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Creation and Evolution: The Problem of Evil in the
                    Writings and Lectures of Alexander Men             1


                                   DANIEL MULLANEY


                                Alexander Men (1935–1990)
            WE SHALL begin by discussing Men’s understanding of the nature of humanity
            and  the  Fall  of  Adam,  before  considering  his  interpretation  of  Genesis  1
            including cosmic and angelic Falls. Finally, we shall look at Men’s understanding
            of metaphysics, freedom and the nature of evil.

            A. The Nature of Humanity and the Fal of Adam
            I. A QUALITATIVE SHIFT TOWARDS HUMANITY
            We  have  already  discussed  in  Part  1  the  importance  for  Men  of  a  real
            qualitative distinction between animals and humans. Men sees the breathing of
            God’s  spirit  into  a  man  made  from  the  dust  of  the  earth  (Gen  2:7)  as  the
            scriptural  evidence  for  this.  Adam  is  miraculously  created  as  capable  of
                                     2
            carrying spirit and  this  is an  aspect of  his being that is beyond rational and
            therefore scientific comprehension.
                  For Men, The Garden of Eden of Genesis 2 is a reflection of this period
            when  the first humans were able to communicate with God directly in  spirit.
            Its depiction in Genesis 2 is the result of ‘obscure reflections of that hour of
                 3
            dawn’  of God’s blessing , stored in  the common human memory. The Garden
                                 4
            represents a time when the first humans were still in harmony with God, with
            nature and  each other.  Men  illustrates this in  A Tale of  Human Origins,  where
            Ugly  has  dreams  given  to  him  by  the  Lord  of  al  beasts  and  people.  Ugly  can
            communicate directly with God, and God provides for him.




            1  This is the continuation of a thesis from the previous issue.
            2  Men: Magicism and Monotheism, Appendix 8, Part 6. В Поисках Пути, Истины и Жизни – Том
            2. Магизм и Единобожие. [Издательство “Слово”. Москва. 1991 г] (In search of the Way, the
            Truth and the Life – Book 2: Magicism and Monotheism. Publishing House ‘Word’. Moscow. 1991).
            Can be found at http://www.alexandermen.ru/pan.html
            3  Men: Magicism and Monotheism, Appendix 8, Part 6
            4  Represented by the motif of a garden, as in Isaiah 41:18-19


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