T
tonyrey
Guest
Oldcelt (and others),
Great conversation folks.
Something that I have thought about for some time but have had trouble putting into words is how to resolve the idea of the God who is both interactive and stand-offish. I still am unable to articulate it well but I want to try to put out some thoughts and possibly get feedback from the group here.
The Deist idea of a âwatchmakerâ god who does not intervene obviously goes against the Judeo Christian view of God which sees God as intimately interested in all things. Of course we, in our turn, must try to understand and explain to the Deist (and others) why prayers are apparently not answered, why God allows suffering and other questions.
Iâve wondered and considered whether the answer doesnât lay a bit in the middleâŚThis is very complicated and not totally developed in my mind so bear with me a bitâŚIâll try to be brief.
Perhaps the most common objection to God is the lack of, or the rarity of miracles. The notable (to the scientist type) lack of verifiable, repeatable proofs. OK I accept this as problematic. However, as a man of belief, I contend that God does want to be evident in all levels of our lives - so what is the problem?
I would offer that the problem is, what is sometimes referred to as, ânoiseââŚ
Example: A radio astronomer is seeking something specific in what he receives - but has to try to pick it out from all of the ânoiseâ in the background.
If there is sufficient noise or interference (intentional or not) a signal can be easily lost or missed. During world war II the state of radio communication was such that sometimes âatmosphericsâ would prevent proper receiving of signals sent OR an enemy would intentionally âJamâ radio frequencies.
Now - taking this idea and applying it to the problem of God, His interaction, and our understanding I propose that God can be and is interactive with his creation - and I look at it being at three levels - the Cosmic, the intimate, and what I will call the conscious.
At the Cosmic level Godâs interaction is easily employed, but easily missed due to the great distances and times involved.
At the intimate level, in the heart, likewise interaction is easily employed because there is only one heart, one mind to work with - it is a one on one exchange. But it may be missed or rejected by the individual, possibly without actually noting that it is from God.
The greater problem comes at the conscious level - interaction between people and groups. This is where the greatest ânoiseâ is encountered. Human interchange, differing minds, thoughts, outlooks, worldviews, prejudices, and varying degrees of open or closed hearts and minds. In such an environment, it can be more difficult for Godâs interaction to be recognized.
The Gospels actually allude to this idea - In Mt 13:54-58 it says that Jesus did not perform many miracles there âbecause of their unbeliefâ. This indicates that their unbelief may have had a factor either in the ability to perform such miracles - or in the ability of the people to recognize and accept them.
If, as I surmise above, this human ânoiseâ existed then when the world was much more âspirituallyâ inclined, how much more noisy is todayâs scientifically inclined world.
So - in summary - God can and does interact with us at all levels, but we put up the greatest barriers to Him (with or without intent) in the area of human interaction where there is just too much noise.
Just some thoughtsâŚObviously there are a lot of subtleties and permutations possible in the aboveâŚbut thatâs the best I can explain it for nowâŚ
(name removed by moderator)ut / critique welcomed.
Peace
James
The rarity of miracles exists only in the mind of man. It is impossible for us to know the full extent of divine intervention at both the physical and spiritual levels.
