From: bivalve (bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com)
Date: Fri Sep 19 2003 - 17:56:08 EDT
>>You can not accomodate the Christian God on the one hand and then say He doesn't actually do anything on the other.<<
This suggests that God is not involved in events that occur naturally. In contrast, traditional theology affirms His involvement in all that happens, whether or not form-conferring miracles are involved.
At a basic level, if God is smart enough and powerful enough to create a universe with all the physical properties necessary for the evolution of complex life without form-conferring miracles, then the general idea of robust formational economy is not incompatible with Christianity.
Some Biblical lines of evidence that support the idea of limited roles for form-conferring miracles include their general rarity, the special role of miracles as signs and the inappropriateness of their use for convenience, showing off, etc. (see especially the temptation of Jesus), God's self-consistency, and the need for reasonably consistent behavior of creation in order for us to be competent rulers over it.
Dr. David Campbell
Old Seashells
University of Alabama
Biodiversity & Systematics
Dept. Biological Sciences
Box 870345
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0345 USA
bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com
That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa
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