From: Woodward Norm Civ WRALC/TIEDM <Norm.Woodward@robins.af.mil>
---Not to be heartless about natural catastrophes, I would think everyone
here knows the ultimate outcome it there were no earthquakes or volcanoes;
we would all probably be underwater. And we know of the benefits of the
ecology due to windstorms and typhoons, and lightning, and other disasters.
Or what our world would be like if all our loved ones were granted physical
immortality.
Sure, we would like to say, But God, Not to us, and ours, or not in OUR
neighborhood, or Not NOW!
But we would then have to answer the Cosmic Question, Why not?
You appear to be dealing with the question, Is the whole system of natural
causes and effects (which includes some that, for one reason or another, we
call "natural catastrophes") fruitful & beneficial for the presence of life
on earth? I agree that it certainly is; not only for the presence of life,
but also, I believe, for the evolutionary development of life.
But the question I was addressing in the post to which you responded was,
Is God the "agent responsible" for causing each one of these events to occur
at some specific location and time? There is a theological tradition that
appears set on ascribing to God both the power and desire to be in absolute
CONTROL of each event, one by one. In the context of that view of God, it
would appear that God was the "agent responsible" for choosing to cause the
Lisbon earthquake and the death of Darwin's daughter. It's that picture of a
micromanaging and controlling divine agency to which Darwin was, I believe,
reacting with revulsion.
Howard Van Till
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Nov 09 2001 - 14:13:56 EST