Evolutionary Deism
I have found so many errors associated with an unexamined assumption in discussing the nature of the Divine that I finally feel compelled to addressing the issue. The assumption is this: that an atemporal being can be completely exist within the framework of time. This is going to take some explaining because, unlike "God", we humans do exist within the framework of time.
First let's consider whether or not evolution exists. On second thought, let's not. Evolution exists. Period. It is a scientific fact. Since Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace so many pieces of evidence for biological evolution have accumulated that to disregard them for a non-scientific "theory" pretty much requires throwing out our entire understanding of the universe. There are differences between a scientific theory and any old crackpot proposal, the first of which is that a scientific theory needs to be testable. This is a problem for some really interesting proposals such as string theory as an explanation for all observed physical phenomena, much more so for creationism in its usual form. Evolution exists in ourselves, in biology, and even in those awful engines that allow life to exist at all - the stars. Everything we know of changes. Everything we know of evolves. Why, then do we exclude the Divine from change?
Twentieth century paleontologist/philosopher Tielhard de Chardin in his seminal work, The Phenomenon of Man, envisioned the Divine as "the Omega point". De Chardin saw God as the limit point of evolution. I am in complete agreement. A centralm myth in the esoteric philosophy of the Kabbalah is that the angels (which we can think of as the intelligent operators of cosmic principle) were granted a boon by the supreme Deity. The boon they requested was to participate in the creation/construction of the universe. Our reality has not been presented to us as a fiat accompli. It is moving. It changes. It is alive and we are participants in its life. Voltaire's statement: "Si Dieux n'existe pas, il faudrait l'inventuer. {If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him}" was probably meant as a sarcastic comment on the inability of humanity to stand on its own two feet and take responsibility for his actions. Yet I have adopted it as my personal motto. We, like the angels, are involved in the creation of the Divine.
As creatures within the framework of time we cannot always see the effects of the ripples of our actions (for want of a nail, shoe, horse, battle, war was lost...) but we can be quite sure that for every action an equal and opposite reaction will occur. Karma is quite real for the simple reason that our consequences have actions. The universe around us changes because we change it. Too often do we use only minuscule foresight. Yet, at the boundary of time we can sense the Alpha Omega that exists outside of time. The meditation of the moment can align us with the joyful Creation in which we, like the angels, are participants in creating a living God worthy of the highest ideals and dreams of humanity.
Om. Peace. Om
