One logical snare that comes up over and over again in these threads is the dichotomy that God created the universe OR nothing created the universe, it just growed from material interactions.

This is a very shallow set of choices. The creationists in general prefer their view because it accounts for the impression of teleos, that evolution seems to be heading for something rather than just happening. Of course, pure Darwinists will reply that that is just an optical illusion because survival is the reward for adapting, or evolving well rather than badly.

But there is a possibility that a more Bergsonian model might be a workable middle ground; it requires no deity but speaks to the possibility that there is such a thing as elan vital, the non-material energy from which intention, aesthetics and ethics are born, and which is distributed in various degrees through all forms of life. No Godhead--just the "kingdom" within each of us to possibly unlimited degree.

I kind of like the idea that DNA is merely an antenna for life force's transmissions. The more you have, and the more complex it grows, the more of themessage you can receive, assuming you bother staying tuned!

:>D


A