William Atkinson - The Essential Works of William Walker Atkinson - 50+ Books in One Edition

THE "EVOLVING GOD."

Moreover, the idea of the immutability of REALITY must serve to confute the erroneous idea of certain schools of metaphysics which assert the existence of "an Evolving God"; that is, a God which increases in intelligence, nature, and being by reason of the change of the universe, which is an expression of Himself. This conception is that of a Supreme Being who is growing, developing, and increasing in efficiency, wisdom, power, and character. This is an attempt to combine the anthropomorphic deity and the pantheistic Nature-God. The conception is clearly anthropomorphic, as it seeks to attribute to God the qualities and characteristics of man. It defies every fact of Ultimate Principle of REALITY. It is extremely unphilosophic and will not stand the test of logical examination.

This last mentioned conception vitiates the fact of immutability and also brings in the element of Time in the improvement, development, evolution, and changes mentioned. Moreover, it overlooks the fact that if time holds the possibility of any improvement of the Supreme Being, then that Supreme Being must have improved and developed to the fullest extent already. For, as it has had "all the time there is" for improvement in the Eternity behind it,—time extending back to infinity,—it cannot have more time for improvement in the eternity before it—the infinity of time of the future. If it can accomplish anything in the future of eternity, then it must have been able to accomplish the same thing in the past of eternity . It has had as much time already as it can ever hope to have in the future. Infinite time is behind it as well as before it.

The only other alternative to the above is that the Evolving God has slept throughout all past eternity and only waked up an æon or so ago and began to grow and increase its wisdom; or that it lacked the desire or will to evolve until a few billions of years ago, when its ambition was aroused. Childish idea of anthropomorphism in a new form! Not only is the idea of the Evolving God childish, but it is also impossible. For there can be no Change or Improvement in Ultimate REALITY, whether we call it God, Spirit, or Matter. Whatever is is itself and can never be other than itself. Moreover, the very idea of ultimateness carries with it the idea of perfection and completeness. If ultimate excellence is a matter of evolution in time for the Evolving God, then, reversing the process, we may imagine the Evolving God as having been in an infinitely undeveloped state and condition away back in the infinite past. The conception is scarcely worthy of a moment's serious consideration. We mention it merely because unthinking persons have been caught by the idea as advanced by illogical teachers.

By its very essence, nature, substance, and REALITY, REALITY must be complete, perfect, infinite, and ultimate. To such REALITY there can come no change; it must be immutable from the very facts of its existence. Therefore, REALITY is perceived to be immutable, changeless, unchangeable, incapable of change, not susceptible to change, invariable, constant, stable, unalterable.

Table of Content

Table of Content

STATEMENT: REALITY is SPIRIT; SPIRIT is REALITY. Such is the high report of the philosophical reasoning of the human mind in its search for a fitting term for its concept of REALITY.

THERE HAVE been philosophers who claimed that REALITY is Substance; others that it is Energy; others that it is Life; others that it is Mind; others that it is Law. But each of these conceptions is perceived to be but a partial statement of a greater fact. REALITY is substance, energy, life, mind, and law— and yet is greater than any one of these by itself. It combines the nature of each and yet transcends them considered separately.

There is but one term which begins to express the concept of the nature of REALITY—the term "SPIRIT."

The term "SPIRIT," originally clear in conception and meaning, has become more or less uncertain by reason of common and ignorant usage. We must go to its source in order to perceive it in its original purity.

It is derived from the Latin word Spiritus , which had its origin in the Older Latin word spirare , meaning "to breathe." The term "breath" (in its various forms in the different ancient languages) was always used by the philosophers, metaphysicians, theologians, and mystics in its esoteric or inner sense, and not in the exoteric or outer sense of physical respiration. The writer of the book of Genesis, whether he be Moses or some other man well versed in esoteric lore, was fully aware of this esoteric phase of the term. He says: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life " (GENESIS 11: 7). In the original Hebrew text we find this sentence terminating with the words " neshemet ruach chayim ," the exact translation of which is "the breath of the Spirit of Life." In the ancient Hebrew the word " neshemet " meant the ordinary physical breath; while the word " ruach " meant "the Spirit of Life." In the Hebrew scriptures, and those of other peoples, we find a constant repetition of the words which can be translated only into the English "Spirit," the esoteric or inner sense always being clearly indicated. We find statements similar to "God is Spirit," etc., in all the sacred writings of the race. Only the densest mind could imagine that these writers meant that the Supreme Being was to be considered as a breath of air . On the contrary, the term "Spirit," in its various forms and equivalents, always has indicated the essence of life and being. We find it so used in the Christian Religion, as, for instance, "The Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost," etc. In "Holy Ghost" the word "ghost" is used in its original sense, in which it was identical with "Spirit." In the original Greek the term "Holy Spirit" is employed, but in the translation the Anglo-Saxon term was substituted. The original sense is indicated in the passage "were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." The Greek term "Pneuma" is equivalent to the English term "Spirit," and, like the Latin term from which the English one is derived, had its exoteric meaning of "physical breath" and its esoteric meaning of "Spirit."

The essence of the term "Spirit" has always been that of the idea of immateriality . Even in its wider and broader usage the term "Spirit" is seen to carry with it the idea of "essence," essential substance, essential energy, essential nature, essential being, essential mind, essential life. We find the various definitions of the several usages of "Spirit," as follows: "Life in itself; Life or living substance considered independently of corporeal existence; the immaterial part of man; the soul, in distinction from the body in which it resides; a disembodied soul, energy, vivacity, ardor, enthusiasm, etc.; temper or disposition of mind; intent or real meaning as opposed to the letter or formal statement; characteristic quality, as ‘the Spirit of the enterprise,' etc.; tenuous, volatile, airy, or vaporous substance possessed of active qualities; and, finally, that which pervades and tempers the whole nature of a thing; the active, vital, or essential part of anything; essence, quintessence, actuating principle ."

In this inquiry the term "Spirit" is used in the sense of the Ultimate REALITY, Ultimate BEING, the ULTIMATE ESSENCE, NATURE, SUBSTANCE, AND VERY BEING OF ALL-THAT-IS. In REALITY "SPIRIT" defies definition; and yet the human mind seeks intuitively to grasp the general idea sought to be conveyed. We feel assured that each student of these lessons also will so intuitively sense the idea sought to be conveyed in and by the term.