If it is true that we are accidents, the chances that an accidental grouping on molecules and atoms would ever discover this truth is too astronomical to give any credence to. Besides, Jesus of Nazareth made it perfectly clear that we are not accidents. So, I have a choice of believing him or Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. Guess what, I’m taking the testimony of Jesus.

I think that when conditions are right our souls, spirits, energy manifests and when conditions are incorrect we cease to manifest. We do not cease to exist as one of the laws of nature states that matter cannot be created nor can it be destroyed.

For anyone who is interested, here is a really good four-part lecture that I just finished, which talks about this somewhat in an expanded Christian point of view with a Veda flare. http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/cota/ Personally, I really enjoyed these layman (so-to-speak) lectures of how God manifest himself in us, which I found enlightening, even tho it’s from 86 years ago. Hope you enjoy it.
Love, Char
The Consciousness of the Atom
by Alice A. Bailey
[1922]
Title Page
Table of Contents
Foreword
Lecture I. The Field of Evolution
Lecture II. The Evolution of Substance
Lecture III. The Evolution of Form, or Group Evolution
Lecture IV. The Evolution of Man, the Thinker
Lecture V. The Evolution of Consciousness
Lecture VI. The Goal of Evolution
Lecture VII. Cosmic Evolution

I am necessary, and I am contingent.
By the fact of my existence I am necessary, as shown by the existence of a specific universe to this point which has brought about my particular existence.
I am contingent, as my existence is not an “in itself” existence, but one that is dependent.
So, existence is not an accident, but there are limits to our ability to reflect it, (we are not complete and perfect mirrors). The form is insufficient to contain the formless, that which is the basis of the existent. It is like a fractal equation which stands by itself without regard to its instantiation into expression, and in which any part of the expression is intimately and contingently related to the equation. No equation, no expression. And yet, there is expression, hence our necessity as well as our contingency.
Science is not inherently closed and I think that it is popular misconception to think of science as stating the universe is “other” or separable or dead. Life arises upon and within this universe, so how can it not be seen as the basis and foundation of life. Can life stand on its own? No. Remove oxygen and the chemical processes of life stop.
The problem today is twofold. We have power to affect change and are driven by unenlightened self-interest that propagates as an expanding mono-culture. We do not mitigate this individually and collectively enough to hold back the changes of correction that will take place in the larger eco-systems to check us if we fail to self-correct.
I do not need to envisage an anthropomorphic deity, which is the exoteric form of religion, to know that there is inherent contingency and also necessity. I can act informed by primary religious experience and science, (instinct and emotion as well as rational intellect), and that is the best I can do.
The real question is, what will I do, how will I live my life?

I do not believe we are accidents.
If I take my reasons from personal experience I will be trusting my most knowing source.
Science has a way of pointing to that which living things become as adaptions to the survival of that species. We have exhibited the trait of being religious or spiritual or having a relationship with a being we generally refer to as god. All cultures for as long as can be studied have had this being as an important and central focus in their existence. Why? Are we so silly as to create this “story”? Why? It makes no sense. I think the creator hard wired us to know who we are if we only pay attention and find this written in knowledge.
In my personal experience, amazing inexplicable things happen easily when I interact with this being. There are way too many and they happen way too often for me to ever unbelieve that there is an interconnected source which is sympathetic with me. eg: When I ask for something, I receive it, sometimes faster than I can form the desire as a request in my linguistic mind. This can happen several times a day. Astounding! I love it. Jeannie

See again the trick; of where and who do we consider ourselves to be – subjective or objective.
Only if we know and are consciousness do you see this presumption of either as part of our mistakes to know and Be Consciousness.
There are two intellectual “modern cultural approaches” we can take in our conversation life if we identify with the body as separate and living in a 4 dimensional physical universe. One is scientific materialism the other is religious provincialism. Speaking form either one we are identified as a separate individual in some kind of system; static and attempting to figure out what is so and where we are and who we are and how do we control the environment so as to prolong life – - hmmmm.
However, When We Are Consciousness or Standing As Present Being – where all arises to you “AS YOUR NATURE” – then our discussions are radically different. For when we are Consciousness we are no longer identified with the limitations of the concepts or effected by the absence of laws of any objective position. And in fact, here it is true of subjective, as a position in consciousness is also as restricting to developing true personal power to learn, teach or cause.
Only when the conversion at the level of our conscious attention has occurred, as part of our growth, are we capable to see, comprehend and utilize both subjective and objective AS THEY ARE – because we have no reaction to the condition of either reality but spontaneously choose to use their information as guides to further our Spiritual growth – THEN Consciousness Is Awake As Our Individuated Being.

Hello Deppak
First of all, what is an accident? something that happened, and wasnt supposed to happen? then who did the accident? Nobody? Nothing? OPS! that is definitely a new perspective for me.
Things happen for no reason??? so why do you think, you have a reason? in beliving so???
We are ONE, enjoying ourself, that doesn´t mean we cant wake up!!!
Love

Hi Deepak,
I want to know more of how things can happen for a reason? I know from personal experience that we recieve what we ask? Does it mean we get good and bad? I want to know and understand more of God, how can I go abt it?

Dear Dr. Chopra,
From the perspective of philosophical scholarship, both atheism and theism are merely differing philosophical viewpoints. Atheism cannot be spoken of in generalized terms any more than theism can be. It seems there are many schools of thought among atheists just as there are among theists. It is not necessarily reductionist; not all atheists postulate unequivocally that we are “accidents”; and biology is a science not a philosophy. Being atheist does not necessarily mean that one is automatically antagonistic toward theism or any other more abstract, esoteric or mystical philosophies. In many cases, it doesn’t even mean that one doesn’t believe in God, however one might think of God. Deists and agnostics also might be considered atheists in that they personally reject theistic dogma.
Anti-theism or New Atheism as it’s become more widely known, however, seems a very different animal. It is entirely political, actively hostile and appears as egregiously authoritarian as its dogmatic, theistic counterpart: religious fundamentalism. Despite all the socio-political wrangling between the absolutists of either side, however, there is still a wide and varied spectrum of existential thought ranged between them.
As far as this relates to science: Both sides of the political debates appear to be far overstepping their bounds. The sciences pertain to physical reality, what it’s made of and how it works whereas philosophy pertains to the meaning of existence and how it relates to the value we confer upon our lives and those of all others. On the political front, while creationists attempt to slip religion in the guise of science into our nations’ classrooms and are correctly challenged by biologists aware that what they are peddling is not a scientific theory, few notice that Anti-theists, in their eagerness to promote atheism, themselves manage to postulate an untestable hypothesis, which is hardly scientific.
The mistake opponents on both sides make, I think, is that they fail to differentiate religion from spirituality. The human soul or the essence of our metaphysical selves (if one prefers the secular term), which might be defined as the combination of mind, emotion and will, is not a physical entity though it may arise from physical processes. In criticisms of the harm organized religion is capable of doing, Anti-theists further manage to attack any and all forms of personal spirituality with the result being that their arguments generally reach only other atheists.
Religion is an institution — a social construct — which, like all our social institutions, suffers primarily from the temptation to power over others that appears to be inherent in merely being human. Many people identify so strongly with their particular religion due to the fact that it is rooted in social traditions, that they are unable to separate it in the mind from criticisms of religion. Some criticisms are legitimate as in the case of the creation/evolution debates. Many others are not and this is by no means confined to the religion/science debates. Partisans of every socio-political persuasion one can imagine seem not nearly as adept at self-analysis and correction as criticism and judgment of the Other.
As Vivekananda noted in his address to The Parliament of Religions in 1893: “That has been the difficulty all the while. I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking the whole world is my little well. The Christian sits in his little well and thinks the whole world is his well. The Mohamedan sits in his little well and thinks that is the whole world.”
One can envision that if human beings ever evolve beyond the fractious partisanship we seem intent upon engaging in as a species, we might just have it made. Unless I’m mistaken, that’s what religion was originally designed to help us accomplish.

Mr Chopra,

I am a real believer in who you are and hat you do ….but relay ….have you ever thought to just stop!
It is like you try to question everything….and this goes on and on…and on !
Why!