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Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > Theological Q&A > (No Subject)
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Tom
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 10353
| Posted 7/29/2011 10:39 PM (GMT -6) |   | | | |
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Starkman
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Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1747
| Posted 7/30/2011 12:11 AM (GMT -6) | | An excellent read, Tom? Man, it's a sad read. The poor fellow hasn't a clue as to what open theism is. He got off on all this mish-mash stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with open theism (at it's core). And I don't fault him, necessarily; I fault whomever he was researching. I mean, for pete's sake, when is it that this idea of God limiting his knowledge is ever going to be thrown out the door where it belongs? And all that stuff about the incarnation.
At any rate, it was sad. Not because it was the typical rebuttal stuff (thank heavens it wasn't), but because it only showed the fellow didn't have a clue...still, after all this time that the subject has been out in the open (no pun intended).
Well, that's my thought, anyway.
Thanks,
Starkman | | Back to Top | | |
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One Love
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Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 7/30/2011 8:55 AM (GMT -6) | | I did think it was interesting that he mentions Moltmann using the concept of Tzimtzum and it's roots in Kabbalah. I actually think something like this is the case...
Tzimtzum (Hebrew צמצום ṣimṣūm "contraction" or "constriction" )is a term used in the kabbalistic teaching of Isaac Luria, explaining his concept that God began the process of creation by "contracting" his infinite light in order to allow for a "conceptual space" in which a finite and seemingly independent world could exist. This contraction, forming an "empty space" (חלל הפנוי) in which creation could begin, is known as the Tzimtzum.
Because the Tzimtzum results in the conceptual "space" in which the physical universe and free will can exist, God is often referred to as "Ha-Makom" (המקום lit. "the place", "the omnipresent" )in Rabbinic literature. Relatedly, olam—the Hebrew word for "world" or universe—is derived from the root word עלם meaning "concealment". This etymology is complementary with the concept of Tzimtzum, in that the physical universe conceals the spiritual nature of creation.
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A commonly held understanding in Kabbalah is that the concept of Tzimtzum contains a built-in paradox, requiring that God be simultaneously transcendent and immanent.
On the one hand, if the "Infinite" did not restrict itself, then nothing could exist—everything would be overwhelmed by God's totality. Thus existence requires God's transcendence, as above.
On the other hand, God continuously maintains the existence of, and is thus not absent from, the created universe. "The Divine life-force which brings all creatures into existence must constantly be present within them... were this life-force to forsake any created being for even one brief moment, it would revert to a state of utter nothingness, as before the creation..." . This understanding is supported by various biblical teachings: "You have made the heaven... the earth and all that is on it... and You give life to them all" (Nehemiah 9:6); "All the earth is filled with God's Glory" (Numbers 14:21); "God's Glory fills the world" (Isaiah 6:3). Creation therefore requires God's immanence.
Here's how I see it: The uncreated, "infinite" light (God Himself working on Creation's behalf perceived by hesychasts in theoria and the Tabor Light; the ultimate ground of all Creation; the light that is always shining in the void) is hidden from Creation "to conceal from created beings the activating force within them, enabling them to exist as tangible entities, instead of being utterly nullified within their source." This uncreated, infinite light CAN be perceived and participated in by persons who love God and, by Grace, have purified the eye of the soul (ala asceticism).
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Post Edited (One Love) : 7/30/2011 10:16:47 AM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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