particles and connections (General)

by David Turell @, Thursday, February 16, 2017, 20:16 (2587 days ago) @ dhw


dhw:If God is in full control, as you always maintain, then everything that is/was here is/was his purpose. The fact that humans have a uniquely enhanced consciousness certainly makes them special (perhaps they were the result of a divine dabble), but what models – and in my view muddles – all your thinking is your view that your God geared every single species, lifestyle and natural wonder extant and extinct throughout the history of evolution to their production (via the nebulous balance of nature, which simply means life goes on).

Balance of nature is the only way evolution continued, providing life with the energy it needed to live and evolve under His direction. Sorry you don't see that. Not simple! And I've admitted God's control might be limited, considering the dangerous universe and the problems as the Earth changes physically (earthquakes, etc.)

dhw: And that hypothesis is modelled (muddled) by your personal image of your God, who knew exactly what he was doing right from the start and always remains in tight control.

Why shouldn't He have a complete plan from the beginning?

DAVID: What I meant by 'not limited' is that you allow your romantic mind to wonder all over the place in regard to your theistic-sort-of views.

dhw: I am certainly not limited to the image you have created of a tough love God who is always in total control but could only find one way to create life, wants a relationship with us but hides from us and has nothing in common with us, does not contain one “smidgen” of evil and yet is creator of all that is, and watches us with interest but definitely did not create us in order to watch us with interest.

Surprise. I see nothing wrong with your analysis of my position.

DAVID: Because the Earth He created is a dangerous place. It seems to be true that He could not do it any other way.

dhw: It seems to you to be true, because you have now decided that although your God created the whole universe and is always in tight control, his powers are limited.

Limitations may be possible. There are the dangers to us.


dhw: And being forced to do it one way hardly endows him with the full control you always ascribe to him, but then you seem to pick and choose his attributes as the wind blows.
DAVID: As the evidence takes me!

dhw: The evidence takes you in different directions all at the same time, as listed above.

I can only follow what we observe, and make judgments.


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