From: George Murphy (gmurphy@raex.com)
Date: Thu Aug 14 2003 - 10:30:58 EDT
sheila-mcginty@geotec.net wrote:
>
> The awareness of something does not cause it to exist or not exist. I don't
> believe I understand what you are saying.
Perhaps a better way to say it is that sin changes the _meaning_ of death.
Without sin, physical death would be just the stopping of biological machinery and might
be understood as a stage in the journey toward final union with God (as Athanasius seems
to have understood). But sin casts a different light on death, so that death becomes
something to be feared and makes life seem incomplete and futile.
Here's an analogy I've used in other places. The American Civil War has had
important influences on subsequent American history down to the present day. But
ever since the events of 1861-1865 we've also seen the meaning of events _before_ the
Civil War (slave trade, constitution, cotton gin, Missouri Compromise, Mexican War &c)
differently than did people living before those events.
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
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