Natural Creation or Natural Selection?: A Complete New Theory of Evolution

Natural Creation or Natural Selection?: A Complete New Theory of Evolution is a theistic evolution book written by John Davidson and published by Element Books in 1992.

Overview
Davidson spent time with an Indian mystic where he studied the Hindu Sanskrit writings and developed a theory of spiritual evolution. He writes that from his studies in mysticism the physical universe is a projection of a supreme consciousness. In the book he claims that neo-Darwinian evolution does not offer a satisfactory concept of the origin and development of species, nor fits the evidence from the fossil record. He writes that Darwinism is a materialistic theory which misses the essence of life, a universal consciousness (life force) which he describes as a "formative mind" and equates with the Eastern religious concepts of God. According to Davidson evolution is not random and the formative mind is the driving force for evolution and all life in the universe.

What Davidson actually advocates is a form of panentheistic evolution, where all matter exists in God (universal consciousness). He writes that life on earth is driven by complex cycles called yugas which are described in the Hindu Sanskrit writings such as the Puranas. Davidson also supports non-Darwinian evolution such as the theories of Rupert Sheldrake and claims that telepathy and subtle energy fields are influencing biological evolution. Similar to other new age writers Davidson also writes that consciousness influences DNA.

Punctuated equilibrium
The book quotes Stephen J. Gould and Niles Eldredge many times, and claims that the "formative mind" is the cause of punctuated equilibrium and geologically rapid events of evolutionary change. Davidson writes that there is no gradualism in the fossil record and that mass extinctions have occured due to karma and the formative mind.

Creationism
The book uses many creationist arguments such as claiming no missing links have been found and that mutations are all harmful. Davidson accepts a form of common descent of species which he claims is driven by the "formative mind" a supreme consciousness. However he claims similarly to Hindu creationists that man has not evolved at all. According to Davidson humans have been on earth for billions of years. Similarly to Michael Cremo he lists ancient human artifacts which he claims are billions of years old and have been suppressed by the "evolutionists". In Chapter 10 "Man the fossil" Davison rejects descent for humans and writes that nothing in the fossil record links man with apes.