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Starkman
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1747
| Posted 1/26/2003 1:34 PM (GMT -6) |   | Per CS Lewis in Mere Christianity:
Well, if that were true, if God foresaw our acts, it would be very hard to understand how we could be free not to them. But suppose God is outside and above the Time-line. In that case, what we call 'tomorrow' is visible to Him in just the same way as what we call 'today'. All the days are 'Now' for Him. He does not remember you doing things yesterday; He simply sees you doing them, because, though you have lost yesterday, He has not. He does not 'foresee' you doing things tomorrow; He simply sees you doing them: because, though tomorrow is not yet there for you, it is for Him. You never supposed that your actions at this moment were any less free because God knows what you are doing. Well, He knows your tomorrow's actions just the same way--because He is already in tomorrow and can simply watch you. In a sense, He does not know your action till you have done it: but then the moment at which you have done it is already 'Now' for Him. This idea has helped me a good deal. If it does not help you, leave it alone. It is a 'Christian idea' in the sense that great and wise Christians have held it and there is nothing in it contrary to Christianity. But it is not in the BIble or any of the creeds. You can be a perfectly good Christian without accepting it, or indeed without thinking of the matter at all.
Clearly, CS Lewis was not an Open Theist, but he had enough wisdom and understanding to see that it wasn't the end of orthodoxy if one was an Open Theist.
Starkman
Edited by - Starkman on 01/26/2003 6:35:17 PM | | Back to Top | | |
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GregBoyd
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 1818
| Posted 1/26/2003 9:29 PM (GMT -6) | | Starkman, as I recall that quote, it seems to me that a) in this quote Lewis is merely talking about the "timeless" EXPLANATION for foreknowledge, not the CLAIM of foreknowledge itself, and b) just before he offers this quote, he says something like "all theists believe God knows the future". (I don't have time to try to find it, but I'm quite sure he says something to this effect). I of course WISH you're interpretation and application of Lewis was correct.... but I think its incorrect.
bummer
Doc
"In Christ...the ONLY THING that matters is faith energized by love." Galatians 5:6 | | Back to Top | | |
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Matthew Timothy Short
Huh?
Date Joined Apr 2002
Total Posts : 635
| Posted 1/27/2003 12:03 AM (GMT -6) | | "You can be a perfectly good Christian without accepting it, or indeed without thinking of the matter at all."
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Tom
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 10353
| Posted 1/27/2003 1:48 AM (GMT -6) | | Starkman: Clearly, CS Lewis was not an Open Theist, but he had enough wisdom and understanding to see that it wasn't the end of orthodoxy if one was an Open Theist.
Tom: I see Doc beat me to it. Just to confirm, it doesn't look to me that there is anything of open theism in Lewis’s comments.Just the common timeless knowledge (ala Aquinas). He says this “explains” a lot for him. I would have loved to have heard Lewis try to use timeless or simple-foreknowledge to “explain” something.
Hey, at least Lewis admits that exhaustively definite foreknowledge (if it’s FOREknowledge) is incompatible with free will. That’s good!
Tom
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Starkman
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1747
| Posted 1/27/2003 3:46 AM (GMT -6) | | Wait, wait...whoa...halt! Stop the presses...
I'm confused!
I was quoting Lewis not to suggest he believed in the open view, but in that he didn't, he recognized that it wasn't the impardonable sin to not adhere to that which most theists believe.
(Just when I think I'm getting the hang of this communication thing, I blow it!!!)
Starkman
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