RE: Creatio Ex Nihilo - Forming Something out of Nothing?
February 23, 2015 at 5:40 pm
(This post was last modified: February 23, 2015 at 5:40 pm by Mudhammam.)
(February 23, 2015 at 11:49 am)Ignorant Wrote: That sentence is poorly written, so I am doing my best to interpret it in a light which is favorable to you. What I said was this:
"However,[the argument that utilizes the premise "out of nothing, nothing comes"] would establish that there is at least one thing in the universe that has at least one of the qualities that the revealed monotheistic god (Jewish, Christian, or of Islam) claims for himself, viz. eternal being."
What I meant to say that the conclusion of that purely philosophical argument converges with the religious claim of the monotheistic traditions that God is eternal. In other words, at least ONE claim of the image of God as claimed to be revealed by the monotheistic traditions does not contradict the conclusions of reason. Does that mean that such a god exists? Certainly not. It was merely a passing comment that apparently you felt needed clarification. Fair enough.
You're original comment seemed bizarrely pleased, or surprised, that religions have created a god that is defensible by weak induction, on top of the fact that your clumsy wording suggested as though revelation has any legitimate basis. I'm glad to know you didn't actually mean that though.
(February 23, 2015 at 11:49 am)Ignorant Wrote: Wow. So much learning going on here. =) Suffice it to say that the process was a great deal more complex than this caricature you have illustrated here. Is there some truth to what you said about the early Hebrew's monotheistic beliefs, or lack thereof? Certainly. Is it as simple as you describe? Certainly not. But wouldn't that be more appropriate a discussion on a Christian or Jewish topic thread? Or is it always appropriate to critique revealed religious beliefs on a philosophical thread? I mean, all I did was mention the philosophical distinction between a rational, self-evident premise and a (supposedly) revealed proposition, as well as their logical compatibility (i.e. they are not mutually exclusive propositions), and now we are talking about the different revealed understandings of the monotheistic god's inner life. What happened?Well, I'm pretty sure what happened is that you claimed to be confused and I attempted to clarify. Of course I'm oversimplifying. That's sort of necessary when you're typing from a phone. I seriously hope you didn't come here expecting to receive an exhaustive education on topics that people have been writing on for over 2,300 years.
(February 23, 2015 at 11:49 am)Ignorant Wrote: I am not sure what has brought on this history lesson? I appreciate your concern for my knowledge of comparative religion, but what has that to do with whether or not the concept of creation contradicts "out of nothing nothing comes"?Do you have a difficult time understanding how discussions work? You comment, I respond, you reply, I comment, and so forth. It's not complicated. Your question is pretty silly when all you must do is go back a page and see how utterly confused you claimed to be.
He who loves God cannot endeavour that God should love him in return - Baruch Spinoza