Two questions. First, what does a human memory have to do with God's
omnipotence or omniscience? Second, is God the source of order or whimsy?
Dave (ASA)
On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:29:14 -0600 "j burg" <hossradbourne@gmail.com>
writes:
> On 6/19/08, George Murphy <GMURPHY10@neo.rr.com> wrote:
> >
> > Several things here.
> >
> > 1) I hope this isn't taken as a zap of anyone in particular or
> an
> > expression of personal pique but it seems symptomatic of a lot of
> discussion
> > on this list that the post I sent recently about Ted Peters book &
> prolepsis
> > has been ignored in favor of various other speculations. I.e.,
> the well
> > worked out ideas of a professional theologian are bypassed &
> instead what
> > gets discussed is various amateur "God might do this or that" blue
> sky
> > stuff.
>
> I plead guilty. That does not mean I ignored the Ted Peters post --
> only that I had nothing particular to contribute to it.
>
> "amateur blue sky stuff" is (alas) what I do a lot of. Usually it
> is
> for the purpose of seeing if someone can shoot the ideas down -- or
> turn them slightly into something different.
>
> >
> > 2) When people talk about divine omnipotence they ought at least
> to be
> > aware of what the term means in the theological tradition. Its
> primary
> > import is not that "God could do anything" but that "God does do
> > everything." I.e., God is the ultimate or "First" cause of
> everything that
> > happens in the world. Of course some people don't like that
> concept because
> > of theodicy issues (among others). But if you reject the idea
> that God that
> > God is the ultimate cause of everything then you are rejecting
> divine
> > omnipotence - as Charles Hartshorne did in his book Omnipotence
> and Other
> > Theological Mistakes.
>
> I read the Hartshorne book last year. My recollection is that it
> was
> interesting but not persuasive. Maybe I'll revisit it. (So many
> books,
> so little time). <G>
>
> > 3) The basic problem with the idea of God "undoing the past" is
> not with
> > omnipotence or whether God could do it but with the integrity &
> goodness of
> > creation. It's to be rejected for the same reason that the
> Christian
> > tradition has generally rejected reincarnation. Our bodies, our
> physical
> > makeups, matter to who we are & the physical makeup of the world -
> including
> > the results of past events - matter to what creation is.
>
> Possibly, unless one of the multiverse ideas is correct.
>
> In any case, someday (fairly soon for geezers like me) we will all
> be
> in a new life. The question haunts me -- will we remember the "bad
> things?" How about the "bad people?" (I know -- we are all sinners,
> but some of us have been touched by grace.)
>
> Will we remember the Holocaust? Both a "yes" and a "no" answer seem
> strange.
>
> Will I remember a childhood friend who renounced Christ after the
> YEC
> views he had were falsified in college? Both a "yes" and a "no"
> answer seem strange.
>
> I assume I'll remember the stupid things I've done. Will I also
> remember my sins? Scripture says that God won't. Maybe I'm reading
> that part wrong.
>
> In any case, as my web site story says, God once touched my family
> and
> we have been forever changed. The young boy (now 39) in that story
> took us out for dinner last Friday and the young girl (now 37)
> cooked
> a Father's Day feast last Sunday. They have both blessed our lives
> beyond measure.
>
> Burgy
>
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>
>
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Received on Thu Jun 19 23:57:13 2008
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