Glen wrote:
> I do not want to mis-represent your position on mechanism but as I
> understand what that word means, I find a major theological problem
> with a non-mechanistic universe. My dictionary says of mechanism:
>>8. Philosophy. The doctrine that all natural phenomena are explicable by
material causes and mechanical principles. [(c) ahdel3]
Yes, this is what I mean by mechanism (assuming natural,
material, and mechanical mean what I think they mean).
> But if by non-mechanistic you mean that God alone controls every cause and
> thus every event, then the problem a freind of mine, Daryl Wilson, mentioned
> to me is quite serious.
> Assume that God controls every event directly. ...
Yes. This is close to what I mean, but leaves out an important aspect
of the universe (which I try to present below).
> Now with this as a strong view of a non-mechanistic universe, when a manI
> want to curse God, God Himself must fire the neurons of the brain, leading to
> the cascade of electo-chemical impulses which cause the tongue to curse the
> person who fired the first neuron.
...
> Similarly, God was involved in firing the appropriate neurons which allowed
> Adam and Eve to sin. This would seem to mean that God Himself caused sin.
> In this strong form of non-mechanism, I find no room for independent moral
> activity, free will, or even personality. My friend called this "kung fu"
> theology because everything is God and God is everything. It reduces the
> world to pantheism.
I don't see how this view reduces the world to pantheism, but I think I
do understand the objections you raise. It took me a long time to
accept a non-mechanistic universe because of these types of issues. As
I indicated before, my belief in such a universe is founded on the
testimony of Scripture which I interpret to declare that God has an
incredibly intricate relationship with His creation. If you wanted me to
indicate some of the specific Scriptures that led me to this conclusion,
I would (e.g. James 4:13-15), but I think what you are questioning is
the specific issue of moral freedom in a non-mechanistic universe.
Let me explain how I came to my conclusions, rather than simply defend them.
While contemplating the nature of God's sovereignty over creation I
concluded that I could see no difference between ommission and
commission by God. I believe He is responsible for the creation of the
universe at the global scale. But I believe He is also responsible for
sustaining it at the level of the most intimate detail (Heb 1:3, Col
1:17). Assuming God is both omniscient and omnipotent, His ability to
determine whether or not a neuron fires, and to fully comprehend the
results of all combinations of such firings, means that He *does*
determine their firings. Even in a mechanistic universe this would be
true, simply predicated on whether or not He chose to intervene and
override the mechanism.
This conclusion led me to directly consider the question about whether
the outcome of every event in the universe is determined by the will
of God (a stict Calvinist view). I rejected this because the Scripture
clearly indicates otherwise. What would be the point if all was a charade,
being played out by us as unwitting participants? [i.e. the question of
predestination].
So I searched the Scriptures to understand who or what gets to determine
the outcome of events. I believe the answer is that God grants `authority'
(a word that occurs 90 times in the New Testament). Those with `authority'
get to determine outcomes within the sphere of their authority, or until
their authority is taken away.
There are many, many examples where God grants authority to spiritual
beings (1 Pet 3:22, Eph 3:10, Job 1:12, Gen 6/Jude 6), as well as to men
(Deut 8:18, John 19:11, Dan 2:37-38, 2 Chr 18:20-22, Mark 16:17-18). A
particularly interesting case is when He grants authority to nations
(Acts 17:26). The nations do not necessarily wield the authority in
accordance with His will, and He then punishes them for that. (Consider
Zech 1:15, Isa 7:20, 47:6-7, and particularly Isa 10:5-19).
I believe that God grants authority in His role as Judge of the earth.
He does so according to His own will and intention, and in response to
choices that we make. He then upholds the authority that He grants
by sustaining it directly, not by twiddling with `natural' mechanisms.
He has created authorities (Col 1:16, Rom 13:1) and he will abolish them
all (1 Cor 15:24).
At the personal level, we all have our combinations of gifts and talents
(Ex 31:3-7), as well as the `spheres' in which we operate (2 Cor 10:13).
Some people have the `golden touch' (Deut 8:18). Others have favor with
men (1 Sam 2:26, 2 Kin 18:7). Others have prayed effectively (James 5:17).
I believe the evidence of Scripture is that such things are ordained by
God and not the product of mechanisms related to genetics and environment.
I believe that the power to do evil is from God, but the evil itself
is carried out by us. Free will is the freedom to will, not the freedom
to act. When God grants us the freedom to act, we carry out that which
is in our hearts to do (Matt 15:19). This is why I have suggested that
there is no difference in culpability between anger and murder, lust
and adultery. There is only a difference in consequence. The power to
*will* evil is ours. The authority to carry it out is granted by God.
And so we are instructed to pray:
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
This indeed means that God *is* responsible for evil. However He is
not responsible for sin. He does not tempt anyone towards evil
Himself, though clearly He engineers circumstances where the temptation
is present (Gen 2:17). Sin is rebellion of the will, and is
independent of any actual deed. Sin exists apart from law. But sin is
not imputed without law. God has chosen to allow us to carry out our
sin that we might repent of the resulting evil and death (Rom 1:28-32).
***
Perhaps it is possible that the universe is only non-mechanistic
as it applies to living beings, but is completely mechanistic as
it applies to inanimate matter and energy. I interpret the Scripture
to teach differently (Job 38:16-33). Once again authority is an
issue:
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth? [Job 38:33]
Perhaps natural law exists in the same sense that other types of
authority exists. However I believe that it is non-mechanistic.
It is specifically upheld at every instance by God.
This would take the discussion back to the issue of mechanism
in the universe, and specifically the question of how natural
law is enforced. What does it mean to state any physical
law (e.g. gravitation)? These are generally statements about
expected observations. What is it that causes the statements
to appear (to some order of approximation) to be true? What
is the fabric of physical laws? I suggest it is that God
Himself causes them to be true, having fixed their rule in
the heavens and over the earth.
For by Him all things were created, {both} in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities -- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He
is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [Col 1:16-17]
--Dave