Re: [asa] Re: on TE and PT, a response to Gregory

No, Burgy, you are not a process theologian. There are pantheism,
panentheism (process theology) and theism. In pantheism, god is the
material universe. Thus Spinoza held that a change in matter involved a
change in mind, and vice versa. Mind and matter were for him the two
aspects of reality which we recognize, though there are an infinite total
number of characteristics. Theism holds that the deity and the universe
are distinct, which fits what you say. Panentheism tries to have a bit of
both the other views. This results in a deity which is necessarily
connected to the universe, but greater than the universe. This deity has
to try to persuade the universe, or its parts, to go along with what it
intends, but cannot compel or force it.

The similarity between process theology and open theology is that both
insist that the deity is restricted to time, thus knowing the future only
in part. But there is the difference between the joined god-matter and
the Creator of matter. I would wonder, from what you wrote, where the
mass-energy came from if God did not create it? The only other source
that I can think of comes from neo-Platonic emanationism, though it was
only the last, degenerate deity that created the universe. But one can
imagine a previous entity producing stuff for his successor to form.
Dave (ASA)

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:57:19 -0600 "j burg" <hossradbourne@gmail.com>
writes:
> On 1/31/08, Michael Roberts <michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >
> > The main problem with a discussion on PT on this list is that none
> hold to
> > PT so wont be the best to lead a discussion on it.
>
> I think that I may hold to a variation of process theology.
>
> My theology holds that God and the created universe are separate;
> God
> existed before the universe. I am not sure the creation was
> ex-nililo,
> but it may have been; that point seems to be unimportant.
>
> I hold that God can be -- and often is -- surprised by our
> decisions.
> How far that goes I do not know.
>
> It seems likely to me that over the eons God has "played" with his
> creation. Does that mean that there have been evolutionary paths
> not
> taken -- or paths taken which could not, even in theory, be
> explained
> by natural causes? I think so.
>
> I hold that humanity is, itself, non-natural -- supernatural, if
> you
> will. All I mean by that is that any of us is capable of changing
> the
> material universe, usually very slightly, in ways that cannot, even
> in
> principle, be "explained" by natural causation. I suspect that to
> some
> extent the animal kingdom (my lab, for instance) also participate
> in
> this.
>
> But all the above I hold only provisionally; none of it seems to be
> of
> primary importance to my Christian faith. It is just philosophical
> rambling, akin to a group of college sophomores with a buzz on. <G>
>
> Burgy
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
> "unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
>
>

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Thu Jan 31 18:15:31 2008