Sorry I haven't responded earlier to this post. I will try to answer LindaBee2's questions.
All of your questions are about the human brain. You asked [1] where our conscience, [2] our ability to make decisions, [3] our inteligence and [4] our emotions come from. You claim that they all came from god.
1. If there is no God, where do our consciences come from?
Apparently, some people* have suggested theories that try to find a biological explanation for our conscience. I have not read these books yet.
The brain is made up of living tissue (brain cells). I think its quite reasonable to assume that everything that comes from our brains is as natural as the brain itself. Your questions imply that these four things you mentioned are 'given' to us, or put into our brain by some outside force (god). I think that self-awareness is not something divine, but is a trait that a lot of animals seem to share with us. They might not recognise themselves in the mirror (because mirrors as clear as we make them do not appear in nature, so they have no idea what they're looking at), they are aware of themselves through the nerves that run through the body.
2. If there is no God, where does our ability to make decisions come from?
The ability to make decisions is one of our oldest traits. The 'fight or flight response' is propably the first sign of 'decision making' we see in nature. Making a decision simply means looking at the situation and predicting what outcome is (most) beneficial for you. Even brainless star fish can make decisions: The photo-sensative cells at the end of their tentacles 'see' a larger, carnivorous star fish approaching. They have to make a decision:
1. I can stay here and ignore the star fish
2. I can fight the star fish
3. I can run away
There is no indication that the smaller star fish will actually refer to himself as 'I', but you get the point. Option 1 means there is a good chance the bigger star fish will eat him. Option 2 would be a possibility is the smaller star fish had some type of poison that would kill the larger star fish, but this star fish is not poisonous. Option 3 means the smaller star fish has a good chance to survive, and this is the choice we see small star fish make in nature (or on discovery channel )
Decision making is not a unique, and divine trait. Its a trait that must have appeared at the same time (actually: in response to) the first predators.
3. If there is no God, where does our intelligence come from?
Growing more intelligent can increase the chances of survival for a life form. It is consistent with an evolutionist's view. I could ask you in return: Why do you think intelligence did NOT evolve along a natural way? Where do you see evidence that a god had anything to do with the process?
It is often assumed that humans are the 'best' of all of natures creatures. (Some go as far as denying that they are in fact a species of animals: Homo sapiens sapiens) The bible points out that man rules over all the animals (somewhere at the beginning of genesis), and this is probably where everybody gets their ideas from that 'man is better than animals.' Becoming an intelligent species is one of the many ways evolution manipulates life forms. Though the brain is so complex that we haven't been able to fully understand it (yet), we do know that it IS something purely natural, and that ethics, art, emotions, intelligence and every other 'trait' is nothing more than some firing synapses in that big piece of gray matter.
4. If there is no God, where do our emotions come from?
Here too, it is assumed that we are the only animal who expresses a supposedly 'divine' trait.
Emotions are ways of communicating. Expressing emotion is only functional if there are others around to notice them. Emotions let other members of a group see your (mental/physical) condition. Anger when another male tries to mate with your female, sadness when a calf dies (we see it in social animals like elephants and whales), happiness after procreation/finding food/escaping a predator, we could even say we see love in monogamous animals like lions and some types of birds.
Humans are social animals as well, and it is not surprisingly that we show emotions as well. Its a natural trait that evolved along with group life. I see no reason to give credit to a god for this, because it seems like a perfectly natural thing to me.
Now you can answer me this:
- Where do you see evidence of a god when it comes to 'conscience'?
- Why is 'decision making' a divine trait?
- Why is intelligence something divine?
- Can you point out god's involvement when it comes to 'emotins'?
If the other creationists on this forum are right, then science will back up what is written in the bible. Please answer me these four questions. Science SHOULD be able to proof god's involvement in these things. If not, than you might consider that these traits are purely natural. (Pointing out the section of the bible that says god gave mankind these traits are not proof of god's involvement.)
* Dennett, Daniel C., 1991. Consciousness Explained. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Minsky, M., 1985. The Society of Mind. New York: Simon & Schuster.