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Paul,
I hope you don't mind a little tongue and cheek. It is nothing negative on you, just want to have a little fun.
Last I hear, Superman is overloaded. He works over 80 hours a week, and not once in any movie or comic strip have I seen him collect a pay check (not even a 401K receipt). So, I think Superman needs a break and he's asked me to appeal to those who have him doing all these super feats. Here is how I would ask you to ask less of Superman:
***One such limitation is that the universe must obey the laws of physics as determined by the mathematics of numbers (Alex and Dick both explain this limitation in their own ways.) The only "wiggle room" left for God to influence physical events is to choose the outcome of certain specific quantum events. How many and which ones I could only guess at.***
There's a lot more quantum events going on in the world then in the classical world. Why not let Him work at the classical level? That possesses problems for Him in terms of physical laws?, then we won't ask Him to violate any. Just swoop down from the sky and force a terrorist to land a plane gently so that no one is killed, or have Him simply tell the authorities before they even get on the plane. I think He could do that if He's able to manipulate zillions and zillions of quantum events. Heck, if He prefers manipulating quantum events, then why doesn't he manipulate the quantum events in our brain to act a little smarter in cases where immanent danger is coming? For example, He should pay attention to whatever is in Osama's head and then warn everyone else before he does his evil, He can at least do that, right?
***A second guess at a limitation is that God really doesn't know what is going on in the world except through the sensory input of living animals.***
Okay, there's plenty of flies on the walls that he can tune into to hear of dastardly plots and then warn the right people.
***I also believe you see it in all people, including Harv, Richard, Paul and all the rest of us. We all feel some compulsion, from what we call our conscience, to make some effort at improving the world in some way. Yes, these efforts seem weak, but that is further support for the position that Richard and I take in our guesswork.***
But, if He can do that, then why doesn't he just put the thought in our heads to tell us that this is what He's doing? Why does He go so far out of His way to keep us guessing?
***My guess is that the realm inhabited by these creatures is in multiple dimensions beyond our four and in which our four comprise an embedded manifold. As such, the characteristics of that environment and its inhabitants are so different from anything we are familiar with, that we have no concepts, let alone language, with which to form an adequate description. If you resort to allegory, then probably all descriptions we have from whatever source, might have some grain of truth to them.***
How come I'm the only guy who gets into trouble trying to rationalize 'all of this'?
***. As such, the characteristics of that environment and its inhabitants are so different from anything we are familiar with, that we have no concepts, let alone language, with which to form an adequate description. If you resort to allegory, then probably all descriptions we have from whatever source, might have some grain of truth to them.***
I don't know if you would consider this, but generally I think you might have the right concept but the wrong approach. The concept that God is 'becoming' into being through his universe makes some sense to me (process theology). I just think that you've anthropomorphized this a little more than my taste buds can muster.
Warm regards, Harv |
