h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is an interesting article - I stumbled across it while looking for something else (as you do.)
I am with Boethius, or rather his Lady Philosophy. I agree with the idea that God exists outside time - and is also everlasting, if that makes sense. Does it?

It does! Sorry i didn't get back to you, I've been away a while!

Ah, did you have fun while away, or was it not a holiday?

It was the internet connection being 'very' dodgy!

I know how that feels! (Heartfelt sigh...)

That's OK then!

I don't know the cause exactly, but it seems to have got better lately - yay!

Excellent

But if God is outside of Time, does that mean He can't affect things inside of Time?

I don't think so - otherwise prayer is pretty futile - and I have some (slight) evidence that it works...

But how if He's outside of time, then being Inside Time is totally alien to Him.

To affect Time [i.e. taking an active part of our life] wouldn't he have to be within it too?

That's what Jesus was all about - for God to experience being inside time as well. Or so I theorise...

I was struck by the description of God as viewing a river, and the nature of water, ripples and complex autopoetic patterns as described by chaos theory....
In effect whilst seeing the source and the end all point in between become the outcome of interactions at an incredibly complex level.
Thus we can know that the water gushes over the rock in a certain way, but as to which molecules have "chosen" to flow that way- it's impossible.
Does this allow free will within an omniscient Gods' universe?

>>I was struck by the description of God as viewing a river, and the nature of water, ripples and complex autopoetic patterns as described by chaos theory....

Does this allow free will within an omniscient Gods' universe?<<
A very interesting idea! Yes, I'd agree with you.

I find the analogy of God watching a free flowing river an interesting one, however, the water particles which make up the free flowing river can only move in one direction... If they flow over a rock, then it is because they have no other choice. Water particles cannot, for instance, move sideways to avoid the rock should they decide that this would be the right thing to do. Therefore, these water particles do not possess free will. If God was the one who created the river, then surely he is responsible for it's direction of flow as well as which water particles avoid which rocks....

Also, according to the Bible, God is clearly able to affect things within Time. In the past he was apparently very much an interventionist being - the flood which (allegedly) destroyed the world being just one example of this. The story of God destroying the world because of it's wickedness is a fair indication of exactly how much free will we truly have... very little i would say...

Just a thought.

derrickw, I have a view about this, which is that the Old Testament cannot really be reconciled with the New - if, that is, it's taken literally...
You're right about the river analogy, as far as it goes.