"The Science of Reality"

Dictionaries commonly define science as "systematized knowledge." Revelation revealed by the Prophets of God in the holy books as sacred scripture transcribed as the Creative Word, is Truth and Reality in the ultimate sense.

Dictionaries also define reality as "what actually exists," and "what underlies appearances."

A Baha'i, Marian Crist Lippitt, for the better part of her life spent her time extracting and organizing (systematizing) quotes and concepts from the Baha'i Writings, to assist individuals with the spiritual transformation of human character.

She used the scientific technique of assuming a postulate or hypothesis to be true, and created experiments to test the hypotheses to see if they held up. The postulates are derived from the Baha'i Writings.

In these experiments, the scientist as well as the object under study are the same person. Participants are basically studying themselves, as both the scientist and the object of study or patient. As the person observes his or her own reactions to the tests, the person learns about his or her own reality and begins to transform his/her way of looking at the world, and his/her attitude and behavior toward everything in the world, including especially one's own self, likewise changes.

Hence the term, "Science of Reality." The Science of Reality presents an overall point of view to be tested by individual human beings, in contrast to personal points of view which human beings already have. The Science of Reality is an overall point of view because it is the view expressed in holy scriptures which come from God the Creator of all existence and reality.

Marian Lippitt prolifically prepared compilations and courses in fulfillment of this objective, and she corresponded frequently with her students, providing much personalized and detailed instruction.

Lippitt considered her work as applications of the science of reality. The Creative Word has transformative effects on the soul. Mrs. Lippitt recognized this, and developed courses using the quotes and concepts found in the Baha'i Writings to facilitate spiritual transformation of human souls.

Marian went on to develop the core concepts of a secular education philosophy titled "The Science of Reality", a monograph of which was presented in 1980 at a conference of educators called by the Association for a World University.

In a PhD dissertation titled "Introduction to the Science of Reality" that she completed shortly before her death, she set forth and explained 50 postulates to establish what she called the foundation for the study of the science of reality. Her friend Douglas McAdam extracted those 50 postulates from that dissertation into a list, that you see below:

1. No sign can come from a non-existent thing.
2. Any sign or evidence of existence that has warranted being named must be considered a reality.
3. There are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of the essence of a thing, and knowledge of its qualities. The first is beyond the reach of human Knowing powers; knowledge of the qualities of a thing is acquired by experience, discovery and revelation.
4. Understanding or comprehension is an inherent ability of man, manifesting in vision which, in turn, functions through three degrees of Knowing Power (as noted); physical, mental and spiritual.
5. What a person sees determines his feelings and reactions to life; and how what faces him appears to him is determined by his viewpoint.
6. We are out of touch with the reality of what we are dealing with unless or until we are aware of its fifth dimension which is its Purpose-and-Power.
7. All Existence is operating under the aegis of a Purpose that is flawless, “better than best”, divine; and we are empowered by the invincible Source-directed Power called Spirit, which assures fulfillment of that Purpose.
8. Negative emotions (dislike, fear, revulsion etc..) result in character deficiencies, whereas positive emotions (Liking, Love etc. ) generate virtues and spiritual qualities. I-d-L-ing (I don’t Like-ing) indicates need to assume higher viewpoint.
9. Man is essentially a spiritual being, that, in this earthly matrix of humanness is undergoing an embryonic growth by using his material endowments and slowly becoming an active part of spiritual existence. Seeing this, we react differently, as described.
10. Everything that exists in the domain of reality has a source. Universe could not have come into being by itself.
11. Everything that exists emanates from its source in one of two ways: the source manifests it - or the source creates it.
12. What a source manifests is a form of the source, partakes of the attributes characterizing the source, and reveals or manifests certain qualities or aspects of the source.
13. What a source creates merely reflects some qualities or aspects of the source, but does not reveal, manifest or share the reality of the source. They are different worlds.
14. All that emanates from the Source is under the latter’s dominion and control; and the Source stands alone in relation to it. Source has absolute existence; worlds have only contingent existence and are in state of thralldom or servitude to the Source. What can be known about the Source: (see next postulates 15, 16, )
15. The Source-Reality that man calls God is the unknowable Essence that underlies all of five-dimensional existence.
16. All superior worlds, kingdoms or conditions are incomprehensible and unknowable to lesser or lower levels of existence. Man cannot comprehend his Creator. We form concepts of God that are products of human imagination.2
17. The qualities of the Source are known through what the Source manifests and creates.
18. The Source of man is greater, more powerful and perfect, than man or anything that is manifested or created.
19. All virtues have a Center or Origin and that Center is the manifested Source of all Existence; and that Source is infinite, eternal, and better than the best that is manifested or created, as described by the word “Divine” or “Glorious”.
20. A world or kingdom of Existence is the sum total of the realities that constitute or belong to it; and the greatest realities that have emanated from the Source are living beings.
21. There are two kinds of beings: those manifested that we call superhuman Beings; and those created, the greatest of which are human souls or man.
22. The Greater World is the sum total of all the Source manifests.
23. The superhuman Being, Man, is a showing forth of the Source in various forms. (See#12)
24. A manifested Being appears periodically in the Lesser World in the form of a created being.
25. One undeniable sign of our all-powerful Source is the causing of beings to exist. Recognizing the Reality and Qualities of our Source and acquaintance with the superhuman Man lifts our level of consciousness and emotional tone.
26. Only one Energy-drive or animating Principle underlies all Existence; and this Power, called Spirit, manifests in progressive degrees. It is manifested completely or wholly as the Holy Power of the superhuman Being.
27. Knowing-power which is intelligence, and Love or Linking-power which is the ability to Link hearts and minds together, constitute the Source-Power called Spirit that is manifested in progressive degrees. They bring to Creation all the Power needed to fulfill its Purpose, and are activated as directed by personal volition.
28. In what the Source manifests can be seen Revelations and Communications from our Origin, enlightening humanity.
29. Inexorable Laws exist, by obedience to which a divine Order is maintained throughout Existence. Man has discovered Laws of Nature, and resists their dominance by making them work for him; but disobedience to Laws of his own being brings disaster upon mankind.
30. What the Source manifests is always manifest and real from the holistic viewpoint, but is not visible as such from the rational or human viewpoints.
31. The Lesser World is the sum total of what the Source creates, and is called Creation. We are part of this world.
32. Of all the realities that the Source creates, man is by far the greatest.
33. The reality of man is called a soul, and Creation is the Kingdom of Souls. It has lower forms of existence too.
34. Man has dominion over everything that the Source creates other than human souls.
35. The Lesser World is a spiritual world of being, the product of an ideal Purpose and of a Power so boundless that success and fulfillment, in time, are assured.
36. Material existence is what can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched.
37. Spiritual Existence is five-dimensional existence and includes the invisible, immaterial aspects of reality perceptible only to our spiritual vision, the combined eyes of the mind and heart.
38. Spiritual realities are immaterial, timeless and flawless.3
39. The world of matter is an outer temporal expression or facsimile of the inner Kingdom of Reality. For Creation is a single unified conglomerate.
40. The variations in the realm of being that we accept as real, proceed from our own vision.
41. The Cause or Source of our being has been recognized by the Human Consciousness and called God.
42. Through Man’s Cause and His servitude to humanity the reason or Cause of our creation in a condition of servitude is glorified.
43. The perfect Being that is manifested is the Link between the divine Source and It’s incomplete, evolving Creation; much as the suns rays connect the sun with the earth.
44. Our powerful Purpose is carried out by the purposeful Energy and motivation of Spirit that the Source manifests in bringing both Worlds into being.
45. The Lesser World’s animating Power, the whole (Holy) Spirit, is a combination of Knowing-power that we experience as intelligence, and Love-power that supplies our emotional energy and the motor drive of human existence.
46. Human Beings are dependent on what the Source manifests (divine Revelations) for the Know-how in fulfilling their real purpose.
47. The Cosmic Thought World is supplied and replenished by what the Source manifests through appearances of the manifested Man in Creation.
48. As obedience to the laws of nature makes us eligible for all the blessings of subhuman existence, so too obedience to spiritual laws will qualify us to claim the joys and rewards of spiritual maturity.
49. Laws are the basis for the structure and orderly procedures of the Lesser World; when we realize that they are the Signs and Manifestations of the sublime Will and celestial wisdom of our Source, we shall long to know and obey them.
50. The spiritualization of man depends on expansion of the Human Consciousness to include what the Source manifests.