As some of you may know I like to reconcile Science and Faith. Presently this means thinking about evolution, creation, and the big bang. In light of this I am reading The God Delusion [Richard Dawkins, 2006]. Given some of the things I need to say later I will only say: I wouldn’t recommend it. What does this have to do with water? Today in the second meeting I had a thought while were looking at:

1 John 5:5-8

Those of you who know your Genesis 1 (i.e. creation) should know that God first created animal life in the sea. Those of you who know your evolution will know that the sea is also the root of life. Yes, there is some divergence when talking about land dwelling animals. However, unless I am gravely mistaken, I do not believe the complexities of random mutations were understood when the first 12 chapters of Genesis were written. What they did understand was Faith.

Arguments against evolution sometimes hypothesise: twister + junk yard = 747 jet! This argument is ridiculous. Evolution is driven by random mutations, it doesn’t all happen in one generation, it doesn’t all happen at one time. Evolution takes time, a lot of time. Evolution is not just survival of the fittest, often the mutations that adapt a species best will be passed on to the next generation, but it is equally possible they will not. The entire process is random.

The author(s) of Genesis 1-12 would not be able to explain how a single celled organism (or know that such a thing existed) could become their pet donkey. But they did have Faith in their God. A God they had a relationship with. A God they would, quite naturally, ascribe the role of The Creator. I do not feel this is an inappropriate thing to do. We ascribe to science many things we do not fully understand (e.g. Relativity), that does not make these things evil or our record of them inappropriate. The Genesis creation should not be taken literally. If you want another thought on why, consider this: Plant life was created before the sun. This would mean vegetation flourished while there was no sunlight to feed on.

Essentially I am saying that evolution and creation are reconcilable, and they reconcile together as evolution. The differences can be accounted for by factoring in an understanding of Faith. Note: The start of the Universe is a different situation completely. Dawkins’ argument requires the existence of a solid platform, a “crane”, which is then built upon, this is a good point, however Dawkins’ also relates that the existence of God would require a great explanation. I would suggest that explaining God or explaining the crane are both equally difficult. Like evolution and creation, the existence of God and a crane should be reconcilable to one.

Life started in water (i.e. the sea), God said “go for it” and waited to see what nature would make of itself. I do not believe God interfered and caused certain mutations (see Fate vs Free Will) to occur, the process was in the creations hands. But you don’t have to agree with me, make up your own mind. Which brings me back to Richard Dawkins’ book. True science should be a process of discovery, not a process of a respected individual entrenching their ideas on the minds of others.

After many millennia intelligent life came on the scene and God established a relationship. Why? See the Fate vs Free Will article. Intelligent life rejected God. God sent his son Jesus as an atonement for sin. Sound familiar? Good.

1 John 5:6

The water, root of all natural life, is not enough. It may have been commanded by God millions of years ago, however it is natural. A spiritual life requires something extra, something nature has no control over. Something from God: The blood (or sacrifice) of Jesus. The out pouring of the holy spirit.

The parallel should be easy for our knowledge of science: Understanding how many forms of life evolved does not satisfy. Science wants: How life began? What caused it to become a living organism? Fortunately the answer is simple: Faith and humility. Add a spiritual component. While God may not have interfered with natures evolutionary course, He certainly was their to start it.

Life from water is not enough, scientific knowledge is not enough. Both require a spiritual component to be complete.