A couple of grunts from an intelligent ape I’m a slow thinker, I admit it. But there’s no harm in that. Rather the reverse, in fact. It often seems to me that a lot of the trouble in the world comes from hastily expressed opinion. I like lots of time to reflect on things. A case in point concerns a sermon that was given by our minister last June, if my memory serves me correctly. It was particularly splendid, I thought, and it impressed me deeply. Stimulating, inspiring, entertaining, thought provoking, superbly well put together – what more could any one ask? Except . . . except . . . I have to admit that there was one particular phrase that bothered me slightly and has been niggling at me ever since. Not that I took exception to it, you understand, for we all have a right to our point of view, but still . . . If I understood correctly, the minister suggested that if we did not subscribe to the idea that there exists in the universe some kind of benevolent deity or divine being, and some kind of overall plan, then we would have to face the fact that we are all ‘no more than intelligent apes’. The inference seemed to be that this state was a very undesirable one and that the possibility was greatly to be deplored. Now, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak up, and it seems to me that this time has come. We intelligent apes are modest creatures on the whole, and don’t shout too much about our beliefs or about what we hold dear, and we tend to keep our heads down and get on with things and not cause any trouble, but we have our pride like everybody else and no one likes to be dismissed out of hand without being given a hearing. Even a hairy toe doesn’t like to be trodden on. After all, what’s wrong with being an intelligent ape? Just think! We are at the highest pinnacle of evolution – a process, possibly unique to this planet, which has been going on since the emergence of life itself – equipped with all our attributes and abilities and creative powers, and distinguished from the animals who are akin to us by that most remarkable quality of consciousness. What could be more wonderful than that? This notion of divinity I find confusing. Perhaps an ape can have a divine spark too – perhaps it comes with consciousness – but I don’t think any of us apes give credence to an external divine power. There is wonder and mystery and possibility enough in the universe as it is. Perhaps the problem is one of terminology. One of the hymns we sing expresses it rather well: ‘some call it evolution and others call it God’. Evolution does me just fine. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t deny the existence of God. No sane intelligent ape would. No more than I would deny the existence of Beauty. It just seems to me that this creation thing is always presented the wrong way round. It’s not that God created us, it’s the other way about. Wasn’t it the poet Blake who said that all the gods and all the devils in the world reside within the human breast? I could never put it that well, but I know exactly what he meant. If there had never been any humans in the world there wouldn’t be gods or devils here either. Humans created him (or her or it), and some epochs and civilizations made a better job of it than others. If you think about it, God too has been evolving over the centuries. It seems to bother some people that intelligent apes are no-account folks, with no role in the great scheme of things and no life expectancy after this one. Funny, that. It never bothers me. I don’t need to feel important. I look up at the stars on a clear night and wonder about things, and I find it a very comforting thought that we come and we go and the great universe wheels on its way regardless. But, meanwhile, aren’t we lucky to be here! Jennifer Flegg Cover