Spirituality, Science, and the Pursuit of Truth in Zevism

The Friends of Zevism section is a brilliant new addition to our corpus, as it allows a bridge and lends a hand for those with a more skeptical perspective of spirituality to freely inquire into the benefits and truth-value of Zevism. [1]

In ancient times, epistemology (how we reach knowledge) had a very different approach to today. Having less information about the world in terms of the material allowed people to engage with spiritual practice in a very streamlined, simplified way: a learned sage, priest or high priest would discover spiritual methodology through the guidance of the Gods as well as trial and error. These methods were preached as undeniable fact, because they offered results consistent enough to be useful.

Nowadays, the scientific method allows us to have a much more rigid understanding of the world. Factual, repeatable experimentation is done with certain presuppositions in mind ("all knowledge we have is derived through the physical senses", "an experiment is only valid if all variables are accounted for" etc.) which lead to very useful factual knowledge.

Through this framework of learning about the world, spirituality is denied as unfounded, superstitious or "laissez faire".

And yet, any experienced Zevist will tell you that the Gods are real, intelligent beings one can interact with, that the Chakras accurately describe a real energetic system within the Soul that one can interact with, and so on. These immaterial realities are factual to us, because of experience and practical results in the internal and external world.

The Temple has, and has always had, a very positive relationship with modern science. The Liturgical doctrine of Epistemodia makes it clear that science and spirituality are meant to coexist, and the Yehuboric pathology of Epistemot clearly condemns the idea of bending established scientific knowledge to fit a religious narrative. A true fact does not need to censor other true facts. If it does, it was never the truth. [2]

And yet, "spirituality operates on methodology that we know to be true because of experience, and how it works from a scientific perspective is yet to be fully mapped and discovered", while an accurate description of our attitude, is not sufficient evidence for science to accept the existence of immaterial aspects to reality.

Why? Because materialism is a built-in presupposition into the modern scientific approach to inquiry.

To illustrate this point, here is an excerpt from a conversation with an AI LLM:

"Say a spiritual person performs an experiment on 100 individuals, 50 of which are a control group. 50 individuals are given a completely made up practice that involves visualization, chanting and affirmations. They are told that these are the practices of an ancient civilization, and that they are meant to improve the creative aspects of one's consciousness. The other 50 individuals are given an accurate bija mantra for the Sacral Chakra, and accurate visualization methodology and affirmations to empower said Chakra. They are then made to practice this daily, for 90 days.
After the experiment, various metrics are used to determine whether the individuals had a real increase in their creativity. The experiment discovers that those who performed the actual Chakra practices had statistically significant, better results in improving their creative ability. For the purpose of this, assume adherence monitoring, random assignment, and any other factor that would muddy the results. The results are undeniable in that the difference in improvement is factual.
Explain whether this would prove the existence of an immaterial Chakra system and why."

After a longer explanation about various factors, the shortened response is:

"Within two brief paragraphs, explain the greater point this makes about how the current understanding of science is fundamentally biased against the immaterial approach of ancient practices, and why proving that they work in the exact way they are designed to would not act as sufficient evidence."

The problem with "proving" spirituality is that the very understanding of "proof" in the modern age is a physical one. Asking for "scientific proof of spirituality" is essentially asking for a method of figuring out material facts to be used to prove the existence of something immaterial. It does not compute.

When materialism is assumed as a given, material explanations can be found to explain what would otherwise be unexplainable. Mantric sounds resonate with our nervous and skeletal systems. Certain sounds and colors have primal associations in the brain established over millennia of evolution. If you go into an experiment or an inquiry of proof with pre-established biases, you will assign causes to the evidence that fit those biases.

In order to prove the existence of the Gods, of Chakras and so on to oneself, you need enough repeated experiences that are otherwise unexplainable through your old mental model, and you need even further experiences to allow the mind to accept these things as established reality. We are beings with a subjective experience, and consciousness is an incredibly complex thing.

Additionally, there is a social and communal aspect: the more confidence one builds in the Temple as an institution and in the Clergy as figures of authority, through experience and practice, the more one grows to accept the worldview and framework provided by the Temple as factual, simply because lived experience aligns with it.

This might sound to the skeptic like a herd mindset, but to say this is hubris, as this communal trust is how humans operate. I have personally never seen our planet from the outside, nor have done the necessary experiments to prove to myself that the Earth is round. And yet, I accept the scientific consensus that the Earth is round, because I have sufficient evidence to trust the consensus, and do not have sufficient reason to doubt it.

A pilot likely hasn't done these things either, and yet, he takes the spherical nature of the Earth into account when flying a plane, because it works in practice. From the perspective of pure skepticism, there could be other explanations as to why flying a plane becomes more accurate if you fly it as if the Earth is round, but the pilot outsources his epistemology to social consensus out of convenience. There's nothing wrong with that.

This is all fine and good, but how is a skeptic supposed to just accept the existence of so many immaterial concepts? That's the best part. In Zevism, he doesn't have to.

We offer a system of practice that offers consistent, repeatable and materially practical results regardless of belief.

Sure, one can assume certain practices are placebo if they do gain results. ...and? If it is placebo, we offer the most in-depth and intricate system to use the placebo effect to its greatest capacity.

The Gods, similarly, do not demand of us sheepish "belief and worship". Belief comes naturally, after enough undeniable personal evidence that the Gods are real beings, and "worship" is simply admiration and respect for someone infinitely wiser and greater than yourself, as well as appreciation for this someone's willingness to help you evolve as a person.

An atheist who approaches Lady Aphrodite with respect and adoration for the concepts of Love, Harmony and Beauty already sees Her without knowing it, and will have results.

As our Founding High Priest Zevios Metathronos has stated before, to call Zevism a "religion" is almost a bit reductive and disrespectful considering the modern understanding of religion as a concept. We offer knowledge, both practical and ethical. We offer a way of life that is in alignment with ultimate truth.

Zevism as a framework will survive and thrive as science advances, because it stands on Eternal foundations.

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