tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post1326497966760939690..comments2024-03-28T00:58:29.445-04:00Comments on Ponderings on a Faith Journey: Theology for a Troubled Believer -- ReviewRobert Cornwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-90324583370867502772010-04-19T17:33:07.544-04:002010-04-19T17:33:07.544-04:00"The poor will always be with us."
And ..."The poor will always be with us."<br /><br />And war is inevitable?<br /><br />Just because these have been truths so far, doesn't mean they have to sap our imagination or our will to overcome. Besides, poorness is relative. I would argue that the people of Costa Rica, for example, have richer lives than us in the US and have less to feel guilty about.David Mcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-2496922057784691822010-04-19T15:54:36.548-04:002010-04-19T15:54:36.548-04:00I read recently that metaphysics is the ultimate f...I read recently that metaphysics is the ultimate form of violence. It begins with intellectual violence. It seeks to impose order (metaphysicians would say discern a pre-existent order) by FORCE of will where humans have no authority and little if any reliable information. Humans naturally seek to force everything we encounter (or imagine we encounter) into a rational pattern through which we can navigate. <br /><br />Having engaged in intellectual violence we usually resort to physical violence to compel others to ratify the metaphysical construct which we have effectuated/discerned. <br /><br />JohnJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06245470576919732592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-35847090058559691622010-04-19T15:40:14.848-04:002010-04-19T15:40:14.848-04:00Steve's issue regarding the reach of God's...Steve's issue regarding the reach of God's power and the implications of God's failure to exercise it seems to me, in my humble opinion, to be mis-focused.<br /><br />"Omnipotence," and "Omniscience," and "Omnipresence" for that matter, are all human constructs imposed on God as we attempt to map out the contours of what we believe constitute the requisite characteristics of an infinite being. Isn't God, to the extent not otherwise revealed, supposed to be a mystery to humans? Are we not engaging in graven image making when we impute such characteristics to God?<br /><br />Isn't it enough to say that God is transcendent, and to acknowledge that we cannot know what it means to be transcendent. <br /><br />Who knows the reach of God's power but God. Graven image-making aside, there seems to me to be little benefit in surmising definitive answers to solve this mystery. One result is that in assuming that when the presumptively "omnipotent" God appears to human senses to be unresponsive to evil and suffering and they continue unabated, we are forced by our own logic to conclude that God is powerless to respond, or that God is indifferent.<br /><br />I see that "conundrum" as little different than the problem of the irresistible power and the immovable rock. The problem is not which is stronger, but how the issue is framed - and here we have done so in definitional extremes and in black and white colors.<br /><br />While it's just a guess on my part, <br />I highly doubt that God is unmoved by evil and suffering in our world. HOW God should responds is not for me to determine, nor is it even for me to necessarily know WHETHER God has responded. <br /><br />The fact that evil and suffering continue to exist in human affairs leads me to conclude that evil and suffering are part of the human condition - the only way to prevent them is to pluck out the eyes which apprehend them - and then they will remain, only unseen. (The poor will always be with us.) Again it is only a guess, but my assumption is that for God to intercede more dramatically would result in a fundamental change in the human condition, and a fundamental alteration in the relationship between God and his human creation. A change which God does not desire to happen - for reasons only God knows. <br /><br />So my personal response is that God knows what God is doing, and my guess is that God continues to invite humans to respond with active compassion where God's direct response would be counter-productive.<br /><br />JohnJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06245470576919732592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-4567774128967879582010-04-19T12:46:02.820-04:002010-04-19T12:46:02.820-04:00It doesn't matter what God is, but what God do...It doesn't matter what God is, but what God does. Doing nothing takes a lot of self-control. Imagine being all-powerful, with a will powerful enough to (usually?) not step in.<br /><br />How important are the details to the average Christian? Faith in goodness is all that is required. Nature, including humans', should satisfy our curiosities.David Mcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-16210497324224333592010-04-19T12:09:06.858-04:002010-04-19T12:09:06.858-04:00Steve, what is interesting is that although he rej...Steve, what is interesting is that although he rejects process he also rejects the idea of omnipotence. He doesn't give enough attention to process to truly know where he stands.Robert Cornwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04581876323110725024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-20583334812379807242010-04-19T11:54:58.299-04:002010-04-19T11:54:58.299-04:00As a "troubled believer" myself, I'm...As a "troubled believer" myself, I'm sorry to see that Allen is dismissive of panentheism, as, were it not for Process Theology, I would not know where to sit at the Christian table. Allen's supernatural god, by definition (his), creates the theodicy conundrum by posing a question that cannot be answered: How can a loving, all powerful God, allow evil? The only viable answer, for me, is to jettison the classical notion of omnipotence and accept a God who would if that God could, but can't; at least for now. This God is in process, as is the cosmos, and the ultimate desire is to finally bring shalom, wholeness, to bear on every aspect of existence. Until that final moment comes, we are stuck with evil and, without Process, Allen's conundrum remains.Stevehttp://www.clergyunited.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22980286.post-60020538121233428322010-04-19T09:43:07.364-04:002010-04-19T09:43:07.364-04:00In the preface to 'The Path of Perfect Love,&#...In the preface to 'The Path of Perfect Love,' Allen mentions contemporary theologians he admires, among them Rowan Williams and Robert Sokolowski. But to my knowledge he doesn't refer to them in his own writings. You're right, he's more comfortable with the old masters. Among his books I've read, 'Temptation' stands out as the best.<br /><br />Peace to you,<br /><br />ChrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com