Re: [asa] anti-evolutionism and deism

This sort of thing reminds me of the old "proof" of creatio ex nihilo - from back before people were aware that you can't always group terms of an infinite series arbitrarily:

1-1+1-1+ .... = (1-1) + (1-1) + .... = 0 + 0 + 0 .... = 0

1-1+1-1+ .... = 1 - (1-1) - (1-1) - .... = 1 - 0 = 1

Therefore 0 = 1.

Or, to be a bit more sophisticated, you can average the partial sums (Cesaro summation) 1, 0, 1, 0 to get 1/2.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Alexanian, Moorad
  To: Michael Roberts ; Freeman, Louise Margaret ; ASA Discussion Group
  Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 7:44 AM
  Subject: RE: [asa] anti-evolutionism and deism

  If you add the two equations you get God =0, which is incorrect. I think the second equation ought to read World-God = - infinity. Therefore by adding the two new equations one gets God =infinity.

  Moorad

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of Michael Roberts
  Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 2:03 AM
  To: Freeman, Louise Margaret; ASA Discussion Group
  Subject: Re: [asa] anti-evolutionism and deism

  About 70 years ago William Temple an Archbishop of Canterbury put it like this

  God-World =God

  World - God = 0

  I for one cannot see why the acceptance of evolution results in a diminished belief in God. It is better to see Genesis as a Whodunit than a Howdunnit.

  Michael

    ----- Original Message -----

    From: Freeman, Louise Margaret

    To: ASA Discussion Group

    Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 3:00 AM

    Subject: Re: [asa] anti-evolutionism and deism

    I'm having a source monitoring error because I can't remember if this is something that came up in the course I took with Ted at Messiah, or in a conversation with one of my deacons, but the suggestion was to ask this question.

    What happens if God were to vanish tomorrow?

    If you get an answer about humanity degenerating into irredeemable sin and ever-increasing wickedness until we destroy each other and human life ceases to exist (but the stars, planets and whatever organic life we leave behind continue as they were), you've got more of deist world-view, where God creates and then steps back.

    If you get an answer that all of creation vanishes with Him, because nothing can exist without the Creator and Sustainer God, then you've got a more theistic perspective, where God is actively engaged in everything that happens, "miraculous" or "natural."

    Note that either answer is compatible with both an evolutionary and a special creation view of origins.

    __
    Louise M. Freeman, PhD
    Psychology Dept
    Mary Baldwin College
    Staunton, VA 24401
    540-887-7326
    FAX 540-887-7121

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Received on Fri Apr 20 10:02:30 2007