Re: [asa] Dinosaurs and God

Johan, what good questions.

It seems to me that the issues of divine foreknowledge and intention are
always difficult to articulate theologically, since God's specific
intentions are not evident, if one takes the position, as I do, that divine
action in creation is hidden. One way to look at it theologically is the
position taken by St. Thomas Aquinas in his theological reflections on evil,
one common to medieval theology from Augustine on. He writes:

 "That whole composed of the universe of creatures is the better and more
complete for including some things which can and do fall from goodness
without God preventing it. First, because it befits Providence, as
Dionysius reflects, to respect nature, not destroy it; and the nature of
things so has it that what can fall away sometimes will. Again, as Augustine
remarks, because God is so very powerful that he can even bring good out of
evil. Hence many goods would disappear were he to permit no evil."

                                                            Thomas Aquinas,
Summa theologiae, Ia, 48, 3

Bob continues:

If one looks at the extinction of the dinosaurs (by whatever natural means)
as an example of nature "falling away" (and understanding "goodness" as the
essential quality of nature), then the rise of mammalian life and the
eventual evolution of the hominid species that reached a stage of
development in which one (or more) species were able to enter into communion
with God, might be seen as the bringing of good out of evil.

Still, these are questions with no easy answers.

Grace and peace,

Bob Schneider

----- Original Message -----
From: "Johan Jammart" <j_jammart@yahoo.fr>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2007 5:41 AM
Subject: [asa] Dinosaurs and God

> It is generally agreed that a meteorite (sometimes denied and replace by
> climatic change due to several factors) have caused the extinction of the
> dinosaurs. We can say that the dinosaur have disappear due to natural
> phenomena and not directly by the mechanism of evolution. We know too that
> the extinction of the dinosaurs have let the place for hominid to evolve
> and let the human race arise. How to reconcile these facts with the belief
> in God? Was this great extinction intended by God directly or was it just
> a random natural phenomena? Was this extinction predicted by God in His
> Omniscience when He chose mechanism of evolution? I have got many
> questions on this subject...
>
> Your help, advices and opinions on this would be greatly appreciate! Many
> thanks in advance!
>
> Blessings,
>
> Johan
>
>
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Received on Sun Jan 21 09:58:44 2007