Re: "Ensoulment"

Jan de Koning (dekoning@idirect.com)
Thu, 12 Feb 1998 12:42:06 -0500

At 09:04 AM 12/02/98 -0500, Moorad Alexanian wrote:
>
>Dear Jan,
>
>The whole of Euclidean plane geometry is based on concepts, e.g. lines,
>points, infinite parallel lines, etc., which are idealizations of real
>things, e.g., drawings on the blackboard with the aid of a chalk. There is
>space, of course, but our understanding of it as a continuum is an over
>idealization.
>
>I believe one relegates God's Word to a secondary place when one claims to
>know from observations how He brought the whole of reality into being. Of
>course, God has made us so that we cannot avoid recognizing His existence,
>witness Romans chapter 1. The disobedience to God really comes about when we
>deny that Scripture is His Word. I cannot see how a human, a creature, with
>spirit "can be above the Bible and above God's creation." That is a non
>sequitur from what I said.
>
>Take care,
>
>Moorad

Dear Moorad,

About math.: I disagree. Everything has mathematical (numeriacla and
spatial) properties. Denying that these properties exist does not make
them going away. 2+2=4 is not an idealization of reality. That is just a
"real" observation. Even saying "Three in One" is a real mathematical
statement, not an idealization, and I thank God for that.

As I have said, most people on this list, probably everyone will say, that
Scripture is God's Word. I do not think that I ever said that "a human, a
creature, with spirit "can be above the Bible and above God's creation." "
You quote out of context. Firstly, I would never say, a human with spirit,
but apart from that, I only claimed that you act as if your exegesis is the
only possible one, and in that way YOU make your own ideas the Word of God.
Do you indeed want to say that your interpretation of Scripture is the
only possible one? Which copied manuscripte of the original did you use?
Which translation did you use? How do you exegete? I may disagree with
some people about what "inerrant" or "infallible" means, but to my
knowledge all of us want to listen carefully to what God says in His Word.

I believe, that you bring God down to your level, if you think that your
reading of Scripture is the only possible right reading of Scripture. That
excludes talking right away. In the meantime you accuse other Christians
of statements they did not say. Nobody says that he knows from
observations how God did it. Maybe you want to deny that God works in
history, and that nothing happens in history outside God's will. Even then
sin, which is going to be punished, is used by God in the larger scheme of
history. Remains: if you acknowledge that everything happens according to
God's will, how do you want to explain evolution? Evolution did happen,
whether you like it or not.

Regards

Jan de Koning
Willowdale, Ont.