The God of Samson or Delilah? Dr Christina Biggs CiS Bristol - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The God of Samson – or Delilah?

Dr Christina Biggs

CiS Bristol

Joint ASA/CiS Conference, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

July 2014

Q: Are we betraying God?

Is modern scientific “rescue theodicy” in fact a Delilah portraying God as weak? Are we limiting God to: Influencing natural world only in initial design and thereafter a helpless onlooker; Miracles only within quantum uncertainty; Private, unprovable revelation to humans; Intending suffering only accidentally?

Task: To rediscover the God of Samson: suffering with creative power for triumph.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): an omnipotent God; the future exists already. God “gives saints grace to merit glory” and permits sin for the greater good. Sarah Coakley (1951-): Evolution as rewarding intentional, sacrificial altruism points to God’s vision of a flamboyantly generous future society Alfred Whitehead (1861-1947): Basic unit = thinking and feeling entities; the future is

• pen; God improvises

creatively, aiming for mathematically beautiful unity

• in-diversity and

harmony

Three guides back towards Samson

Proposal: to combine these three approaches by considering three further “science parables”

• 1. Clay parable: A model for free will?
• A consistent pattern in “pinball machine” environment
• Random scatter stays roughly within this “envelope”

Aquinas: God can “tilt the pinball machine”. Q: Does he?

• 2. Sound parable: How does the conductor

influence the sound of the orchestra?

A: He not only directs but also trains the players. Q: Are we developing a consistently sweet tone?

• 3. Genetics parable: a picture embedded within

evolution shows that suffering ends in redemption.

…God has a means of persuasion:

• 2. Sound parable:

Whitehead’s creatively improvising God trains musicians to develop a consistent sweet sound. W h i t e h e a d : D e s t i n y = H a r m

• n

y b u t C

• a

k l e y : S u f f e r i n g h a s a t e m p

• r

a r y p l a c e i n t h e “ b

• t

c a m p ”

• f

t h i s l i f e , f

• r

d e v e l

• p

i n g a s

• c

i e t y

• f

s a c r i f i c i a l a l t r u i s m . W h i t e h e a d : D e s t i n y = H a r m

• n

y b u t C

• a

k l e y : S u f f e r i n g h a s a t e m p

• r

a r y p l a c e i n t h e “ b

• t

c a m p ”

• f

t h i s l i f e , f

• r

d e v e l

• p

i n g a s

• c

i e t y

• f

s a c r i f i c i a l a l t r u i s m .

• 3. Genetics

parable: Suffering ends with redemption.

Summary

• 1. Clay parable:

Free-will behaviour has a predictable pattern either if Aquinas’ God “tilts the pinball machine” or…

Result: The God of Samson not Delilah!

Whitehead’s basic unit = sentient entities with an open future genuine free will Coakley’s intention and decision for humans God is confident

• f achieving his

purpose only if…

References

Aquinas, T. (1225-1274) Summa Theologica, Prima Pars, Qq.14, 19, 22, 23. Full text available free and online at e.g. http://home.newadvent.org/summa/, last accessed 14/07/2014. Barbour, I (Ed.) (1968) Science and Religion: New Perspectives on the Dialogue, Part 3: Evolution and the Doctrine of Creation. SCM Press: London Coakley, S. (2012) Gifford Lectures, University of Aberdeen, http://www.abdn.ac.uk/gifford/about/2012-giff/, last accessed 14/07/2014. Doye J, Goldby I, Line C, Lloyd S, Shellard P, Tricker D (1995) Contemporary perspectives on Chance, Providence and Free Will. Science and Christian Belief,7: pp.117-139 Whitehead, A.N. (1910), Process and Reality, Ch 1-3. Cambridge University Press: London

Acknowledgements

Advice and guidance: Ernest Lucas, Bristol Baptist College Justin Stratis, Trinity College Bristol Access to theological libraries: Paul Roberts, Trinity College Bristol Michael Brealey, Bristol Baptist College Funding for travel and conference fee: Lady Clare Fund, Clare College, Cambridge Bursary Committee, Christians in Science UK Neutron scattering data, samples and instrument diagrams: Professor Michael Hayes, University of Limerick TFXA, ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK Portable sound analysis equipment and software: Digital recorder - H2 Zoom, available to buy from Maplin Stores UK Audacity – free software from http://www.audacity.sourceforge.net Orchestral music - Keynsham Orchestra, recorded by author