The following comments and analysis are offered as a personal opinion that creationism and evolution should be viewed as complementary to each other. This idea is not intended to be sacrilegious in any sense of the word. This writer is a firm believer of an almighty God and Creator, but he believes there is a definite connection between the two beliefs.

Billions of years ago the first cell of life became a fact. Exactly what form or direction it would take was in the mind of the creator, but there was a plan. That cell would have to grow and adapt to a newly formed earth that was in a violent stage of development. It would have to pass through conditions unimaginable to human beings today. That cell would have to survive the time consuming period of overcoming the violent formation of an earth devoid of a livable temperature, no atmosphere, violent earthquakes, an earth on which only a God given gift, life, could exist.

That cell would multiply and develop its existence to overcome these tremendous obstacles of earth's creation. It would progress through various stages as the Creator had intended, which in time would become man and woman as we are today. The Creator knew humans, as we know them today, could not exist in the conditions that prevailed at Earth's birth. Thus he willed a path of slow evolvement that in time would overcome these perils. Somewhere in that first cell there were the ingredients that would one day become man and woman, but that evolvement would take place, over time, to adjust to the changing conditions of Earth's eventual formation.

That initial cell would follow many different paths before it would one day reach the stage of being a primate. What those various stages were, may never be known, but the design our Creator, God, had in mind adjusted to each of those stages of earth's development In time that cell reached a point where man and woman had become a full body capable of mental reasoning. With that capability they began to accept the fact there many things about them, which presented questions. Questions which they did not understand, and which they did not have an answer.

This realization of events around them, which at times may have been fearful, undoubtedly posed the question of, "why." Why did the sun rise and set, where did it go, what were the stars, why didn't the moon shine every night. why was it cold at some times, and then hot? Perhaps even the death of one of their kind imposed a fear. With all of these questions they had to turn to some belief for answers and help.

These conditions may have been the reason man and woman Created their God. Not the one we worship and believe in today, but one that might be the answer to calm their fears. It is not blasphemous to say they had their God, for this is a time eons before Christianity was formed. It was the time of evolvement when their God passed through many phases of belief. Their God was their religion, and included times of worship to idols, sacrifice, both animal and human, elements of the universe, and Gods of self design to fit their spiritual needs.

It is my belief that our Creator, Our God, did not intend to place a completely composed and perfect man and woman on earth at one time. His design was to provide a living cell that would grow, mature and eventually evolve into a being capable of sound reasoning and positive belief in right from wrong. The many obstacles to overcome with the development of our earth were the stepping stones of evolution.

The fields of anthropology and archeology have traced many of the steps in the evolvement of mankind, and there were many. To my knowledge they cannot or have not been able to decipher the path or the full intent of that first cell of life. That answer must remain with our Creator, our God. If there is any doubt as to his intent, just look around and see the wonders he created to help ease and comfort mankind on his journey through life. The flowers and fauna, no two are alike and pay attention to the delicacy of each. The abundance of minerals he created on earth for man to develop into the many necessities we enjoy today. The trees of beauty that provide the atmosphere that surrounds us and cleanses the air which we breathe. Most important of all is the soul he gave us as an individual being, a power incapable of being defined. All of this evolved from his creation. Is there any doubt that the first cell and its evolution are not essential to each other?

Fred Hamelrath is a Hayden resident.