Re: [asa] Advice for conversing with YECs (miracle timing)

I would make the distinction of incorporating God into his theory versus
incorporating God into his mathematical formulations of behavior. From
what I have read of Newton, he never really separated his discoveries
from his theology. Even though he found a way to conceptualize and
describe in mathematical terms how gravity behaves, nothing suggests
that he disconnected that from his theology. It doesn't seem to be the
mindset in that time to even think that the findings of natural
philosophy should be separated from the context of theology. Indeed, he
seems to have known very well that he was describing behavior, while
remaining aware as well that the cause of behavior remained explainable
only by divine action or intent (or content!), its specifics still
eluding to the investigator. E.g., why do objects attract one another?!

Maybe you were just making the simple point that there is no
mathematical expression for divine presence, in which case I apologize
for running on a bit. But I would maintain that any theory of anything
"natural" has an element of incompleteness without consideration of
causal agency and intent.

JimA

Alexanian, Moorad wrote:
> One can certainly be inspired by belief in a Supreme Being to make scientific discoveries. Isaac Newton did science in order to know God. However, when Newton mathematized his ideas of gravitation into a theory, he could certainly not make God part of his theory. I think it is when one wants to explain what and who man is that God must come into the picture. Therefore, any theory of humans will be incomplete without bringing God in.
>
>
>
> Moorad
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu on behalf of gordon brown
> Sent: Wed 10/29/2008 4:32 PM
> To: asa@calvin.edu
> Subject: RE: [asa] Advice for conversing with YECs (miracle timing)
>
>
>
> On Wed, 29 Oct 2008, Alexanian, Moorad wrote:
>
>
>> What scientific questions creation by TE answers that cannot be answered
>> by ordinary, non-theistic evolutionary theory?
>>
>> Moorad
>>
>>
>
> A similar question can be asked about any science, including physics.
>
> Does belief in God cause you to make a scientific prediction that you
> wouldn't have made otherwise? (Maybe not, although we are influenced by
> metaphysical presuppositions that we share with all scientists.)
>
> Belief in God does imply belief in design, but it doesn't necessarily
> imply that you can prove design, although some scientific discoveries have
> moved some people toward that belief.
>
> Gordon Brown (ASA member)
>
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Received on Wed Oct 29 22:31:19 2008