Hi Janet,
I am not sure if altruism can be a fingerprint of God. Animals display much
altruism. Examples:
"Eugene Marais watched two baboons cautiously move along the edge
of a cliff above a leopard who was preparing to attack their
troop. Both baboons dropped onto the leopard at the same time
from a height of twelve feet. One landed on the leopard's back
the other struck at his throat. The leopard disemboweled the
baboon on his neck with one swipe of the paws and caught the one
on his back in his jaws. But alas it was too late for the
leopard because the baboon hanging on his neck had reached the
juggler vein."~Robert Ardrey, African Genesis, (New York: Dell
Publishing Co., 1961), p. 83
Probably the classic book on the topic is _Mutual Aid_ by Sir Petre
Kropotkin, a Russian prince. Kropotkin gives in a foot note 3 examples of
compassion between animals
1. A wounded badger was carried away by another badger suddenly
appearing on the scene.
2. Rats have been seen feeding a blind couple
3. Brehm saw two crows feeding in a hollow tree a third crow
which was wounded; it wound was several weeks old.
~Max Perty and L. Buchner cited by Peter Kropotkin, Mutual Aid,
(New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1909), p. 59
There is even interspecies aaltruism among animals: "Eckerman told to
Goethe (in 1827) that two little wren
fledglings, which had run away from him were found by him the
next day in a nest of robin redbreasts which fed the little ones
together with their own youngsters."~Gesprache, III, 1848, p.
219,221 cited in Peter Kropotkin, Mutual Aid, (New York:
Doubleday, Page & Co., 1909), p. xi
Mutual Aid is an excellent book and well worth the reading. The question
is in relation to your note, is animal altruism also a fingerprint of God?
And how do we differentiate between what is and what isn't?
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/dmd.htm
Lots of information on creation/evolution