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Spiritual Evolution
| Article
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10570 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1993 |
2,906 Words |
| Author
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Birney Dibble
Birney Dibble is a general and chest surgeon who combines
popular writing with his medical practice in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. |
In the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin constructed a theory that explained why we have so many different kinds of animals and plants on this earth. To his satisfaction and that of many others, his theory of evolution explained how species come and go, why some thrive and others perish. He used now-familiar terms like natural selection and survival of the fittest.
There are striking similarities between biological and spiritual evolution. Many of the same principles apply. But before we go ahead with that concept, perhaps we should refresh our memories about Darwin's theories of natural selection.
He observed three facts and made two deductions:
Fact 1. All organisms increase in geometric ratio.
Fact 2. Yet, numbers of a given species remain more or less constant.
Deduction 1. There must be competition for survival.
Fact 3. All organisms vary appreciably.
Deduction 2. There must be some from of natural selection, some variations being advantageous, others disadvantageous, for survival.
While Darwin's theory was struggling for acceptance, Gregor Mendel arrived at precisely the proper moment in history with his studies of the laws of inheritance, based on chromosomes, genes, and mutations. He found that mutation the sudden change in the inheritable characteristics of an organism occurs with predictable regularity. The vast majority of mutations are bad, resulting in nonviable or sterile offspring. Some are indifferent, not affecting the individual's survival. A tiny percentage are good, resulting in a characteristic that improves the organism's ability to survive in a hostile environment.
Though Darwin's theory of evolution was generally accepted, three other theories were advanced to explain the origin of species.
1.It was suggested that a large mutation could do the same thing as multiple small mutations and do it much more quickly: A new species could be produced in a single bound. This theory is difficult to disprove entirely, but much evidence makes it highly
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