Occasionally these days a Darwinist will condemn the “Designer” for having produced an imperfect piece of handiwork – and thereby cast aspersions on the Designer’s existence.

Sometimes the Darwinist will include remarks on the vicissitudes of life here on earth. Usually this is because the Darwinist is unaware of the metaphysics of occultism. Reincarnation, karma and the long-term spiritual evolution of humanity make rational sense out of those vicissitudes.

That leaves an interesting question concerning the imperfections in the design of these physical life forms. Perhaps the same issue was floated in 1888 when Blavatsky published “The Secret Doctrine” because she mentions this several times.

For, it is those terrestrial spirits of Nature, who form the aggregated Nature; which, if it fails occasionally in its design, is neither to be considered blind, nor to be taxed with the failure; since, belonging to a differentiated sum of qualities and attributes, it is in virtue of that alone conditioned and imperfect. (SDii732-3)

Here she specifically disclaims omnipotence and omniscience for those designers.

But there are certainly “designers,” though these are neither omnipotent nor omniscient in the absolute sense of the term. They are simply Builders, or Masons, working under the impulse given them by the ever-to-be-unknown, (on our plane) Master Mason – the ONE LIFE and Law. Belonging to this sphere, they have no hand in, or possibility of working on any other, during the present Manvantara, at any rate. That they work in cycles and on a strictly geometrical and mathematical scale of progression, is what the extinct animal species amply demonstrate; that they act by design in the details of minor lives (of side animal issues, etc.) is what natural history has sufficient evidence for.

Again, she references the imperfection of the designers making them not fit subjects for worship.

This results in a perpetual series of physical manifestations and moral effects on Earth, during manvantaric periods, the whole being subservient to Karma. As that process is not always perfect; and since, however many proofs it may exhibit of a guiding intelligence behind the veil, it still shows gaps and flaws, and even results very often in evident failures – therefore, neither the collective Host (Demiurgos), nor any of the working powers individually, are proper subjects for divine honours or worship.

In this way the ancient wisdom contrasts again with standard theistic religion. The imperfections are philosophically an annoyance in the argument if God, the Designer, is omnipotent and omniscient. However, those imperfections are only natural in the understanding of the sages.

The evidence of imperfection again points to ancient wisdom over standard religion and answers the criticisms of the Darwinists.

-Reed Carson, Co-founder of Theosophy Foundation, Inc., and this website: blavatsky.net.

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