Some have also argued that the biblical view is not a dualistic one -
meaning that there is no real distinction between soul and body. The
biblical emphasis is more on the unity and entirety of the person; the whole
person.
Adrian.
-----Original Message-----
From: bivalve [mailto:bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com]
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2000 3:23 PM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: TE-man
>These days I read my way through some good books all
>written by authors holding a TE viewpoint. I certainly
>enjoy the reading, but there is one issue I just can't
>find in these books, and that is the spirited/souled
>man as made in God's image (God breathed his spirit
>into the nostrils of man etc.). It is perfectly fine
>with me that man is a product of an evolving nature,
>but how do TE's account for man being a creature with
>a soul/spirit? I mean, how did the soul of man evolve?
>Can biological evolution explain that? And, if not,
>who can?
I know of two major categories of explanation. One is that the soul did not
evolve. God took a body He created via evolution and stuck a soul into it
when the time was right.
Alternatively, there might be some sort of supernatural evolution analogous
to biological evolution.
The evolution of the soul could be a relatively gradual process, or it could
be an emergent property of biological complexity.
Somewhat intermediate between the two would be the assumption that God
created life such that, at a certain point, a soul would come in.
I'm not sure how to try to decide among these unless we find other organisms
with souls.
Dr. David Campbell
"Old Seashells"
Biology Department
Saint Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001 USA
dcampbell@osprey.smcm.edu, 301 862-0372 Fax: 301 862-0996
"Mollusks murmured 'Morning!'. And salmon chanted 'Evening!'."-Frank Muir,
Oh My Word!
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