-----Original Message-----
From: Robert J. Chassell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 20:09:31 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: Optimism for the USA
... I'm not really sure what you are trying to get across? The
supreme deity as omnipotent? That's been around for a lot longer
than 600 years ...
Yes, you are right, the notion of omnipotence has been around a very
long time. My question is whether it is compatible with generic
Western thinking over the past 500 - 600 years?
Human laws are restraints on what we humans may do. By the same
thinking, natural laws are restraints on what God may do. However, an
unrestrained god is not subject to any kind of law. But omnipotence
means one can do anything: no restraints.
Newtonian (as well as post-Newtonian) science means the discovery of
natural laws. A supreme deity that is unrestrained must be able to
produce miracles (although it need not do so often in human terms).
The question of whether god is free to act in any way is an interesting one and
it became critical to Spinoza
when he formulated his philosophy. He said that if god is all powerful he can
only be himself (or its self).
Therefore god cannot act or be any way other than to be him(it) self. If god
were to choose between
actions then there would have to be something outside of god which would mean
that god was not be the
ultimate entity.
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