Evolution and Morality

[Jeff K.]

It seems people confuse cause for effect.

If the cause of doing good is the light of Christ, is not the effect an attempt of rationalization by those who wish to deny it? Or more to the point, if the system was put in place to create morality, how do you prove it was not put in place versus occurred naturally? Or do you presume the lack of discernable evidence is the equivalent no evidence?

[mfbukowski]

The whole question of course is whether or not the universe itself manifests intelligence and "wants" to progress- if you want to see it that way in a Godless sense, we could use the word "evolve".

I prefer to think that it is part of natural law that the universe has a direction with which it was programmed in the beginning, and what we see is more of an organic unfolding- including the unfolding of human culture and morality- perhaps analogous to a single seed growing into a forest.

This is what I think is behind the LDS notion of God organizing the chaotic raw materials of the universe through intelligence(s).

Of course there is no evidence of this- yet. Yet one could see all the "evidence" of what we call "evolution" in this light, including the notion of the evolution of morality as such an unfolding.

For many of these notions we can thank A.N. Whitehead.

Alfred North Whitehead, OM (15 February 1861

[mfbukowski]

What kind of humanistic religion are we becoming?

Becoming? We have been one from the start!

Are you denying that God is a Man and that he is our Father?

We worship a Human Being! His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ was completely human and both he and his Father have a glorified human body like yours!

Infinitely above us in ability, of course, but Human Beings nevertheless!

Understanding the accomplishments of humans is part of appreciating our own God-given seed of divinity. We are co-organizers with God in the creation of our cultural world!

If you don't believe culture is our universe, imagine a newborn left in a natural environment- outdoors by itself for even just a few hours- it would not survive. We need culture to even survive a few hours. Adults without "training" (cultural) in how to do so, might make it a few days.

We have created our own "world" which we cannot survive without- and THAT is what separates us from what we call "animals"- those beings who need no culture to survive.

In a very real way, we have created our own world, as co-creators with God, and to deny that we are co-creators with him is to deny what we are and the supernal gifts he has given us!

Let the godless among us term it what they like, but we are among those who recognize the importance of the fact that God is (a) Man.

[mfbukowski]

Maybe one day I'll become an Overman and forget about all of this.

THAT says it all. I am not about to defend Nietzsche here, but he didn't get it completely wrong, either! There was a kernel of truth even there!