Is God Required for a life to have Direction and Purpose?

Creation - ISM? Is that anything like Confusion-ISM? To literalize a parable is what they have done. To take a child's story, (that's what it was) and insist that adults continue to think in those same terms? That was not the intent of the author. I believe the author designed the writings to capture the imagination of a child, and he also encoded scientific things within the text so that as a child grew there would be found more reasons to continue reading the writings and to glean the hidden knowledge from it.
The traditional Creationist view is a gentile conception of a Hebrew work. There were writings that predate the bible, and the childish power mongerers of Big Religious empires refuse to allow the acceptance of the higher levels of thought, that the author of those texts did in fact place in the writings.
The little known fact that the very 1st word of the Hebrew Bible does Not mean "In The Beginning". It means "In Beginning" inferring to "In beginning THIS life, or this lifestyle" It is not a book about the physical realm so much as metaphysical. It's contents have been debated and pondered for 40 centuries. But I ask you, if taken literally, at all times does it make sense? If we can state that some of it is metaphoric, which parts are and which parts are not?
Okay, so much for Creation-ISM. The precept that God created this volatile and violent and unforgiving reality, so that we would repent and come back to paradise does wonders to alleviate the fears of a child, but the reality is that as we grow up; we are supposed to learn to control fear and face reality as it is, with all of its primeval horrors. Why?.....Life. The reason life even exists is because of war and randomness and chaotic behavior of matter and energy, of positive and negative charge, of gravity and the other physical forces. Life is the result from all of these things. It is not a result of peacefulness (This is also the indication of the 7th day sabbath rest; there was no rest, no peace during the act of creation, until afterward). The struggle, is called life. The struggles we overcome on this little hostile world are a training ground for the big time, taming space and the final frontier, which will be a much tougher struggle. Living life to its fullest is commensurate with overcoming obstacle after obstacle. I for one, am not a believer in some static obstacle-less place called Paradise. (Earth is Paradise, if we could stop destroying it.) I am not a traditionalist/Creationist. I am a realist that believes in the higher powers that act as one, absolutely, but I can safely say that some people never will grow up
and want to delude themselves into thinking that life is anything but a constant struggle, and want to try and enforce the literal interpretation of a parable upon all the rest of those who still trust and believe in what is commonly referred to as God. Evolution was the process by which God (if you will) created us. I have no problem accepting this. The Bible states this in a way, but it also states that the flesh is not the importance of the scriptures. The importance of the scriptures is really about how to face the challenges of life head on without fear, even death has a purpose, and no it was not because some snake got some broad to eat an apple or a comquat. Death is as much a part of life as is manure to a corn crop. My God why have they twisted your words? (Oh yeah, that's right, so that the few can control the many, through ignorance.)
Shalom

B"H
Okay, Have it your way, a M-Ds or a B-K special, coming right up!.Take an idea that you've toyed with, formulate a plan of action to make the idea a reality, then transform it into words that you can speak to others, words that promote a decision or an action. Then tell me that your words became flesh. This I can understand.
The Word become flesh, is actually saying that some one put the instructions into action.
Jesus isn't God, His words are. This is the concept that has been left behind, along with many other things. Did you know that Jesus celebrated Hanukah and not christmas? See the book of John, its in there. He went to the temple in the winter, for the feast of dedication (Hanukah). So am I wrong for choosing Hanukah over christmas? Am I wrong to think that the reality of the formation of all things, is really beyond our grasp? I can surmise this or that, but is it worth judging others for their opinions? Whether they're right or wrong, who am I to tell you or them?
I seek the origins of This reality, but I trust that what has been call God was here always, and always will be. The Big Bang, or the slow fizzle, maybe we take too much for granted. Heaven and hell are both part of the kingdom of God, as is this earth.
I do not have the same ideas of salvation as most people, either. I do not believe in a rapture. I believe the contract with God and Israel is still in force, I believe that as we figure out more answers to satisfy our curiousity, we will continue to have more questions. That is a beautiful thing about this life, it is a never ending story, especially if we are truly concerned for the welfare of the children who come after us. Learned behavior, is a start of a chain reaction that can lead to physiological changes in a species. In this Darwin was correct. The higher the intellect the faster the change, or evolvement.
There is plenty of scriptural texts to back Darwin, I was surprised that his attorney didn't use them. Have you read the case, "The Monkey Trial"?
The court system did the same to a very learned man, that the Church had done with Galileo, and Copernicus, and any that refuted false traditions of men. To include Moses, the prophets, and yes, even the Nazarene. I would wish that others would begin to study the creation account as a metaphor, it becomes almost a moot argument.
Would you like to be able to control the behavior of quarks and muons, with your thoughts? What if man does unravel the superstring? What pray tell do you think this beastial society would do with that knowledge? It would destroy itself in a matter of days.That is my opinion, of course but History is a great teacher.
At which frequency of oscillation do synapsi in the brain discharge and recharge, what is the inner clocking mechanism in the brain? And what would this have to do with 'the superstring theory'? It is a set of words, that were written in a language that utilizes the same symbols for both letters and their numerals. the Hebrew Bible is also a code, in mathematical language. It has been proven by atheists in the universities of MIT, Harvard, UC Berkley, Cal-Tech, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and Loyola, to name a few.
Therefore the word of god is also a formula for something of a grand design. Linguistics and entomology are very useful in finding what you seek. But I can not answer all that you ask. I can't answer all of my questions either. I simpoly state that there is plenty of room for a combination of Creationist evolutionism. Light & Peace to you seeker.

Yes, you are quite right that most people are not ready to embrace truth. They seem to be too busy with traditions, which they will blindly follow, and even fight and die for. Be that as it may, although we were gifted with the higher consciousness, and the ability to cogitate the immaterial universe so to speak, we need to be careful, and always remind ourselves that we are all still just children in comparison to the age of the universe. They are fragile and infantile when it comes to religion. Comparative Theology and mysticism is on a much higher plane than the type of statements you pointed out to me. They aren't able to accept the physical realities of evolution and Cosmology without having to clear house internally. Trying to get the Pope to obey the 7th day Sabbath, or a minister to go to a zoo and see some of the chimpanzee exhibitions of intelligence, or to go view the fossils themselves, or to go and see the earth's stata timelines in lmestone and shale. they can not accept details of certain Biblical things either.
I had a hard time breaking free of that prison myself. But I am sure in my faith. Perhaps that is why? Fear of letting go of the superstitions, even though they were not in the original theology or concept, because it is equated with losing faith?
I can both; have complete trust in the invisible omnipresent ALL, and know that evolution is simply the process My Higher power used, and is still using today.
I thank you Brad for your concern for my well being. Remember, to seek wisdom as well as knowledge, it is something I am still working on. They are 2 different things but they go hand in hand, as we get better at Living. May YHVH Elohim, The Father in heaven, the God of Avraham, Yitzak, and Yaacov,...and my God, bless you this day with His Light of enlightenment and life.Keep up the good work, I think you will find what you are searching for. Shalom Alechem