RE: [asa] RE: Malebranche (the four basic fources in nature)

I think one has to make a clear distinction between the mental
constructs we use when we do science, or any rational thinking for that
matter, and the actual, existing universe. In addition, science does not
deal with the question of being, which is the realm of metaphysics and
theology. Accordingly, it is in the fundamental ontological sense that
one can consider that God is indeed` the only true casual agent.

Moorad

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of mrb22667@kansas.net
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 10:07 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: [asa] RE: Malebranche (the four basic fources in nature)

>
> Some take the idea of "God as sustainer" to mean that he holds
particles
> together (electrons and planets in orbit)- in that case I think the
> theory of God doing this has been replaced by the strong and weak
> nuclear force, gravity, and electromagnetic force.
>
> ...Bernie

I guess this may be true to the extent that we insist on thinking of
Divine
fingerprinting as within the purview of science. But if science is
limited (the
EC view) then this is no more valid than saying that God (by His own
admission)
was replaced by the wind (Exodus 14:21) or that He was replaced by
foreign
armies (Assyria or Babylon used by God against Israel) or that He is
replaced by
what we call random chance (Proverbs 16:33). The list goes on. And if
we
insist: "Well, God had to directly cause the pressure difference to
make the
wind at the right intensity, time & place", then we are just moving the
questioned Divine action back one level, and inserting our assumption
there
instead. And perhaps the creator did. But ECs don't see God as
threatened by
the notion that it may have been explainable also by what we would have
observed
to be a natural chain of causality were we there to see it. And of
course, that
natural chain is the only thing science can look for, and sometimes find
with
limited success. But science will go on looking for such chains forever
because
that is all science can do. But in the hands of a believer... welcome
to the
world of natural theology. Science can be baptized to take its place
within the
psalmist's repertoire. But science does not and cannot get there
independently.

--Merv

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Received on Fri Oct 31 10:30:14 2008