Darwin or Jesus?
How About a Sacred Fish with Legs?
What
if both science and religion are wrong about
evolution?
What if both are right?
We’ve all seen them: bumper stickers and decals
of a fish with legs symbolizing Darwin’s theory
of evolution. And then, from religious creationists,
the “counter-decals” of a
fish-with-a-cross swallowing
“Darwin’s” amphibious fish. The
battle of the decals is just one way the debate
between creationists and evolutionists overflows onto
our streets.
But there’s an alternative: a philosophy that
shows why both religion and science have got it
wrong—and right.
To move beyond the sectarian clashes and wars in
these troubled times—between fundamentalists in
both religion and science—we need a wiser, more
coherent, account of who we are and how we came to
be. We need a revised and renewed vision of creation
and evolution. We need a deeper and broader
understanding of both religion and science.
Both Wrong and Right
Religion is wrong to place the “Creator”
beyond nature (as supernatural).
Science is wrong to deny intelligence (consciousness
or spirit) at work in evolution.
Religion is right to hold the view that there is
creation and that creation possesses intelligence.
And religion is right to deny that the birth and
evolution of our world happened by chance.
Science is right to hold the view that evolution
produces different species, including humans. And
science is right to deny that some
“supernatural” intelligent designer is
responsible for the wondrous diversity and
interconnectedness of living and non-living forms.
Best of Both
In the new view, creation is not the result of some
“supernatural Creator.” Nor is creation a
one-time event. Instead, creation is continuous and
natural. Evolution is not random and unfolding
without the guidance of a deep intelligence. Nature
itself is naturally intelligent and creative.
That’s how evolution occurs.
Instead of a “higher” intelligence,
let’s be open to a deeper intelligence. Instead
of “dead” and “dumb” matter,
let’s be open to sentient and intelligent
matter.
Then we can have the best of both
worlds—integrating the great insights of both
religion and science. The “missing link”
is consciousness. The ability to have experience, to
feel, to be aware is a complete mystery to science.
Evolution cannot explain it. Religions take it for
granted that this ability is unique to humans (or, at
best, to creatures with brains). The fact of
consciousness highlights the shortcomings of both
science and religion, and it offers a way out of the
seemingly endless debate between evolutionists and
creationists.
New Worldview
We need a new worldview where religion recognizes
that consciousness (intelligence or spirit) is not
“supernatural,” but is part of the
natural fabric of cosmos, Earth, and life, and where
science recognizes that matter itself “tingles
with the spark of spirit,” that evolution is
guided from within. This “new” philosophy
or worldview is called “panpsychism” or
“radical
naturalism.”
We could also call it “intelligent
evolution.” (Actually, it’s a very
ancient philosophy, shared by indigenous cultures
throughout the world.)
If we shift to such a view, then we can begin to
transcend the squabbles between those who believe in
supernatural “intelligent design” and
those who believe in random evolution.
The biggest challenge facing modern science is to
explain the mystery of consciousness. A science based
on the assumption of “dead” insentient
matter exploding from a random Big Bang cannot
account for mind. Yet consciousness is the one thing
we can be absolutely certain exists.
The biggest challenge facing mainstream religion is
to remain relevant in a world increasingly dominated
by scientific knowledge.
The philosophy of intelligent evolution can help
science and religion meet these challenges. In a
nutshell, it takes us beyond the dogmas of both:
Beyond Religion: The world was not created by a
supernatural transcendent God (in seven days or 13.7
billion years).
Beyond Science: The world did not come into being
from a random Big Bang followed by billions of years
of random chemical and biological evolution.
Instead, the most coherent story about how the world
came to be (a world where both matter and mind are
real) recognizes that
* Spirit is not supernatural (above and beyond
nature).
* Evolution is not without purpose or intelligence.
The new philosophy offers a way to honor the deep
insights of both religion and science.
Intelligent Design
Yes, there is an “intelligent designer”
at work in evolution. But the intelligence (call it
“God” or “Spirit” or
"Creative Ultimate") is intrinsic to nature. Nature
itself is intelligent (has sentience and
consciousness, purpose and meaning) “all the
way down” to single cells, molecules, atoms,
and subatomic particles.
Evolution
In this new view of nature and evolution, matter
itself is intelligent. Matter is
“adventurous.” Evolution is the great
adventure of matter exploring its own creative
potentials. As matter evolves, its native
intelligence or consciousness evolves, too. So by the
time human brains come on the scene, matter or nature
has achieved the remarkable ability to be
self-reflective—to know that it knows—and
to ponder the eternal questions in religion,
philosophy, and science: Where did we come from? Who
are we? Where are we going? Why is there anything at
all?
Intelligent Evolution: A Sacred Fish with Legs?
Instead of the amusing (and silly) bumper-stickers
pitching Darwin against Jesus (evolution vs.
religion), we can come up with a new set of symbols
and sound-bytes:
Picture a decal that shows a fish with legs and a
halo, indicating that evolution is a sacred process
because spirit is active in the development of
species. Evolution is natural and creative. We could
say “Spirit Matters” or, just as
meaningful, “Matter Spirits.”