On Wed, 5 Jul 2000 16:24:26 -0400 bivalve@email.unc.edu (David Campbell)
writes:
> >how does one stipulate limitations upon what can be explained by
> natural
> >causes without either begging the question or drawing boundaries
> arbitrarily?
>
> Metaphysical considerations may provide some boundaries.
> Christianity
> posits that the resurrection of Christ was supernatural, for
> example. If
> you believe that the purpose of direct divine action such as the
> Biblical
> miracles is as a part of special revelation, then there is
> theological
> reason to not expect direct divine action in general creation.
>
There is the problem of identifying miracles in connection with natural
explanations. There is no natural explanation for the virgin birth or the
resurrection of Christ. They form a special class. But, if my memory
serves, there is a sill across the upper end of the Gulf of Suez which
may be uncovered by a steadily blowing wind. When the wind dies, the
water returns rapidly. This is a plausible natural explanation for the
passage of Israel on dry ground and the drowning of the pursuing
Egyptians. Similarly, the crossing of Jordan _may_ have involved a
landslide upstream temporarily damming the flow. So it may be that the
timing of natural events is the miracle. The same may be said of the she
bears that killed those who mocked Elisha.
IMO, the creation of the universe is held by all Christians to be
essentially like the special class. The argument from ID/PC is that the
initiation of life and many of its differentiations is similar. TE holds
that this latter group is more like the timing of natural events.
There is a further similarity in this last to the Red Sea matter. It was
fairly recently that the sill was found and a natural explanation
proposed. It was not dreamed of earlier. TE does not have explanations
for all of the life and development scenario, but expects that more will
be found. But, as the sill does not deny that God acted, so the natural
explanations do not require atheism.
Dave
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jul 05 2000 - 22:58:18 EDT