Re: RFEP and the Heartl of Christianity

From: Walter Hicks (wallyshoes@mindspring.com)
Date: Thu Sep 18 2003 - 11:05:54 EDT

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    Just a quick question, Howard.

    "Howard J. Van Till" wrote:

    > The fundamental presupposition of the historical
    > natural sciences.
    >
    > The universešs formational history, then, can be
    > thought of as a succession of events and
    > processes by which some of these configurational
    > and functional potentialities are actualized as
    > a consequence of the universešs resources
    > employing their formational capabilities to form
    > novel structures and systems. I think it is fair
    > to say that as the various historical sciences
    > go about their attempts to craft theories to
    > describe and account for this formational
    > history they all assume the following
    > proposition, which I call the Robust Formational
    > Economy Principle (RFEP).
    >
    >
    > The formational economy of the
    > universe is sufficiently robust (amply
    > equipped) to bring about the
    > actualization of every kind of
    > physical structure and living organism
    > that has appeared in the universešs
    > formational history without need for
    > any supplemental acts of divine
    > form-imposing intervention.
    >
    >
    > Having reviewed what the RFEP actually says, or
    > does not say, I find the following questions
    > outside of its limited scope.

    SNIP

    I guess that I am confused about reconciling
    things such as the resurrection or any of the
    miracles cited in the Bible. It seems as though
    the RFEP says that these things must not have
    happened. To say that they might lie outside of
    the RFEP is to say that when the something
    contradicts the RFEP, then it lies outside of its
    scope. If that were to be so, then should God have
    directly intervened to create mankind, it would
    just be another example of the RFEP not applying.

    I am not trying to debate you; I am trying to
    understand the boundaries of the RFEP.

    Walt

    ===================================
    Walt Hicks <wallyshoes@mindspring.com>

    In any consistent theory, there must
    exist true but not provable statements.
    (Godel's Theorem)

    You can only find the truth with logic
    If you have already found the truth
    without it. (G.K. Chesterton)
    ===================================



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