Political Religion is often captured by second rate forces. However, the capturing comes about at a first rate price:

Arlen Wolpert:
[I was not using the microphone during the first part of my comments. Then, I picked up the microphone and my comments are shown in the transcription, below.]

"... The Templeton Foundation is conditioning the whole field [of science and religion]. A million dollars [per year for the Templeton Prize] is a big [conditioning] motivation [for scholars]. [One of the Templeton Foundation's] conditions is that ... the mystic is excluded [from consideration]. ... [Alas, in my work] I am analyzing a mystical experience.

I have had mystical union and I am modeling and simulating [my] consciousness as a multiloop nonlinear feedback system. I am specifically ... [analyzing consciousness during] the Dark Night of the Soul that just precedes mystical union.... I have presented my [work] throughout the world [including at the Vatican]. 'I can not [simulate] mystical union itself, ... because time stops in that experience, but I have a mathematical model [of the Dark Night that precedes it]. [This is the only] formalized conceptual system in the field of science and religion.

[So] I've got a formalized mathematical model that is leading to a general theory of religion. I am saying that at the source of all religions is one experience. It is called mystical union by Christians; it's called fana by the Muslims; it's called nirvakalpa samadhi by the Hindus. [Now that my] formalized conceptual system [has accurately simulated consciousness during the Dark Night], [neuroscientists] can then relate that system to [its neural correlates, giving] the common ground of all religions in neuroscience.

So, as you can see, all of that is extremely controversial. Though I have an integration of science and religion, [it is taking a long time to become] accepted."

Billy Grassie:
[Billy Grassie is a Templeton Foundation representative and gatekeeper. He has served the Foundation as a lecturer at various Templeton Foundation Winter Workshops on Teaching Science and Religion and at numerous CTNS Templeton Foundation University Lecture Series. He was a Templeton Foundation Grant Recipient (with the University of Pennsylvania) in 1995-96. Until 1999 he was the gatekeeper of META: an international moderated listserv on science and religion that is sponsored by the Templeton Foundation. (http://www.templeton.org/meta)]

"Even as we think about the history of other times, it is important to think about the ongoing history of ourselves and something called 'to be reflective about' our own social location and the funding and the academy. I think that's all really important and I think the question of who is included and who is excluded is also incredibly challenging.

The way that we do it in the academy is through peer review publishing - the way the sciences do it - peer review publishing and replication. Certainly, there is all kinds of bias built into that. On the other hand, I'm not willing to say, 'Anything goes.' The sciences are not willing to say that; I'm not willing to say that as a religious person. ... All I can do is take a look at your paper. Say, Do I understand it? Do I not? Alot of times, especially in the sciences, you take years of training to get to ... You know, we are not in high school, we're in college. [At] that level of science work does not begin until graduate school ... when you can critically evaluate new ideas in the field. So there is a real built in bias about authority and training and whether your accepted into this community or not."

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