Dr Cresswell responds to me:
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Is there anything that happens on its own or is god required for everything? .... You seem to be running toward a result that explains everything...and thus actually explains nothing.
I'm not actually trying to explain anything (at least, nothing related to the material universe) - I let science do that. In a sense I'm very happy to say everything happens on its own ... science is a self-consistent system that describes things happening on their own and in its field it is complete. However, I don't find a complete scientific description enough. Which is where I have to say God is at work behind and within all things (in a manner that is imperceptible to science).
Um, then you're saying that god is required for everything. If "god is at work behind and within all things," then you gotta have god in there.
Is there anything that can happen without god?
And by the way: If something is imperceptible, how do you know it's there?
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I need God to give meaning above and beyond mere explanation.
That's a completely separate question.
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And I need God to be intimately involved in the universe rather than some deistic God. This does explain everything and nothing, with God directly causing every action and everything acting solely in response to material causes.
No, that isn't explaining everything and nothing. That's direct contradiction.
The point behind an explanation that explains everything actually explains nothing is that the explanation is consistent with every possible outcome. We're trying to find out of X has any effect upon process Y. If every single possible result of Y is consistent with X, then the presence of X doesn't actually change anything. Every possible outcome is consistent so rather than explaining something, we have explained absolutely nothing.
Instead, what you're saying is that god, a supernatural being, makes everything happen and then turning around and saying that those things are natural.
Well, it can't be both. Supernatural beings behave in supernatural ways. If it's natural, then it cannot be a supernatural action.
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A contradiction? Of course. I'm happy to live within the contradiction. I don't ask anyone else to join me.
All I'm asking is that you be honest and admit that it's illogical and thus has no evidence to support it.
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Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!