RE: [asa] Predestination, free-will, and 10+ dimensions

> "A way of understanding"- OK. The one true solution" - very unsafe to
claim.

Agreed. And that is one thing I like about RTB's Testable Creation Model.
They don't insist it is the one true solution. It's a model. Subject to
revisions.

And so far, it seems to be a pretty good model. I think the
anti-evolutionist impression is based on the fact that evolution has some
pretty big gaps. You can have faith in God that there will come a "natural"
explanation for those gaps, meanwhile, I'm going with the model that best
explains the data. :) But this question wasn't really about evolution....

I've never heard the "3-D universe, a 3-D heaven, a 3-D hell, and time
dimension common to all of them" before. Where did you find that, if you
could reference that (as poorly as that may be, given it's someone's poorly
justified speculation)?

> but they still tend to fall into the trap of reading current science into
Scripture

Why specifically is it your opinion that dual revelation concepts are a
"trap"? Please explain.

> overly close linking to today's science will become a link to some of
tomorrow's errors.

I fully understand and accept this, however, once again, it's (the TCM) a
model. Model's get revised. Good models get revised minimally, bad models
get major revisions or even put by the wayside. And so I would debate that
it is an "overly close" link, although a specific example would be nice to
go further with this line of discussion.

> Also, there's the question of proper exegesis-
> are the passages in question really making modern scientific statements?

A good point, and a specific verse would be good to look at. In general, I
have been impresses with RTB's exegetical skill. Specifically, they do not
look at one verse in isolation, that look at it in cultural context,
original language, etc. However for this specific question (e.g., looking at
Jesus' ability to walk thru walls), one can just look at the verse and state
that it is consistent with - or is not consistent with - the point
(transcendence of 10+ dimensions) in discussion. I think it clearly is, as
far as my limited understanding of what it would mean to be transcendent of
space-time dimensions.

James Patterson, Shreveport

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of David Campbell
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 9:51 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] Predestination, free-will, and 10+ dimensions

There are certainly some poorly-justified speculations out there on
the general topic, e.g., someone who was claiming that 10-dimensional
space corresponded to our 3-D universe, a 3-D heaven, a 3-D hell, and
time dimension commmon to all of them. I think Ross's efforts are
generally better than that, but they still tend to fall into the trap
of reading current science into Scripture (or not so current, in the
case of his antievolutionism). Just as taking Scripture as supporting
then-current geocentric science led into trouble, overly close linking
to today's science will become a link to some of tomorrow's errors.
The line that must be drawn is between compatibility and claiming that
a particular scientific claim is the Biblical option. Also, there's
the question of proper exegesis-are the passages in question really
makign modern scientific statements?

In the specific case of multiple dimensions, I don't think Ross is
claiming that a particular verse points to this, but rather that it
provides a way of understanding the combination of predestination and
free will. "A way of understanding"- OK. The one true solution"-very
unsafe to claim.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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