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

I made a study of PT some time back and came to the same conclusion as
Griffin. God-matter must be eternal, but the universe is about 13 gy old.
So there must have been a series of catastrophes, each providing the
material for a new universe. This indicates that the deity does not know
enough and so is not competent to avoid catastrophes, so another one is
coming--we can hope later rather than sooner. This will be followed by a
new series of universes, each of which will come to a bad end.
Dave (ASA)

On Fri, 1 Feb 2008 10:07:50 -0600 "j burg" <hossradbourne@gmail.com>
writes:
> On 1/31/08, D. F. Siemens, Jr. <dfsiemensjr@juno.com> wrote:
> > 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."
>
> My own understanding is that, in PT, the diety CHOOSES to try to
> persuade rather than "cannot."
> >
> > I would wonder, from what you wrote, where the
> > mass-energy came from if God did not create it?"
>
> Don't have any answer to that, of course. David Ray Griffin has
> written extensively on the subject; he rejects ex-hiliho. I find
> his
> writings stimulating; see a review of his RELIGION AND SCIENTIFIC
> NATURALISM I wrote for PSCF at
>
> www.burgy.50megs.com/griffin.htm
>
> but ultimately not persuasive.
>
> The review begins:
>
> David Ray Griffin, Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Theology
> at
> Claremont, a prolific writer on issues of science and religion, has
> written a watershed book, one which has received the Book Award for
> 2000 from the (UK-based) Scientific and Medical Network. This
> volume,
> one in the SUNY series in Constructive Postmodern Thought, argues a
> Whiteheadian based philosophy that religion does not require
> supernaturalism and science does not require materialism. Griffin
> describes himself as a panentheistic Christian, one who sees God as
> more than the universe and yet the universe as part of God. He sees
> God at work in the universe, but in a "persuasive" rather than in a
> "coercive" way.
>
> . . .
>
> Burgy
>
>

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Received on Fri Feb 1 17:24:14 2008