Image Source   Haunting Spheres Within Spheres   by Bill M. Tracer

 In this essay, we’ll examine a few of the possible answers in broad categories, and evaluate their merit.

1. Secular Materialism (There is only the material universe with no real spiritual aspect. In this view God is not necessary.) This is the primary view of Atheists.
2. Emergent Materialism (The universe began as pure energy, out of which the apparent material of the universe emerged, over time as the material universe grew increasingly complex, this combination of matter and energy eventually brought about consciousness, which may have even attained the ability to maintain energetic cohesiveness enduring death. This natural process could occur either with or without the existence of God.) This is among the ideas explored by present day Agnostics, and certain Naturalists, and even those of the Rationalists school of philosophical thought.
3. Theistic Universalism (There are both a material universe and a spiritual aspect, which includes the concept that God and the created material universe are separate. In this view God is a non-corporeal entity of pure spiritual energy, who created the material universe as a thing completely separate from the spiritual domain in which God resides.) This is the primary view of several religions both ancient and modern. Most Christian denominations, Judaism, Islam, and Zarathushtrianism embrace this basic view. Even the now extinct Manichaeism followed the primary tenets in this belief.
4. Classic Deism (The view of Classic Deism likewise sees that there is both a material universe, and a spiritual aspect, and that God and the universe are separate from one another, but that once having created the universe, God moved on, perhaps to creating other Cosmic domains, and ceased to be directly involved with this particular cosmic creation. Some have equated this concept to the idea of a clock maker, who creates the clock, designed to run on its own once created, requiring no further “intervention”. Evolution would in fact be a part of this design. Another possible analogy might be like each cosmos created by God likened to works of art. Once the artist has completed his artistic creations, he moves on to other creations.) Classic Deism as such is currently embraced by few. Most followers of Deism have evolved the idea into various forms of Pandeism, such as the next category, Cosmological Pandeism, which includes a deistic God concept that remains intimately involved with the created Universe.
5. Cosmological Pandeism (In this view there is also both a material universe and a spiritual aspect, but unlike Theistic Universalism and Classic Deism, this ideology includes the concept that God and the Material Universe are one, intimately interconnected and that essentially the spiritual domain and the material universe are not really separate from one another, at all. Some within the broad category of Cosmological Pandeism accept the Multiverse concept of M-Theory and as a consequence of God as having at least an 11 dimensional perceptional awareness of the Space/Time continuum, thus transcending time as we know it. As a result of this transcendent temporal relationship to the universe, all of time is as one single instant to such a Pandeistic God. Certain aspects of esoteric and mystic views discussed below can be found in some Cosmological Pandeistic ideologies.) Certain Liberal Christian denominations, Universal Unitarians, those of the Unity Church, Theosophists, and other so called “New Ager” types embrace many of the principal beliefs in this view.
6. Quantum Esotericism (The entire material universe is made up of virtual particles that are really nothing more than reorganized energy, creating the illusion of being of a material nature. These particles follow incredibly long term fractal-like iterative processes, which over time bring about increased complexification, from chaos into the ordered patterns of nature. The “program” that creates this complexification process appears to be directed by some form of Cosmic over mind, Universal Consciousness, Source, or Force. Some claim this “Source” can be tapped into, or accessed in order to manifest ones fondest dreams.) These are similar to some of the ideas explored by such esoteric thinkers as Dr. Frank B. Robinson of Psychiana, or advocates of the Power of Attraction, the so-called “Secret”, which doesn’t seem to be very secret anymore. Quantum Esotericism falls very much in line with the teachings of Dr. Wayne Dyer, also. Even the guru of Psychedelia, Terence McKenna, with his Timewave Zero, or Novelty Theory appears to have embraced some, if not all, of the ideas explored in Quantum Esotericism.
7. Mystic Illusion (The entire material universe is an illusion in the mind of a cosmic entity, we might generally equate to the God concept. We are all like shattered shards or small fragments of this collective God Consciousness, and thus share in the mutual illusion, being both subject to and responsible for the qualities of this illusion.) Buddhist mystics and the followers of modern sages like Michael Talbot, and the Holographic Universe concept fall into this category. In its most extreme individualistic form the philosophy of Metaphysical solipsism would also roughly fit here.
8. Brahman Dream (Brahma, {God}, dreams, and we are the characters within his dream, and are each expressions of the fullness that is the One. Indeed even the entire universe is the stage in which this dream takes place, and someday all that we know on this cosmic stage will melt away when Brahma awakens from his long slumber. When Brahma awakens, we will all awaken together as One. The many will be One, once more.) This is the basic belief of Brahman Hindus. It is also rather similar to some Shamanistic ideas, though they would not use the specific name Brahma, but might have other names for the “Great Spirit”, which dreams our reality.

 Who’s on the Right Track?

It would be difficult to say that any one of these views has a complete picture of reality. Actual reality, if such a concept can be quantified, may be more a blend of several of these ideas, though certainly not all of them, since some of them are mutually exclusive.

I personally find myself leaning toward a mixture of principles found in Cosmological Pandeism, Quantum Esotericism, and the Mystical Illusory concepts of Talbot’s Holographic Universe.

Cover of The Holographic Universe

While I find the Brahman Dream idea a fascinating metaphor, I’m much more inclined to see the Cosmic over mind or Source, as Dr. Dyer calls it, not so much as dreaming, but rather orchestrating with full temporally transcendent consciousness, using fractal iterative processes on a grand scale to “construct” out of etheric chaos ever increasing complexification, resulting in the ordered patterns we now observe in our reality. For the honest open minded seeker, understandings of this illusive reality constantly evolve, as continued experiences reveal more. We may not have the complete picture yet, but the quest continues, and I for one will not give up as long as my consciousness endures.

Darwinian Irony

It is ironic and interesting to note that Charles Darwin, when he proposed his original evolution theories, did not see it, nor did he present it, as an atheistic alternative to God’s creation, but rather as an explanation of the method by which God created and subsequently diversified life through the process of natural selection. See my earlier article: Charles Darwin was not an Atheist! As proven in that article, with Darwin’s own words, he saw no reason for his theories to be a problem for religious people. He was himself a Deist, and never suggested evolution as a contradiction to Divine design. Adding further irony to this matter, the fact that Darwin was a Deist, is yet another thing the extremists at both poles of this debate don’t want you to know. Just as they agree on the exclusion of Deist Evolutionary Theory from the debate, they don’t like people having the knowledge of Darwin’s Deist viewpoint; that in fact the “father” of evolution theory was not an Atheist, but embraced a Deist Evolutionary philosophy.

Evolution Does Not Substitute Nor Contradict Creation

It is that genuinely Deist and original Darwinian perspective, which I embrace. Evolution is not a godless contradiction to Creation. It is not a theory to replace God, but rather it is an examination of how God did it. Evolution is the means of creation, and the further diversification of life, not a substitute for Divine involvement in the process.

Even Genesis Concurs

Even when we look at the creation stories in the book of Genesis in the Bible, {written in a culture and time period that lacked an understanding of the processes of evolution, as we comprehend it today}, we see a pattern of God starting with the creation of simpler “lower” life forms working up toward the increasingly complex, more highly evolved forms. While the biblical writer did not know the modern language of evolution, his inspiration still gave him an intuitive grasp of it, presenting the creation according to a general evolutionary sequence. Ultimately, it is easy to see that humankind did not create evolution, God did. We merely discovered it, a long time after the fact.

Deist Clockwork Cosmos

The Deist Clockwork Cosmos is one in which God set in motion a set of physical laws governing the evolution of all things, both living and non-living elements of the Cosmos. This theory is not to be mistaken for the more recent so called “Intelligent Design Theory”, which is little more than a thinly veiled variant of Creationism. The Deist Clockwork Cosmos Theory has actually been around much longer, and proceeds from neither a theological nor a dogmatic view. It does not attempt to impose any limitations or anthropomorphic attributes upon the designer. Rather, it merely states that since the Universe exhibits design, there must have been a designer. It can not presume to know the nature of that designer, and consequently does not try to do so.

Cosmic Design or Happen Chance?

In the Deist Cosmos, planets evolve, stars evolve, whole star systems evolve, galaxies evolve, and even galactic clusters evolve. And within this starry arena that we call the Universe, myriad forms of life have undoubtedly also evolved, spread throughout the trillions upon trillions of specs of light in the night’s sky and beyond. Could all of this have just come about by some happen chance? Could it have simply fallen into existence, without some form of intelligence actually putting it into motion? It may be true that at this time, we can not prove the existence of a creator/designer. Just the same, the Universe spreads before our eyes, crying out loud that it was designed. And the grand designer of it all, must by definition be God. In the end, there is actually no debate; both evolution and creation are real. The one simply explains how the other was done. In reality they are not contradictory at all. Consequently, the so-called “Monkey Trial” was a complete waste of time and money. It was all staged anyway, as a distraction from issues of real substance. Such is the typical nature of politics and media working together. It was true then, and remains so, today. But that is another story, and an altogether different debate.

Simple Elegant Truths

Some may say these arguments are simplistic. That may be true, but then the world is filled with simple elegant truths. That does not make them any less valid. If indeed Deist Evolution is such an elegant and simple truth, then most people should easily accept it as possible, even probable. I have found that as I’ve discussed this topic with many people, those who reject this notion are actually a highly vocal minority on both sides. The real numbers of the extremists are rather low. It does appear that most people see this debate as a non-issue, for evolution by design emerges as the most plausible explanation of the way things are put together on this Earth, and indeed throughout the Cosmos. God’s creation is a carefully designed clockwork, which once set in motion continues to function without need of further “Divine” intervention. We are a part of that clockwork, and like all of the other parts, we too are engaged in the on-going process of evolution, both physical and psycho/spiritual.

Stimulation of Debate

I hope this article will stimulate a debate on this topic. If it does, I will likely draw upon concepts and ideas from our ensuing discussion as a springboard for an Evolution/Creation disquisition. By participating in this discussion you will contribute to the thoughts, which will ultimately go into that paper.