*
If God made every particle of stuff and all the rules and laws and forces by which they interact; then God would be responsible for absolutely everything - both in terms of having made the nature of things and underwriting from moment to moment everything that happens.
This is monism.
Essentially there is God only - and everything else is a kind of swirling within God.
Clearly, there is no place for free will in such a monistic concept - everything is God.
(There is no such distinct thing as Good that could be compared with God - because Good is just a part of God. Good is God.)
*
If God is conceptualized as eternal within reality, and having shaped pre-existing stuff using pre-existing rules and laws and forces; then God is not responsible for everything.
This is - one type of - pluralism.
Essentially there is God and at least one other thing. Some things are within God, but others are not.
With pluralism, God is not everything; and is therefore contained by everything (as the most powerful thing, vastly the most powerful thing - but not infinitely the most powerful thing: not every-thing).
Free will is a possible consequence of the fact that some things are not (or to be exact, not wholly) within God.
*
Thus free will is not a gift of God but either:
1. An illusion - if monism is true;
or else
2. a possible but not necessary fact of reality if pluralism is true.
*
However, for Christians, the reality of free will is a truth given by revelation.
Therefore, since free will entails pluralism; then pluralism is true.
Thus, reality is plural - God is within reality, and not vice versa.
*
Note: clearly, Christianity is not strictly monist, but Trinitarian - and the Godhead is Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Q: What difference does this make? A: The above argument is not affected. Either the Godhead is everything, contains everything; or else the Godhead is not everything, and is contained by everything.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Pluralism is true, God is within reality: a metaphysical proof
Posted on 10:52 PM by Unknown
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