Showing posts with label logic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label logic. Show all posts

Friday, June 13, 2014

Humor and Immutability

Often theologians will express statements like, "God is immutable [unchangeable] therefore he cannot have humor or experience emotion."

It is not only bad theology it is bad logic. First the bible does seem to indicate that God is perfect and unchanged. Second the bible does seem to indicate that God laughs, has a sense of humor, and experiences emotion.

You see this is one of the issues of carrying human logic when doing theology. People are changed by events happening to them since we are in flux. Thus if God experiences he is changed.

You see the issue of course is that there is an essence of a person and the things that happen to them. My essence is not exactly changed many times by this or that joke or comment.

You see experiencing emotion in no way necessitates a change of the essence of a person or being. This is of course the great chagrin to parents who wish their children would learn from mistakes!

You see often human essence is not at all affected by experience in the way it should be. God too is not affected by emotion in the form of a change of essence because he is in his perfect state.

You see experience is something that happens. It does not necessitate change in essence.

Another point of course is that experience for people adds knowledge. To God who knows all things as eternally present, however, experience does not even add to knowledge.

He already knows and is not discovering as we are. What is next in history to people is already present to God.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Faith Seeking Understanding

Often in life if we try out a truth in our life we will find that it is true. The bible tells us to "taste and see that the Lord is good." You see if we follow God we will learn that he is good.

If we follow well we will learn that the law is not burdensome as the world says, but that his yoke is easy and his burden light..

Often we believe things will be a certain way contrary to scripture. Often it is more an expression of the gut reaction of our sinful nature than a truly logical and thoughtful approach.

We often are asked by God to trust him. We are constantly tested in life if we will trust God or not trust God.

It is always better to trust God. We often fail, but God's grace covers us. He loved us even while we were his enemies.