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By Root 439 0

the solipsistic curse of separate languages. But, although humans in their waking state are able to send messages to plants and animals, they are not able to intercept either the information these beings exchange or the answers they send back. For a true interlocutory relation to be established between natureâs beings and human beings, their respective souls must leave their bodies and free themselves of the material constraints of speech by which they are ordinarily bound. Soul journeys occur mainly during dreams or trances brought on by hallucinogenic drinks made from Datura (maikiua) or Banisteriopsis (natem). Shamans are particularly adept at controlling the wanderings of their conscious double, as they have a great deal of practical experience in sending out their souls. But this is not an exclusive prerogative of shamans, and anyone, man, woman, or child, under certain circumstances, is capable of sending his soul beyond the narrow confines of the body in order to dialogue directly with the double of another of natureâs beings, be it human, plant, animal, or supernatural spiritâ (pp. 99â100).

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P. 22: THE OWNER OF ANIMALS AS JAGUAR AND TRANSFORMER

Reichel-Dolmatoff (1978) writes about the master of animals as understood by the Desana people of the Colombian Amazon: âVai-mahsë will appear to many people in many disguisesâ¦. Assuming the functions of a fertilizing rain god, he is imagined as hurling his thunderbolts of white quartz splinters or, rather, he turns himself into a bolt that suddenly strikes a hill, a tree, or even a house. People say: vai-mahsë mohó yuriáya, âvai-mahsëâlet fallâhis weaponâ; or they might say: yee mohó yuriáya, the word yee standing for either jaguar or shaman. In fact, the Master of Animals is both; in jaguar form he dominates all other animals, and among his creatures he is the wise shaman, the protector, the mediator between the hunter and his prey. He might also manifest himself in a great storm, or as a cock of the rock displaying his bright yellow plumage, or as a lizard, a fish, or a cacique bird.â (pp. 262â63).

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P. 26: INTELLIGENT DESIGN AND THE DESIGNER

Dembski (1999) writes in his book Intelligent Design: The Bridge between Science and Theology: âTo say that God through the divine Logos acts as an intelligent agent to create the world is only half the story. Yes, there is a deep and fundamental connection between God as divine Logos and God as intelligent agentâindeed the very words logos and intelligence derive from the same Indo-European root. The world, however, is more than simply the product of an intelligent agent. In addition, the world is intelligibleâ¦Human language is a divine gift for helping us to understand the world and by understanding the world to understand God himself. This is not to say that we ever comprehend God as in achieving fixed, final and exhaustive knowledge of God. But human language does enable us to express accurate claims about God and the world. It is vitally important for the Christian to understand this point. Human language is not an evolutionary refinement of grunts and stammers formerly uttered by some putative apelike ancestors. We are creatures made in the divine image. Human language is therefore a divine gift that mirrors the divine Logosâ (pp. 229â30). Behe (2001) writes: âA theory of intelligent design, however, holds implicit that there is a designer capable of planning and executing the phenomenal intricacies of life on earth. Although there are, at least in theory, some exotic candidates for the role of designer that might be compatible with materialist philosophy (such as space aliens or time travelers), few people will be convinced by these and will conclude that the designer is beyond nature. Many scientists are unable or unwilling to accept such a designer because that goes against their prior commitment to materialism, or at least to a functional materialism in the course of their work. Nonetheless, I remain optimistic that the scientific community will eventually accept intelligent design, even if the acceptance