Selaphiel

Starting with your last comments, a page 104. Paragraph starting "Why is this so? Why must a thing be dependent on any continuously real source of being in order to persist? Why can it not, once it has been caused to exist by something else, just continue on from its physical origin...?"

The eastern orthodox view of essence and energies is vaguely familiar and I just looked up a couple things in the book I have on eastern orthodoxy. Would saying creation exists within God's energies allow the energies of God to experience time like we do? Is that at all like Whitehead's dipolar theism?

Did you have a good weekend?

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I was reading more of Hart's book. In the chapter on being he makes a comparison between God being present in two different locations with God being present in two different times. He mentioned how in our post-Einsteinian world time is just a dimension in our space-time continuum. Is that something that makes sense to you and you agree with?

Cool. :up: I'd like to read more about Whitehead eventually, but probably won't get back to it for a while. Didn't you have a book that dealt with quantum theory in a Whiteheadian worldview?

Yes, definitely a must read for atheists. I wonder if Dawkins has read it.

I'm definitely enjoying it. As I said before, I think I've been a victim of some of the misconceptions he's been talking about. At the moment I'm in a section that's talking about God as the uncaused cause and how God is necessary not just as an initial cause but as a continuing sustainer of anything contingent. I'm trying to fully understand it. The notion that a contingent reality can't cause itself, or come from nothing, is straightforward, but the idea that God can't simply get the ball rolling, so to speak, is less clear to me.

How's your week going? What's going on with your school these days? Are you just on a summer break?

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Hi Sela. Thank you.

I'm hanging in there, working through some things. I've just stopped in for a bit, it'll probably be a month before I get back here again. The break's been good for me but I've missed seeing you all.

I hope things are well with you, and that you're enjoying your summer.

That's nice. What made you pick up Whitehead again?

I'm not very far into his book. Chapter 3, the one on being. I had to laugh at this post by Silent Hunter because earlier in his book Hart brings up this argument that some atheists use. That they only deny 1 more god than we do.

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Things are going alright. I hung a dart board in my house now so I've been throwing some darts. H&G haven't seem to caught on that the darts get thrown at the board instead of me though. lain:

:chuckle: No, haven't started him yet. Still working my way through Hart's book. And I'm also reading Brothers Karamazov. Wanted to read it for a long time and finally had a courage to start it. It's an intimidating book to read. :noid:

How is your weekend going?

:e4e:

Thanks. Their 'gift' for me was to order me a big cake, with my own credit card of course. And then they picked it up and ate it before I even got home. lain:

I'd be unstoppable with that vast knowledge. :think:

:chuckle: Sorry you had to sit through that boring class. Why do you need to take a first aid class to get a license? That's not something we have to do here.

I may have mentioned before that I subscribe to the magazine, Scientific American. The current issue has an article about acquired savant syndrome. That is so fascinating to me. They wonder if all people could have hidden talents unlocked, and in ways that don't include the damage that usually comes along with it. And it's amazing that the talents are there in at least some people. Vast amounts of knowledge and skill may be passed on to us and we just need to access it. :think:

There is also an article about the beginning of our universe. There is a theory that our universe began from a black hole from the collapse of a star in a different, 4-dimensional universe. :shocked:

:think: That sounds interesting.

I was actually on a short vacation this weekend. Went out of town Thursday night and got back about noon today. But beyond this short one I don't have any vacation plans this summer. We went to Philadelphia on Saturday. H&G caused a ruckus, as usual. We were in an art museum that also had some ancient sculptures and helmets and masks, etc. They put a couple helmets on and started ramming their heads together. Needless to say we were asked to leave. lain:

How was your weekend? I can imagine that 87 is not your kind of weather. :chuckle:

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I've never played the game but it might be entertaining nonetheless. :chuckle: What I could really enjoy watching is a tournament in a game I used to play a lot like Unreal Tournament or one of the Halos.

Yep. And Jesus rode in on an alpaca of course. lain:

I agree about the cheap grace. :up: Your comment about idolatry is interesting, especially after just reading Tillich and his talk about idols being unultimate things raised to ultimate importance.

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Hmm, I can only assume you've now gone mad then?

:chuckle:

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lain:

Did you see the final match? Was it entertaining?

I think I would agree with your concern. My general impression is that the loftier concepts and the things that Hart is writing about, for example, are more important for apologetics. But for Christian living I think there is a risk of it being a distraction. And also a cause of division in the Church when people don't agree on all the various topics. Jesus said that his followers would be known by their love but that seems to get left behind fairly often. I have a feeling that Bonhoffer will be quite convicting to me. Perhaps I should spend less time on TOL and more time out serving my neighbor. :noid:

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I have read it, rather, I should say that, I was gripped by it! I am going to read it again. I suffered when first I read it and no doubt shall suffer again. Yet, to know that such a man lived, is comforting.

:chuckle: Yeah, he doesn't seem to happy about the camera man filming them.

I've been enjoying the book. I'm only through the first two chapters so far. I think I'm also somewhat guilty of what he accused the new atheists and even many Christians of believing about God. That their conception of God is more of a demiurge than the true God that is the ground of all being.

:chuckle: Yes that's very nerdy. 5mln is quite a prize for a video game tournament! Did you get a chance to watch it?

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Oh my. That can't bode well for us. :noid:
Check out 1:18-1:29. The way the fan is blowing that alpaca on the right's hair is cracking me up. :crackup:

Things are going alright for me. Have a long weekend coming up next Friday so I'm looking forward to that. Not much else. Working my way through Hart's book.

How are things with you? I like your new avatar.

:e4e:

Having fun are we Count? :chuckle:

The insanity level on here has been through the roof lately...

Things are...things really at the moment...

How's yourself?

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lain:

:chuckle: Oh that's awesome... please, post it in the thread.

How's the driving going? Taken down any trash cans, run any traffic lights, bumped into any unsuspecting pedestrians?

I'm glad you're enjoying your summer, I hope you're finding yourself refreshed.

I love having conversations with my friends, stop by any time (well, except in the coming weeks, I'll be gone for a while after tomorrow) and tell me what you're thinking about.

And thank you so much, I hope so too.

:chuckle: Good on you, they were excellent posts.

It's a TOL/social/religious US conservative thing. I like to have fun with it.

I'm doing okay, dealing with a lot in real life that's stressful, probably will be taking a good long break from here soon.

I hope things are well with you.

:chuckle: I bet you weren't the only one who thought the game started at 4 like all the others. I agree, I was surprised when I saw Messi got the award. He didn't even score after the group stage. I'm not sure who I would give it to but Messi seemed an odd pick.

It is a pretty nice used bookstore. They have a good selection. Life Together was there as well. I usually look for NT Wright and Bauckham and so far I haven't found much by them but I can't expect to find everything.

That's quite a quote. :think:

:chuckle:

Did you watch the WC final? I was pretty happy Germany ended up winning.