff of design, Fruitful Reproduction, Pulsebeat, The Heart has a Mind of its own, Rhythms of life.
Chapter 4 : Body, Soul, Spirit, Death
Yet more studies (into subtle body, near-death experience, split brain studies) reflect on the make-up of man (his material and spiritual nature), his consciousness, and the relationship of these to the fundamental biblical concepts of the human body, soul and spirit, death and immortality. What exactly is qualia – the subjective, first-person experiences of conscious awareness - of sensations, perceptions, emotions, and thoughts? This is the “hard problem” (David Chalmers)
Chapter 5 : Creation ex-Deo revisited
Relating fundamental researches to the Scripture leads to the conclusion that all existence is out of God, that is, ex-Deo, which gives the first glimpse of divine self-sacrifice, which is later portrayed explicitly in the sacrifice of His Son. This reveals a God-human relationship that is real and intimate, making man theomorphic rather than God being anthropomorphic.
Chapter 6 : Created Order, Freedom, Determinism
Many thinkers have tried to understand how God created the earth and the heavenly bodies - what mechanisms might be involved. Electromagnetism seems to be the measurable basic level explanation for the creative force and energy, which in turn must be derived from the Spirit of (within) God, carrying His intent in the things created - they function in the manner intended for them. Electromagnetism is closely associated with light; it provides law-like properties in substances, being transmittable from and receivable by entities living or existing in their own rights in their own milieu. Hence, we see the relationships between agency and freedom, freewill and determinism, as reflected in real world events.
Chapter 7 : Omnipotence, Omniscience, Foreknowledge, Predestination - A Relook
Re-examining and refining the classical attributes of God leads to a better understanding of the intimate alikeness between God and man in many ways.
Chapter 8 : Enigma of Evil and Divine Justice
The perennial "problem of evil" in relation to the Justice of God will only make sense on fathoming the depths of God's love, expressed in His patient dealings with humanity over long ages, and His providing a remedy for its end in the glorification of mankind - deemed a necessary grooming process.
Chapter 9 : Paul's Gospel for Everyone Today
A lesser understood but more elevated Good News proclaimed by the Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, reveals a new level of understanding in the purposes of God for the universe.
Chapter 10 : Universal Reconciliation from Paul's Gospel
Does the Bible provide answers to mankind's innate desire for reaching an ultimate oneness with The Divine? Yes, through an ages-long process - the interplay of good and evil, trials and testings - a divine remedy provides the resolution, beyond human achievement, beyond human expectations.
Articles
Contact
- Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia