Re: [asa] Event or process

1) It may be that "event or process?" is a false dichotomy. In discussing the origin of consciousness (& perhaps by implication "soul"), Teilhard suggested the metaphor of a phase change. Heating a pan of water is a continuous process - the temperature of the liquid rises gradually. But when it reaches 100 C there's an abrupt qualitative change from liquid to vapor. (I'm sorry that I can't give an exact reference - some of my Teilhard books are loaned out.) Perhaps that kind of thing could be linked to the "Gene Mutation Linked to Cognition is Found Only In Humans" article which Rich Blinne posted yesterday.

2) The problem of "different degrees of 'soulness'" may not be that serious. If God's purpose for creation does indeed have "all things" in view & not just H. sapiens then
perhaps it's not necessary to find some way of isolating our species as spiritually unique. God relates to each species - & vice versa - in a way appropriate to it.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Bill Hamilton
  To: Christine Smith ; asa@calvin.edu
  Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 10:17 PM
  Subject: Re: [asa] Event or process

  Christine Smith wrote

  In other words, the development of the "soul"
  throughout evolution is the increasing ability to
  perceive/receive into ourselves God's
  characteristics--consciousness/self-awareness (the
  Great I AM), feelings/emotions (God is love),
  logic/reason (God created natural laws), creativity
  (God created, period!), and finally, morality/free
  will (God is the author of good/evil, makes choices,
  etc), which has come about both through God acting
  in/with/under a process and through God's overt
  actions at critical points in time.

  While I agree that development of spiritual awareness could have been a process, IMO there has to be a definite, discrete step at which God turned human into man. Otherwise there could be all different degrees of "soulness" existing at the same time. Once God had created Adam by breathing His spirit into him (Gen 2:7) then Adam passed on his awareness of God. IOW as a type of Christ, Adam served a similar role: making humans men by telling them about God. This is what I gather of Dick Fisher's view (corrrect me if I'm wrong, Dick) I don't hold this view as the definitive interpretation of Scripture -- just as a plausible explanation.

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Received on Wed May 9 07:24:02 2007