tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post6809716239620517769..comments2024-03-28T21:32:26.550+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Basic metaphysical assumptions - before the ChristianBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-74187569149734000252022-02-05T07:15:24.793+00:002022-02-05T07:15:24.793+00:00@easty - Back in those days, the concern was with ...@easty - Back in those days, the concern was with converting pagans, who believe the universe is composed of Beings - but who did not believe in Jesus Christ. Now we believe that there is no life anywhere - and biology (and ourselves) is just information processing. Christians are caught up in this. Yet the world still is alive, even though we no longer spontaneously feel it - and our task from here is to choose to know this. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-76401653228645421452022-02-04T21:30:17.620+00:002022-02-04T21:30:17.620+00:00I'm not sure if you mean by creation being mad...I'm not sure if you mean by creation being made up of beings that for instance the sun and moon and stars are rational creatures, which the platonists believed, and seemongly early christians did too, in taling ideas like the sun running its course and the elements always obeying God and so on fairly literally; but I not the rejection of this idea in Christianity was rather late. It was enough to say don't worship the sun and wasn't necessary to say the sun is not a rational creature, until empreror Justinian and his document (whether authentic or forged, but which I note was supposedly presented to the 2nd Constantinoplean Council yet apparently not even discussed by them, certainly not ratified) condemning the Originists which includes "if anyone says the sun, moon, or stars are rational creatures, let him be anathema"...wait a minute...<br /><br />ACKSUALLY the 3rd anathema says "If anyone shall say that the sun, the moon and the stars are also reasonable beings, and that they have only become what they are because they turned towards evil: let him be anathema."<br /><br />So I guess the common misconception that it condemns believing the sun etc. are rational beings is only a misconception, because technically if you don't say "and that they have only become what they are because they turned towards evil" the anathema doesn't apply. There are so many things like this where people would be quick to condemn someone based on a council having supposedly condemned their position, when on closer inspection it actually did not.eastynoreply@blogger.com