Nothing happens by chance; although it may seem of miniscule importance or just a coincidence, everything happens for a reason. God is all powerful, so one would think he’d control the smallest of things for the biggest of purposes in the end. What do you think?
2006-09-09 18:39:13 · 6 answers · asked by Coool 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I do agree with you that the phenomenon we describe as "chaos theory" has important theological implications.
For example, the idea of a "butterfly effect" --that is, the minuscule effects that end up creating huge impacts on larger systems of turbulence (as studied in weather change) points to a need for mindfulness in our lives of how the small things we do end up having huge impacts in the lives of others, for good or for bad.
As well, the principle of the chaotic system self-organizing as well as spiraling up and down can in cycles help us understand how God operates in the world -- from prehistory into future realms, as well as how the world populates and sustains itself.
The writings of theologian Catherine Keller are excellent reading on this topic, as well as much of the writings in process theology.
I like the caution she makes in jumping on any one bandwagon as THE definitive answer or approach: "Be careful, though – science cannot dictate terms to faith. Christianity has always borrowed current cos- mologies (such as Aquinas took from Aristotle, while Schleiermacher, Barth, and Bultmann presupposed modern Newtonian mechanism). We just don’t want to get stuck in modern assumptions about the universe that are passé and predictable, reducing the universe to something outside of us and outside of God, and reinforcing deadheaded polarizations like "evolution" vs. "creation."
2006-09-10 06:30:57 · answer #1 · answered by Ponderingwisdom 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's possible, If God chose to manage the cosmos that way I'm sure He knows what He's doing. Although I tend to see the small stuff differently.
I theorize a cosmos with rules. Natural laws, if you will, and limits on those rules. And nothing can happen outside the parameters of those rules and limits, so there is little need to 'micro-manage' the universe. Everything does happen for a reason, in the sense that it happens within those rules. This does not preclude direct involvement of God, it simply doesn't require it.
2006-09-10 01:52:53 · answer #2 · answered by dave 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If God knows the position, speed and direction of every particle in the universe, the past, present and future are equally viewable and determined.
God's brain is part of the universe. Knowing and determining the outcomes of everything depends on *perfect* knowledge of the *vectors* of every particle. Since God's brain occupies some space-time, and the interior of that brain is involved in the calculation, God cannot have perfect knowledge of the universe--because that brain is dynamic. Because of the butterfly effect, what changes in that brain causes effect which ripple through space-time. Therefore free will, not determinism, is reinforced.
Or something...
2006-09-10 01:57:59 · answer #3 · answered by Ren Hoek 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Chaos theory and other mathematics that works on recursion and self generation all have the same problem; they can model things extremely well, but only after the fact. They cannot give you a starting point. They say nothing about initial conditions, and thus are not useful to say anything about any possible divine.
2006-09-10 01:52:52 · answer #4 · answered by neil s 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If anything, the Chaos Theory is further proof of God's existence, because, when you do the reading, you'll find that the so-called "chaos" is only seemingly chaotic, and actually totally stuctured once you get into it.
2006-09-10 01:44:22 · answer #5 · answered by Tahini Classic 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no I don't..God gave us free will..this is why things happen. God does know what will happen before it does.
2006-09-10 01:42:02 · answer #6 · answered by julielove327 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋