bippy123 wrote:Kurieuo wrote:As far as as the mind-body problem is concerned there are really two different "logical" positions to someone who wishes God to remain outside of their picture of the world.
Either one keeps their everything can be physically explained shtick which leads to (1) "Eliminative Materialism" (which is laughable in my opinion, making science and the scientists who practice such absurd).
OR, one takes on board (2) Some dual substance view of nature being comprised of both physical and mental, a natural physical world mixed in with a natural teleology.
BUT, "philosophy is dead" so I guess the reasoning behind it all doesn't really matter.
Many should keep blowing that horn as loudly as they can before their world comes falling down around them.
Kurieuo, what is the difference between mental and spiritual ? It seems like a grey area doesn't it ?
Didn't God create everything from a thought ?
This is something I've always wanted to explore more in depth .
Such easy questions!
I'm not sure if you're trying to lead me to a particular answer,
but nonetheless this actually gives me an opportunity to put into words some new thoughts I've had over time.
Being Christian, obviously I look to Christian theology for answers.
So I'll be unapologetic on that front to any non-Christians reading.
While both "spirit" and "mind" can be viewed as immaterial, I do see large distinctions between the two.
In Scripture, "spiritual" is often within the context of "seeing God".
For example, humanity suffered a spiritual death from God when we fell.
Now we must be born again spiritually and see the kingdom of God.
Mental requires a
conscious self, but a question to ponder is: "
Can the self be conceived of existing in a state without consciousness?"
If the answer to that is "yes" then who we are is not "mental". I think the answer to that is clearly a yes.
Re: "God creating everything from a thought" by that which do you mean:
1) Everything was created from a thought in God's mind, or
2) Everything created is God's thought?
With (1), strictly speaking God doesn't
have a mind.
Keep in mind Divine Simplicity wherein there God has no parts.
We require "minds" to think, but it's likely better to view God as actualised raw thinking intelligence.
So then, an alternative would be to just simply say:
1') Everything was created by God.
That may not
only be "
a thought", but include the fuller picture of God's undiluted pure nature and intelligence being creatively expressed according to God's sovereign will.
To such a powerful extent, that we actually become externalised from this pure intelligence into individual rational thinking beings who contain their own free-thinking minds as God desired.
This really is an awesome thought and something to behold:
that God being all there is, created beings with minds of their own apart from Himself.
It is something I think strict Idealism can't give.
Which then also leads to some reservations I'd have with (2) if everything is said to exist in God's mind.
I understand many Theistic philosophers hold to Idealism, that everything is reduced to something like God's thinking or mind, but I find it troubling.
While I haven't researched the topic at any depth, my thoughts are that such a position faces similar absurd problems of Eliminative Materialism.
Ultimately, I see an unavoidable conclusion of Eliminative Idealism if "everything
is God's thought".
So, I believe the best solution is to avoid talk of "God's mind" and "God's thinking" altogether and go with the simpler (1') Everything was created by God.