Conversations Beyond Science and Religion

Beyond science and religion, there is more to the story of life and the cosmos.

The Conversations Beyond Science and Religion WebTalkRadio show tackles the big questions of why we are here and where the world may be heading. From theologians and scientists to those in the school of New Thought, we’ll address the individual circumstances that led to the formation of their theories and views. Challenging common beliefs and scientific findings, host Philip Mereton talks with experts and authors to find a new worldview of hope.


Recent Episodes

IGod

(January 18, 2016)
God is a concept we place on the shelf like an old book and let it sit there. The book contains what everyone else — priests, rabbis, scientists, parents, and the media — have told us about God. But what do you think? The new movie, IGod, co-produced by this week’s guest, Bob Friedman (along with his son Jonathon Friedman and none other than Neale Donald Walsch, the author of the best-selling Conversations with God series originally published by Bob Friedman) takes a down-to-earth and candid approach to what God is. Containing interviews with everyone from the person on the street to the leading thinkers in the new-age movement, Deepak Chopra, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Marianne Williamson, Gregg Braden, Amit Goswami, and Neale Donald Walsch, to rabbis, priests, Baptist ministers, Zen Buddhists and many others, the movie gives a multitude of perspectives on God, while not advocating any of them. By showing the full range of viewpoints, it not only allows the viewer to decide what feels and sounds right to them but, in the end, suggests that our connection to God may be closer than traditional religions teach.

The Lost Teachings of the Cathars

(December 28, 2015)
What we commonly call “religion” is in many ways simply the most popular interpretation of historical texts and words attributed to past spiritual leaders. Religious beliefs, such as the notion that Jesus Christ “died for our sins,” become part of an interpretive system for approaching phenomena that lie beyond the physical world. For better or worse, as the popular beliefs take hold, they can become dogmatic and considered true beyond question. Woven into the spiritual fabric of history, however, are also a number of esoteric religions that took a different view of the Bible and humankind’s place in the cosmos. But too often we hear about these different belief systems not because of their teachings but because of the violence done to their followers. On this show, Philip talks with Andrew Phillip Smith, the author of the brand new book, The Lost Teachings of the Cathars. They discuss not only the violent suppression of the Cathars but also their unique and fascinating beliefs, which until now have almost been lost to history.

Mark Anthony: Evidence of Eternity

(November 23, 2015)
Law and science are both based upon evidence: you can only prove a case in law if you have credible and probative evidence to support your side of the story. In the same way, a scientific theory rises or falls based upon the degree of evidence — and repeatable tests — supporting it. Interestingly, the evidence continues to mount that a spiritual world, residing in another dimension, another plane, or in some other way, really does exist. The evidence comes from numerous accounts from those who have connected with loved ones who have passed on, and who convey messages and facts that cannot be known unless the communication really occurred. Foremost among those who have the gift of engaging in these inter-dimensional communications is this week’s guest, Psychic Lawyer, Mark Anthony, author of the new best-selling book, Evidence of Eternity:Communicating with Spirits for Proof of the Afterlife. Listen in as two lawyers discuss the scientific — and indisputable — evidence showing that this other world is real, and what it might mean for all of us.

A Conversation with Simran

(Nov. 16th, 2015)
Few people bring the authenticity to the notion of spiritual awakening as this week’s guest, Simran, award-winning publisher of 11:11 Magazine and host of the top-rated, syndicated 11:11 Talk Radio show.  Life is  synchronistic hologram, an unfolding of the self, an outpouring of inner meaning.  It begins, as Simran writes in her new book,Journey to Love – Discover the Path to Your Soul’s True Mate, with understanding that finding peace begins with your own heart.  Join Philip and Simran as they set off on an original and thought-provoking journey to understand what the new consciousness movement is all about.

The Evolution of Innovation

(Nov. 9th, 2015)
According to Jared Diamond, “evolution is the most profound and powerful idea to have been conceived in the last two centuries.” Almost all biologists no longer consider evolution “just a theory;” rather, it’s a fact. The textbooks say that evolution is the selection and preservation of favorable mutations across generations. Genes mix and match, and the more successful at surviving — survive and pass on the winning genes to their offspring.But how does innovation occur? How do new life forms arise from old ones?This is the mystery discussed on this show with Andreas Wagner, the author of the new and original book, Arrival of the Fittest: Solving Evolution’s Greatest Puzzle.

The Genie in Your Genes

(Nov. 2nd, 2015)
Quantum physics talks — at times esoterically — about the connection between consciousness and the outside world.  There are no particles “out there;” only probabilities; wave equations; and bits of nothing. Does the mind choose reality, or create reality?  In physics, we tend to consider this topic abstractly, distancing ourselves from the subject matter, which at times seems academic; after all, everyone knows the world is real, right? But when we bring the human body into the equation, we come to understand that, indeed, there is an unbreakable connection between mind and body.  From the placebo effect to energy healing and epigenetics, the truth of quantum theory is right in front of us: the mind does affect the particle –the genes — of the body.  In his book The Genie in Your Genes, this week’s guest, Dawson Church takes the reader on an enlightening cruise through the field of epigenetics, and shows that true healing begins with the genie inside of us.

Kingsley Dennis: The Phoenix Generation

(Oct. 26th, 2015)
We are accustomed to encountering the concept of evolution in the biological sense, but it is growing increasingly evident that consciousness also evolves across generations.  If so, then at some point a generation will arise that, in the words of this week’s guest, Kingsley Dennis, will “be born as change” not “into change.”  This new generation will not face the current dichotomy of science and religion but will start at a place where no such antagonism exists.  This will be what Kingsley calls The Phoenix Generation. Listen in as Philip and Kingsley discuss the new form of consciousness that is unfolding as part of our true nature.

The Logical Path to Spirituality

(Oct. 19th, 2015)
We are taught that one reaches spiritual truths through revelation, meditation, the contemplation of the divine, and soul-raising experiences.  Logic, on the other hand, involves rigorous, step-by-step thinking. Right brain vs. left brain.  Reason vs. emotion.  Logic is for science, not for spirituality.  But might there be a logical path to spirituality?  Is there a way to use reason to discover the old truths of spirituality, perhaps even the notion that we are One? On this ground-breaking show, Philip, using themes from this book, The Collapse of Materialism: Visions of Science, Dreams of God,  discusses how logic can in fact lead us to a spiritual world.

A Buddah Pill?

(Oct. 12th, 2015)
It seems that everyone, from Oprah Winfrey to Robert Murdoch to Sam Harris, is getting on the meditation bandwagon.  Amazon lists thousands of books on meditation, each one offering another method to connect with the Inner Self, or describing profound experiences and revelations produced through meditation.  But is meditation all that it cracks up to be?  Is it really the panacea  for all that ails the human soul?  This week’s guest, Dr. Miquel Farias, along with co-author, Catherine Wikholm, has written a new book, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You?, that takes an objective and scientific look at the reality of meditation.  Yes, meditation is a soulful and meaningful activity that can instill a sense of the spiritual but, the authors conclude, it also has dark side, and at times may not always deliver the results anticipated.  Listen in as Philip and Dr. Farias explore a different take on meditation.

The Faint Young Sun Paradox

(Oct. 5th, 2015)
The discoveries of science continue to show that the universe is riddled with mysteries that continue to elude even the most power instruments of modern technology.  The more one looks, the broader and deeper the mysteries seem to become.  One of these little advertised mysteries is known as the faint young sun paradox.  According to what science knows about the development of stars such as the sun, the Earth should have been too cold in the past to have allowed for the development of life.  Listen in as Philip and author Stuart Clark explore this fascinating mystery of science.

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