Mega Forces Page 5

  Since the theory of transformational evolution is a dramatic departure from previously accepted scientific truth, its advocates have labored mightily to develop a body of additional “truths” to support their idea that divine man is in control. One such “truth” is the suggestion that the universe is a huge computer and that man is also a computer capable of connecting (networking) with the universal computer. In effect, this theory proposes that there is no transcendent God as he is described in the Old and New Testaments. The universal computer system is God; man, as a linking, integral component computer, is also God.

  Computer scientist David Foster, an authority on cybernetics, has best stated the new concept in his book The Intelligent Universe: A Cybernetic Philosophy:

  I put forward a new theory of the universe which suggested that the universe was something like a gigantic electric computer and that the energetical and material interactions could be regarded as a sort of cosmic data processing... Since man is a part of the intelligent universe then it would be reasonable to suppose that he incorporates cybernetic (computer system) design principles; and indeed, a cursory examination of the structure of the human psyche and body indicate a system basically capable of achieving steersmanship (cybernetics comes from the Greek word kybernetes, meaning “steersman”). 3

  Foster further proposes that man, the computer, though he is only a component of the greater universal computer, can somehow exercise his will to rise up and become the controller and master of this more powerful computer. All that is necessary, he contends, is for man to learn how to program the universal computer. Perhaps this idea is why Timothy Leary, drug guru of the 1960s now has taken on a new project: He has formed a computer software company to promote the powers of the mind. The name for his new company: “Headware.”

  PROGRAMMING GOD, THE UNIVERSAL COMPUTER

  In essence, Foster and many new thought, New Age scientists envision the universe as a great computer and man as the power that tells it what to do. Man makes “God” his obedient servant by programming him to follow commands. Man supposedly rules God with the power of his mind, which is a type of cosmic computer keyboard.

  Faith becomes an irrelevant concept because there is no need for it. Faith involves the acceptance of things unseen, but the new scientific theory pretends to have uncovered all that is hidden. There is no supernatural spirit (God) in whom we can place our faith. Man the cosmic computer operator, himself a data information system, merely employs mind power to manipulate a natural process.

  To those who view the universe as a massive information processing computer and man as the computer’s programmer and operator, a computer program becomes God’s Word. In an obvious distortion and abuse of biblical principles, David Foster states that:

  Some of the dogmas of religion may well be true and especially as to “In the beginning was the Word” and “Let there be Light.” For light is the mechanics of information and the Word is the utter foundation of computer technology. 4

  Contrary to what Christians know to be true, this distorted theory alleges that man can take control over both the Word and the Light. The transformational evolutionary process shall end in cosmic consciousness, with man crowned and sitting on the universal throne. This is forecasted to occur naturally, as the expanding human mind seeks and acquires more and more information and thereby evolves into a higher-consciousness being with infinite programming power.

  If you read the previous chapter of this book, you undoubtedly have observed that some computer scientists and biotechnologists employ the concept of the universe as a system of coded information. Many theorize that man can successfully manipulate this store of coded information to transform and shape the world to his liking. The destiny of the universe, they claim, is solely in man’s own hands.

  HYPERINTELLIGENCE: THE NEXT EVOLUTIONARY STEP?

  Some theorists have recently fabricated another “truth” to support their belief in the deity of man. That truth involves the development and use of computer networks to create a super, or hyper, intelligence. There are now millions of computers in the world, and, increasingly, these legions of computers are being linked through telecommunications. What we can look forward to in the future are global networks of computers. A few such networks already exist; but by the twenty-first century, millions of interconnecting computer systems will crisscross the globe.

  Now come the enthusiasts to explain the significance of this technological advancement. In The Futurist magazine (December 1984) Dr. George Bugliarello, president of the Polytechnic Institute of New York, says:

  Global networks offer us the possibility of expanding our biological intelligence—an intelligence operating on a global scale and representing a major evolutionary step for our society and our species.

  Bugliarello’s view is one shared by many others, including a number of computer scientists. According to this view, evolutionary development started within our own bodies after we had evolved from the lower species. But now, this evolutionary process is being carried out at an accelerated pace by a combination of biological, psychological, and technological factors. The computer is one such factor; indeed, the computer is thought to be the catalyst which will make the next evolutionary step possible.

  As global computer networks grow, some people are proposing that all the world’s scientific knowledge can be made available to networkers. They foresee global intelligence rapidly evolving. Called hyperintelligence, this new state of evolutionary synthesis will, so the theory goes, make possible a revolutionary transformation of society and propel mankind to ever higher levels of achievement. Bugliarello believes that this could ultimately lead to a world language offering access to worldwide computer networks and data banks.

  (Though Bugliarello perhaps has not thought of it, his idea of a world computer language reminds us of the attempt by ancient man to build the Tower of Babel, and of God’s action to thwart that attempt by causing its builders to speak a multitude of confusing languages.)

  A NEW MORALITY

  According to Bugliarello, the development of hyperintelligence—spurred by a massive world network of interlinking computers—should lead first of all to a new morality. Bugliarello says that this new morality will result “because by definition it will put us in a broader context, more connected to each other across national and ideological environments.” This new morality, he contends, might finally solve such problems as the specter of nuclear and local war and man’s inability to develop a decent standard of living for all humanity. Bugliarello asserts that “hyperintelligence, and the global computer networks that make it possible, is the best hope we have to create this new society—to create our future rather than just to accept it.”

  Though Bugliarello speaks of computer hyperintelligence as the “best hope” we have to create a new, better society, God’s Word; the Bible, specifically states that Jesus Christ is the only hope mankind has to create a new, more perfect society. Many scientists and New Age theorists would have us believe that technology and transformational evolution will be our salvation, but we need only look to the world around us to see that this isn’t so. For example, accompanying the spread of computers is a plague of computer crime ranging from financial embezzlement and fraud to unlawful destruction of records. Child sex abusers are known to use computer networks to advertise. Computers are also potentially harmful tools for abuse by spy and law enforcement agencies and totalitarian governments.

  As I mentioned earlier, a number of computer specialists have sounded the alarm about the dangers in deifying computers. This danger was perhaps best expressed by H. Dominic Corvey and Neil H. McAlister in their book Computer Consciousness: “If we fail to fear the computer’s ability to become a latter-day Baal who demands our sacrifices on the altar of technology, then we may, unresistingly, become first its worshippers, and finally its sacrifices.” 5

  WHO CREATED THE UNIVERSAL COMPUTER?

  Is the universe only a great, gigantic computer with man,
the magical computer keyboard operator, destined to become its ultimate master? I consider it nothing less than blasphemy to equate God with a computer to be programmed by man. And if the universe is a sort of computer system, who built it? Who has programmed it to the present day? Who has maintained it and provided it energy? Who has the innate power to relegate it to the trash heap and build for himself a better computer—one that operates more efficiently and more satisfactorily? The answer can only be God, and there’s no way we’re going to order him around.

  The Christian who truly understands science need not subscribe to the perverse computer and biotechnology theory that props up man as an evolving god. In his insightful The Creation of Life. A. E. Wilder Smith remarks, “There is no longer any need for the Christian or the believer in God to hide, intellectually speaking, in the catacombs. Today, true science supports the man who believes in a supermaterialistic view of life, the universe, and its future.” 6

  Clashing with those who abuse technology to deny God, Wilder Smith points to the vast unlikelihood that the mind-boggling immensity of the universe’s store of coded information could have spontaneously sprung into existence from nothingness. “The source of this coding power... must be so superior to any intellectual power that we, mortals, have experience of, that for us it can only appear to be infinite.”

  Three centuries ago the brilliant French scientist-philosopher Blaise Pascal, a Christian, made the statement, “Things which are incomprehensible do not cease to exist.” He believed, as all Christians must, that the universe has phenomena which cannot be comprehended by scientific investigation. God is, ultimately, incomprehensible, for he is infinite. But as Pascal observed, our inability to analyze him and encode him into computer data does not mean that he does not exist. Arrogant scientific man has become so obsessed with merely possessing and processing information that he has come to ignore whatever cannot be stored in a computer. A personal God, since he cannot be fully grasped, is simply ignored. God, if referred to at all, is defined as some kind of cosmic information system that can be stored in a computer. But this infinite Intelligence, this Supreme Designer, continues to exist regardless of proud man’s desire to deny his presence.

  CHAPTER FOUR: STATES OF CHEMICAL BLISS: MIND-ALTERING DRUGS

  Robotics, bioengineering, and computers are not the only high technologies that offer both promise and danger. Scientists are on the brink of remarkable discoveries in pharmaceuticals. In a special issue of U.S. News & World Report (May 9, 1983), the editors gave readers an exciting glimpse of “what the next fifty years will bring.” In discussing drug research, the magazine said:

  The next two decades will usher in a revolution in drug treatments as scientists unlock mysteries of the brain and find effective therapies for such ancient plagues as depression, acute pain, schizophrenia, senility, and perhaps even criminal behavior.

  Drug miracles are coming fast and furiously. Experts say that about 75 percent of all drugs ever invented have come on the scene in the last decade. While man will bring victory over cancer, diabetes, and other diseases, some drugs that work on the mind will be controversial because of the potential for their abuse. We are already seeing some magazines and other publications touting the world of tomorrow as a place where man might enjoy “states of chemical bliss.”

  In researching a book on jobs in high technology fields, I talked with a number of experts in the pharmaceutical field. They described the workings of many of these future drugs, some of which are now being tested. Many are based on advances in biological engineering. I was told drugs will soon be able to:

  Control aggressiveness

  Control fear

  Relieve guilt feelings

  Create pleasant dreams

  Stimulate intelligence

  Control sociability

  Increase memory

  Enhance sexual response

  Induce abortion

  Eliminate venereal diseases

  Cure anxiety

  Prevent obesity

  Brain researchers and pharmaceutical makers have worked diligently to map out the chemistry of the brain in great detail. They have already determined the many methods brain cells use to process natural chemicals and hormones. Biotechnologists and chemists believe they will be able to duplicate these chemical and hormonal messengers synthetically. In addition, biotechnology is providing a harvest of new drug compounds that work on the brain to produce various states of consciousness.

  Science magazine (November 1985) recently reported on the startling research breakthroughs in brain biochemistry:

  Armed with a flood of newly discovered chemicals and the [biotechnology] techniques of cellular and molecular biology, brain scientists are beginning to track the origins of some of our most basic emotions, drives, and behaviors from the level of genes and molecules to specific nerve circuits and brain systems. What they’re finding are the biological underpinnings not only of thirst, but also of hunger, pleasure, pain, sexual arousal, and even learning.

  Unfortunately, some of the new drugs made possible by brain biochemistry research are capable of doing things to human minds that can only be categorized as hideous in nature. Some can produce nightmares and hallucinations, others docility and apathy, while still others induce such negative emotions as fright, anger, sadness, anxiety, paranoia, and confusion.

  Such drugs often turn up as an unexpected consequence of normal pharmaceutical research. (An example is depa provera, a drug that reduces the sex drive in males and has been given to sex offenders convicted of rape and other sex crimes.) Obviously, it is not the intention of pharmaceutical companies to make these available to the public nor even generally to produce them at all. But they exist. Governments want to use such drugs to augment their military’s chemical and biological capability or as chemical substances potentially valuable in spy and intelligence work. Later, in discussing new military weapons, we’ll see how the Soviet Union devotes many resources to developing new chemical and biological agents for future warfare.

  DRUGS OF WONDER AND AWE

  Today, miracle drugs are designed to serve the needs of mankind. But think of the awesome horrors that might someday befall mankind as a result of the administering of such drugs. “Malcontents”—those who oppose government authority—could be drugged to control their aggressiveness and render them docile, helpless, and susceptible to propaganda. It is not farfetched to conceive that entire groups or populations may secretly be fed drugs in their food or water supply, drugs that create fear, hallucinations, or sickness. Favored disciples may be given drugs to stimulate intelligence, aid memory, and increase sexual satisfaction, while others less favored would be denied these drugs. Abortion—the killing of the unborn—could become more palatable to the masses because drugs would be used instead of surgical procedures.

  Drugs offer certain advantages to totalitarian dictatorships. In his thought-provoking book What Sort of People Should There Be? Britain’s Jonathan Glover discusses the potential for abuse of mind drugs by evil governments.

  Conditioning techniques, certain drugs, and perhaps some kinds of brain stimulation all alter behavior by altering desire... From the point of view of governments, rule by fear and torture must be a messy affair, generating problems of its own. It would be much simpler if techniques existed to make people want to behave in the desired way. l

  For those who doubt that drugs would ever be used for such awful purposes, one can only suggest that the example of the Soviet Union be studied. There, dissidents—persons opposed to the Communist regime—are forcibly given injections of horrible drugs which wrack the victim’s body for days. Some have been given injections of psychotropic drugs which induce schizophrenia, paranoia, or even lifelong stupor and paralysis. Then, the hospital announces the victim needs long-term psychiatric care or confinement in a government asylum.

  In a letter smuggled out of one of the USSR’s psychiatric hospital prisons, a Soviet dissident poet, V. I. Chernyshov, told of the
horrors inflicted on Soviet Christians being “treated” for mental illnesses in his ward. Begging Christians around the world to help their brothers in suffering, Chernyshov said of himself: “I’m...terribly afraid of torture. But there is a worse torture...the introduction of chemicals into my mind... I have already been informed of the decision for my ‘treatment.’ Farewell!” 2

  A DRUGGED SOCIETY

  It is easy to view late twentieth-century Western culture as a “drugged society.” In the U.S. alone, the Food and Drug Administration estimates that some 10 to 15 billion tranquilizers, stimulants, and other mind-altering and mood-changing drugs are legally manufactured each year. Illegitimate drugs are rampant, with heroin and cocaine addiction at all-time highs. Recently, “designer drugs” have been the social rage. Home basement chemists are finding new ways to synthesize and reformulate compounds to give users new highs. Sadly, many designer drugs turn out to be poisonous and provide unsuspecting recipients the ultimate high: physical death.

  A drugged society cannot be a loving, sympathetic society because the effects of drugs are so unreliable and variable. The same drug that produces relaxation in one person may produce apathy and an uncaring attitude in another. Also, considering the extent to which modern society depends on the minds of specialists—airline pilots, computer programmers, medical surgeons, and others—operating at peak performance, the notion of mind-altering drugs being freely consumed is particularly frightening.