The Future: The future is not something that is actual so the idea that God needs to know the future is not logical possible. This Helps with the notion of an all knowing God.
Jesus: The creative love of God is represented in Jesus or was incarnated in Jesus. The belief of Jesus as the savior of humanity is present with-in Process thought but not widely explored.
Divine Goal: Is the idea that God want the best thing for us. God wants the most beautiful thing for us. And one idea that comes for this notion is the idea of complexity. The more complex things are the more enjoyment that thing can have.
Hell: Process theology says there is no hell. If we worship a God of Love then a God of Love would not create a hell.
Free Will: Process theology has found that free will is at the heart of reality. That God did not give us free will but free will is just part of reality.
Calvinism: Process theology thinks that Calvinism and some of its major doctrines like predestination has done Christian theology a lot of wrong. Although the doctrine of Predestination was an honest approach to trying to understand God and the Bible it has really distorted the nature of God.
Philosophical and Theological: Process theology tries to approach there ideas about God that are true to the philosophical truths and a religious theological truths.
Process ‘to be actual is to be process” : Everything is in process including God. God is affected by humans and we are affected by God and humans and everything. Reality is a process.
Reality bubbles: This was the diagram that showed the process of how things or entities become actualities. The bubble in process is the one in which has many other bubbles behind it, so that it can use the bubbles behind it as data to become what it is in the present. But the bubble in the process all so has the bubbles of possibility which are not part of the processing bubbles data. This is where God comes into the picture. God is a bubble in our data bubbles that helps us to choose the best bubble from the possibility of bubbles.
Monad: The smallest thing any actuality can be broken down into. A monad is smaller that an Atom.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Worship-Worthiness
What kind of God is Worthy of worship?
There are two sides to this answer. I think it has been an on going conversation among religious thinkers. One of the early arguments was Arminuism and Calvinism. They both describe God and the condition of Human differently.
Well today I think we still have 2 sides or more. The 2 talked about in the Handbook of Process Theology are utterly transcendent (a more Calvinist view) or a God who exist in time with creatures (a more process view). There we have 2 extremes. The 2 sides think, that there description of God is the God worthy of worship.
I think the Calvinistic view of God is the extreme of making God this big all powerful God, which in ways distances God form Humans. And then on the other hand we have the process view of God, a with creator, which is one the other side of the spectrum. This view of God may bring God down to an all most equal level as humans and other creatures. This view may take away a lot of the power of God.
I think these two thoughts happen for different reasons the Calvinistic view wants a God Powerful so that, that God can save them. Whereas the Process thinkers want a God that is not so powerful because that keeps God from relating to Humans.
I think these are old arguments and conversations although i think Process may be offering some neat new insight but still i feel some what on the Arminium side.
Those are my thoughts.
There are two sides to this answer. I think it has been an on going conversation among religious thinkers. One of the early arguments was Arminuism and Calvinism. They both describe God and the condition of Human differently.
Well today I think we still have 2 sides or more. The 2 talked about in the Handbook of Process Theology are utterly transcendent (a more Calvinist view) or a God who exist in time with creatures (a more process view). There we have 2 extremes. The 2 sides think, that there description of God is the God worthy of worship.
I think the Calvinistic view of God is the extreme of making God this big all powerful God, which in ways distances God form Humans. And then on the other hand we have the process view of God, a with creator, which is one the other side of the spectrum. This view of God may bring God down to an all most equal level as humans and other creatures. This view may take away a lot of the power of God.
I think these two thoughts happen for different reasons the Calvinistic view wants a God Powerful so that, that God can save them. Whereas the Process thinkers want a God that is not so powerful because that keeps God from relating to Humans.
I think these are old arguments and conversations although i think Process may be offering some neat new insight but still i feel some what on the Arminium side.
Those are my thoughts.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Week Two
Reflect on the concept of power in religious thinking. What does omnipotence mean? What power can be attributed to created beings, what power can be attributed to divine beings, and what evidence is there for the division you posit? What problems arise, if any, from this understanding? Then explain how process thought seeks to redefine the concept of power, and the religious implications -- whether desirable or undesirable -- of this redefinition.
God as omnipotence means that God is all-powerful and that he can do anything that he likes. Traditionally, God is also thought as omnibenecolent and omniscient . The problem, one runs into is that if God is all-powerful and all-knowing than the existence of evil becomes an issue because either God created evil or God does not have enough power to fix the problem of evil or God is evil himself.
The idea of free will is interesting with a God who is all-powerful and with humans with free will because if humans have free will and God's influence on free will is limited and if it is not limited to, in humans do not have free will so there's a problem with this idea as well.
Process theology offers an idea that God is all-powerful and all knowing that he knows all possibilities of the future. And God influences our free will but does not predetermine our choices. This idea of God knowing the possibilities and not and not the future solves the problem of evil. Because it allows humans to have free will and God to be all knowing because he only knows the possibilities which are the only logical things to know. So in some complicated way that I don't fully understand the solves the problem of evil but it changes the traditional idea of an all-powerful God. I feel like it all goes back to this idea that reality is only reality when it is actual things so the future is not reality because the future is not yet actual so God knows only the possibilities of the future and not the future itself.
God as omnipotence means that God is all-powerful and that he can do anything that he likes. Traditionally, God is also thought as omnibenecolent and omniscient . The problem, one runs into is that if God is all-powerful and all-knowing than the existence of evil becomes an issue because either God created evil or God does not have enough power to fix the problem of evil or God is evil himself.
The idea of free will is interesting with a God who is all-powerful and with humans with free will because if humans have free will and God's influence on free will is limited and if it is not limited to, in humans do not have free will so there's a problem with this idea as well.
Process theology offers an idea that God is all-powerful and all knowing that he knows all possibilities of the future. And God influences our free will but does not predetermine our choices. This idea of God knowing the possibilities and not and not the future solves the problem of evil. Because it allows humans to have free will and God to be all knowing because he only knows the possibilities which are the only logical things to know. So in some complicated way that I don't fully understand the solves the problem of evil but it changes the traditional idea of an all-powerful God. I feel like it all goes back to this idea that reality is only reality when it is actual things so the future is not reality because the future is not yet actual so God knows only the possibilities of the future and not the future itself.
Week One
Thinking along with the basic concepts of process theology as you've learned them so far, what are the key differencesbetween this conception of reality, humanity, and God and that which is widespread in our culture? What possible advantages do you see in considering this alternative?
I think process theology offers some neat ways to think about the traditional concepts of reality, humanity and God. Common thought about reality is that God created all of reality and that we humans are living within that created reality. Process theology offers this idea that he à la tea is being created and God is existing in reality at the same time that it is being created. This idea is a much more dynamic and changing idea of reality. Traditionally, humanity is thought to have been granted free will or to have been predestined by God. These two concepts are usually what one considers when thinking about humanity by process theology offers a new idea that humanity is not predestined but has freewill. By this free will is not granted by God rather it is just a part of reality. Traditionally the idea of God in our culture is that God is the supreme Creator, all powerful, all-knowing, all loving etc. Process Theology offers a new idea of God and idea that limits God's power by making his influence optional in our lives.
I think process theology may offer some new ways of doing theology. That may help us to better understand our additional beliefs. I think process theology is searching for truth in areas that have not been searched before and I think it always is important to keep an open mind to a better understanding of what we believe.
I think process theology offers some neat ways to think about the traditional concepts of reality, humanity and God. Common thought about reality is that God created all of reality and that we humans are living within that created reality. Process theology offers this idea that he à la tea is being created and God is existing in reality at the same time that it is being created. This idea is a much more dynamic and changing idea of reality. Traditionally, humanity is thought to have been granted free will or to have been predestined by God. These two concepts are usually what one considers when thinking about humanity by process theology offers a new idea that humanity is not predestined but has freewill. By this free will is not granted by God rather it is just a part of reality. Traditionally the idea of God in our culture is that God is the supreme Creator, all powerful, all-knowing, all loving etc. Process Theology offers a new idea of God and idea that limits God's power by making his influence optional in our lives.
I think process theology may offer some new ways of doing theology. That may help us to better understand our additional beliefs. I think process theology is searching for truth in areas that have not been searched before and I think it always is important to keep an open mind to a better understanding of what we believe.
Monday, September 14, 2009
September 15
"What we need is to make a renewed attempt to worship the objective God, not our forefathers' doctrines about him" (148). Hartshorne
I like the idea of worshiping the objective God and not doctrines about God. I think it for the most part true worship is being in a relationship with God. I don't feel like you can be in a relationship with the doctrine so in order to bridge the gap between doctrines true worship we have to go beyond the doctrine itself. I believe this is called the experience. I think you can experience the objective God and truly worship him when you truly experience them. To give the definition of experiencing God is hard to do and maybe relative to each person. But I think bridging the gap between doctrine and the true experience will relationship with God's truly worshiping the objective God. I think a lot of mature Christians and people that understand the relationship with God are truly doing this, are truly worshiping the objective God in a real way. I think tradition and doctrines are what guide people into understanding and bettering their relationship with God. I think human experience is similar in a lot of ways and has been similar through out history. I think people in biblical times experience a lot of the same hardships and desires and sufferings that we do still today, so writing doctrines based on these experiences and understanding of God, give us a better understanding of how to truly understand this relationship with God.
I like the idea of worshiping the objective God and not doctrines about God. I think it for the most part true worship is being in a relationship with God. I don't feel like you can be in a relationship with the doctrine so in order to bridge the gap between doctrines true worship we have to go beyond the doctrine itself. I believe this is called the experience. I think you can experience the objective God and truly worship him when you truly experience them. To give the definition of experiencing God is hard to do and maybe relative to each person. But I think bridging the gap between doctrine and the true experience will relationship with God's truly worshiping the objective God. I think a lot of mature Christians and people that understand the relationship with God are truly doing this, are truly worshiping the objective God in a real way. I think tradition and doctrines are what guide people into understanding and bettering their relationship with God. I think human experience is similar in a lot of ways and has been similar through out history. I think people in biblical times experience a lot of the same hardships and desires and sufferings that we do still today, so writing doctrines based on these experiences and understanding of God, give us a better understanding of how to truly understand this relationship with God.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Cycles
W.B. Yeats proposed an idea about Christianity and all religions, he said that all religions work in cycles and after so many years the cycle would end and a new cycle would start.
Well this idea of cycles was brought up, I think, when we talked about the decline of major religions. Someone talked about the possible end of Christianity in the future if the decline continues. Maybe… My thought was well maybe another cycle would start. My other thought was maybe Process Theology would help us in understanding the changing dynamic of religion. So… Is this decline a cycle with new ideas and thoughts about life or is the end of something all together?
Well this idea of cycles was brought up, I think, when we talked about the decline of major religions. Someone talked about the possible end of Christianity in the future if the decline continues. Maybe… My thought was well maybe another cycle would start. My other thought was maybe Process Theology would help us in understanding the changing dynamic of religion. So… Is this decline a cycle with new ideas and thoughts about life or is the end of something all together?
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