From: George Murphy (gmurphy@raex.com)
Date: Tue Sep 16 2003 - 11:39:19 EDT
Howard J. Van Till wrote:
>
> >From: Walter Hicks <wallyshoes@mindspring.com>
>
> > I suspect that many resist the notion of evolution
> > and an old earth partially because it is difficult
> > to sort out just when "creatures" became mankind
> > and to whom does salvation by Jesus Christ apply,
> > historically? Evidently Abraham made the grade.
> > Who else prior to him?.
> >
> > I suspect that many theologians on this list have
> > tackled that question. Any suggestions?
>
> I cannot speak as a theologian, but....
>
> Yes, we do encounter some conceptual difficulty in specifying a hard
> boundary between not yet human and human along a continuous evolutionary
> parent/offspring line. At what particular point would the uniquely human
> qualities of God awareness, moral awareness, and moral responsibility become
> present at an "adequate" level? Some millions of years ago the creatures
> present on Earth had no awareness of God (The Sacred), no awareness of the
> moral difference between right and wrong, no sense of responsibility to do
> the right and to shun the wrong. Now there are such creatures -- us. Those
> uniquely human qualities may have been there potentially millions of years
> ago (to be actualized much later in time), but not yet actually.
> Furthermore, many persons find it impossible to think of these human
> qualities as something that could develop "naturally," that is, without some
> form of divine intervention.
>
> However, It seems to me that we encounter a similar difficulty in a
> phenomenon much closer to our own experience -- our own development from a
> fetus to an adult. Some years ago, as a fetus, each of us had no awareness
> of God (The Sacred), no awareness of the moral difference between right and
> wrong, no sense of responsibility to do the right and to shun the wrong.
> Now, as adults, we have all of those qualities. Those uniquely human
> qualities may have been there potentially in our fetal stage (to be
> actualized later in time), but not yet there actually. Uniquely human
> capabilities developed within us gradually. Furthermore, it seems that we
> are comfortable with the idea that we developed these capabilities naturally
> as part of normal human development (without divine intervention, using the
> developmental gifts of the created world).
>
> Question: If we are comfortable with this lack of discontinuity in our own
> gradual and natural developmental history from fetus to adult, why should we
> be uncomfortable envisioning a similar lack of discontinuity in the history
> of the species?
>
> Howard Van Till
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> >From: Walter Hicks <wallyshoes@mindspring.com>
>
> > I suspect that many resist the notion of evolution
> > and an old earth partially because it is difficult
> > to sort out just when "creatures" became mankind
> > and to whom does salvation by Jesus Christ apply,
> > historically? Evidently Abraham made the grade.
> > Who else prior to him?.
> >
> > I suspect that many theologians on this list have
> > tackled that question. Any suggestions?
>
> I cannot speak as a theologian, but....
>
> Yes, we do encounter some conceptual difficulty in specifying a hard
> boundary between not yet human and human along a continuous
> evolutionary parent/offspring line. At what particular point would the
> uniquely human qualities of God awareness, moral awareness, and moral
> responsibility become present at an "adequate" level? Some millions
> of years ago the creatures present on Earth had no awareness of God
> (The Sacred), no awareness of the moral difference between right and
> wrong, no sense of responsibility to do the right and to shun the
> wrong. Now there are such creatures -- us. Those uniquely human
> qualities may have been there potentially millions of years ago (to be
> actualized much later in time), but not yet actually. Furthermore,
> many persons find it impossible to think of these human qualities as
> something that could develop "naturally," that is, without some form
> of divine intervention.
>
> However, It seems to me that we encounter a similar difficulty in a
> phenomenon much closer to our own experience -- our own development
> from a fetus to an adult. Some years ago, as a fetus, each of us had
> no awareness of God (The Sacred), no awareness of the moral difference
> between right and wrong, no sense of responsibility to do the right
> and to shun the wrong. Now, as adults, we have all of those qualities.
> Those uniquely human qualities may have been there potentially in our
> fetal stage (to be actualized later in time), but not yet there
> actually. Uniquely human capabilities developed within us gradually.
> Furthermore, it seems that we are comfortable with the idea that we
> developed these capabilities naturally as part of normal human
> development (without divine intervention, using the developmental
> gifts of the created world).
>
> Question: If we are comfortable with this lack of discontinuity in our
> own gradual and natural developmental history from fetus to adult, why
> should we be uncomfortable envisioning a similar lack of discontinuity
> in the history of the species? .....................
Howard's approach is one way of thinking about this. I would add that our
awareness of the divine, faith, &c should be seen as responses to God's action, which
precedes anything we do. (I.e., grace is "prevenient".) That is, among other things,
why infant baptism makes sense. & following Howard's line of thought, if that is the
case in the development of each human individual, it may well be so also in the
development of the human species.
But if we take seriously the biblical passages which speak about God's intention
to save "the creation" & "all things," it isn't necessary to worry excessively about
just when our ancestors became spiritually aware. It isn't as if God had to be very
careful to draw a line between /Homo erectus/ & /Homo sapiens/ so as to only save the
latter. (I am not claiming that the appropriate distinction necessarily occurred at
just this species boundary, & give that only as an example.) God is going to reconcile
"all things" to himself - in manners appropriate to each thing.
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
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