On Sat, 30 Mar 2002 21:04:22 -0500 "Robert Schneider"
<rjschn39@bellsouth.net> writes:
See below
----- Original Message -----
From: Howard J. Van Till
To: D. F. Siemens, Jr.
Cc: rjschn39@bellsouth.net ; asa@calvin.edu
Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: Current Events
Dave wrote:
There is a different area involving human beings which has often been
mistaken for indeterminism, human freedom. Actually, free will or choice
falls under a special type of determinism, self-determination, an area
where we are, though limited, initiating causes. (Only God is an
unlimited or unrestricted originating or initiating cause.)
Howard wrote:
Are we back to the question about God being, in some beneficial way,
restricted"? I'm not convinced that all restrictions are necessarily to b
e rejected
Bob's comment:
Is there a sense in which one could say that human free will is also
"restricted"? Do not human beings voluntarily restrict their freedom out
of the realization that self-chosen restrictions make possible the
fullness of being human, hence are beneficial. Is there a paradox here:
the absolute freedom of the will to choose restricted by certain free
choices?
Could be say, using the word that Hartshorne doesn't like, that God
compassionately liberates the world from God's own omnipotence? (I say
"compassionately" because, as Aquinas asserted, compassion is the
expression of Love, which is the one thing that can be attributed to God
univocally (on the basis of revelation): "God is Love.")
Wish I'd have thought of the point you make about the necessary
consistency of our choices.
Dave
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