RE: TE-man

From: Hofmann, Jim (jhofmann@Exchange.FULLERTON.EDU)
Date: Mon Oct 16 2000 - 20:21:38 EDT

  • Next message: Dawsonzhu@aol.com: "Re: How Irreducibly Complex Systems Evolve. Data Behe must deal with."

     You could check out Pope John Paul's statement on evolution in which he
    addresses this issue:

    http://www.newadvent.org/docs/jp02tc.htm

    Jim Hofmann
    http://nsmserver2.fullerton.edu/departments/chemistry/evolution_creation/web
    /

    -----Original Message-----
    From: bivalve
    To: asa@calvin.edu
    Sent: 10/16/00 3:22 PM
    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!



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 16 2000 - 20:15:43 EDT