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From: barry@ames.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: God and Necessity
Message-ID: <718@ames.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Dec-84 16:22:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.718
Posted: Wed Dec 19 16:22:00 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Dec-84 01:47:12 EST
References: <1706@zehntel.UUCP>
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 32

[]

> As we mortal humans can create increasingly sound explanations for the
> workings of the universe without having to appeal to the existence of a
> God for those sound explanations, then doesn't God (even if God exists!)
> become increasingly not necessary?
> 
> What is the use of a God which is not necessary?  Why should one
> believe in an unnecessary God?  Why should one worship an
> unnecessary God?
> 
> Steve Nelson
> zehntel!zinfandel!steve

	I think the use of the concept of God to explain the workings
of physical processes (e.g., creationism) is, indeed, a hangover from earlier
times. But God can still be a relevant concept for answering questions
which are not physical/scientific. For example, "what is the basis for
morality?"; "what is the meaning of life?"; "why is there evil?"; "why
is there *anything*?".
	God is certainly not the only answer to questions of this sort;
perhaps the questions themselves are meaningless. What *is* certain is
that science cannot provide answers to questions which lie outside the
realm of science. For such questions, "God" is a possible, though unprovable,
answer. If it works for you, go with it; if not, don't worry about it.

-  From the Crow's Nest  -                      Kenn Barry
                                                NASA-Ames Research Center
                                                Moffett Field, CA
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