Re: [asa] God as Cause

Dave -

For the reasons you give in your 2d paragraph, I try to use the term "causal network" rather than "causal chain."

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: D. F. Siemens, Jr.
  To: wgreen82004@yahoo.com
  Cc: asa@calvin.edu
  Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 1:30 PM
  Subject: Re: [asa] God as Cause

  I think part of the problem is the ambiguity of "cause." There is the cause-effect chain, in which each effect is the cause of the next effect. This is the area of secondary causes, all that science can investigate. There is the first cause, which cannot be in a chain, for it strictly initiates matters and, within theism, depends solely on the freedom of the First Cause. Then, to dive into a controversial area, there is the matter of causation based on human free will. Like it or not, there is a kind of break when a stimulus/cause produces a human reaction. But this is interpreted as simply a set of causes too complex for immediate analysis by those devoted to metaphysical naturalism.

  I have used "causal chain" because it is the usual locution. However, causality involves a multiple array of processes or states or whatever (a further area of dispute). For example, one may say that flipping a switch will cause that bulb to glow. This may be considered the precipitating step. But there are a host of tacit assumptions about causes involved: that it's the right switch, that the bulb hasn't burnt out, that the fuses or breakers are connecting, that the generator is working, that the distribution system is functional, etc., etc. This is so complex that I hold that seldom if ever do we present the total causal nexus for a phenomenon.
  Dave

  On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 09:01:37 -0800 (PST) Bill Green <wgreen82004@yahoo.com> writes:
    Thanks for all of your input, floks, but I remain confused about the issue.

    In what sense is God the cause of all natural processes?

    Is there a causal link between God and natural processes?

    Thanks,

    Bill Green

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Received on Wed Jan 10 19:04:12 2007