[Buddha-l] Fighting creationism

[SJZiobro at cs.com]

In a message dated 4/4/2007 8:06:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
s.hodge at padmacholing.plus.com writes: 
> Stan Z wrote:
> 
> Despite your absolving proviso, I always find it difficult to reconcile 
> this:
> 
> >One consequence we can draw from this
> >is that there is no being, act, process, change, etc. separate from God's
> >power at any time.
> 
> with this:
> 
> >the freely knowing and willing human being.
> 
> If human beings are created by this God, who is by definition omnipotent 
> (with certain specific imitations) and presumably omniscient, how can this 
> free-knowledge and free-will be anything more than illusory ?  From our 
> perspective, we may seem to have these capacities, but from the deity's 
> point of view the outcome of any choice based on this supposed free-will was 
> 
> already known, and hence pre-determined, at the initial instant of 
> creation -- which I suppose is the understanding which gave rise to the 
> Calvinist doctrine of predestination.  Have I missed something ?

Steven,

In his Summa contra gentiles, Book III, No. 94, Aquinas discusses the 
certainty of divine providence (De certitudine divinae providentiae).  He notes an 
argument formulated by Cicero that will be readily familiar upon reading it: 
"Cicero (De divinatione ii, 8) has this argument: 'If all things are foreseen by 
God, the order of causes is certain; but if so, all things happen by fate, 
nothing is left in our power, and there is no such thing as free will.'"

Aquinas then comments:

"A frivolous argument, for since not only effects are subject to divine 
providence, but also causes, and modes of being, it follows that though all things 
happen by divine providence, some things are so foreseen by God as that they 
are done freely by us."

This may be unsatisfying.  I note, however, that Aquinas, while agreeing that 
what is forseen by God will happen, argues that some things are foreseen 
precisely as free.  In short, the acts of some agents (causes) whose mode of being 
(rational; intellectual) by divine providence cannot not be free.  In earlier 
chapters he analyzes why creatures possessed of intellect and will will have 
free will.  It's late.  If you want to pursue this any further let me know.

Stan

    
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