About

I am a middle-aged man with a wife and some kids I am molding into my distorted image. My professional training is in theology, but I have been an avid student of Christian apologetics for 20 years.

70 Responses to “About”

Tim Says:

August 28, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I noticed your thoughts about the possibility or not of an infinite universe (a universe without a beginning), and I think I have a reply. A simple case for why the universe cannot be infinite goes like this:

If the universe is truly infinite than prior to today there has been an infinite amount of days. But this would mean that to get to today we would have to pass through an infinite number of days. We realize that, if the number of days is truly infinite, then by definition (“infinite” means something without end) we cannot really pass through all these days to get to today. There would be an endless amount of days and so could never all be passed by. You could always add a day prior to today.

Thus this proves that an infinite universe could not exist, because if it really was infinite we could never reach today.

What do you think of this idea (I didn’t come up with it, but find it a powerful argument)? I find it pretty solid, and cannot find anything wrong with it. I hope you like it too!

Keep it cool man,
Tim

LikeLike
Tim Says:

August 28, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Oh, and sorry I posted this in the wrong spot. You can move it, or even delete it if you want. But I wanted to tell you that argument.

Keep it cool,
Tim 🙂

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

August 29, 2008 at 10:01 am
Tim,

Yes, I use that same argument often. In fact, it is presented in a post from a week or two ago. William Lane Craig refers to it as the “impossibility of traversing the infinite” argument.

Jason

LikeLike
Barry Says:

March 10, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Hi Jason,

I’m trying to contact William Arnold III

I’d tried emailing him but it bounced back.

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

March 11, 2009 at 8:11 am
Barry,

He is nearly impossible to get a hold of these days. He may have changed his email, but more likely, it is so full that emails are bouncing back.

Jason

LikeLike
Peter Connell Says:

April 30, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Jason, On one of your blogs from May of last year you wrote about modesty and mentioned a book by C.J. Mahaney, “Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World.” You mentioned then that the book was “soon to be released.” I have not been able to find out anything else about that book and would like to get it. Do you have any further information? Any help would be appreciated. An email would be nice.

Blessings,

LikeLike
Peter Connell Says:

April 30, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Actually just found it. Thanks nonetheless.

LikeLike
Scott Speight Says:

June 9, 2009 at 6:26 am
Why is there no RSS feed on the blog?? that would be handy

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

June 9, 2009 at 10:33 am
Can’t you do it by going to “Blog info” in the upper right corner and selecting “Subscribe to Blog”? Nevertheless, I added an RSS feed button to the site, although you’ll have to tell me if it actually allows you to subscribe to an RSS feed. I’m not good at this stuff.

LikeLike
Scott Speight Says:

June 12, 2009 at 1:51 am
Erm, yeah – didn’t realise could do it from the URL toolbar. As for the RSS feed button, it works.

LikeLike
James Says:

September 18, 2009 at 10:41 am
Are you on any social media sites (Facebook, Twitter)? Where are you from? I know your name but can’t connect the dots.

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

September 18, 2009 at 1:25 pm
James,

No, I avoid social media sites (and most message boards) like the plague. 🙂

I am originally from Ohio, but I’ve been in CA for the past 15 years.

Jason

LikeLike
Xochi Adame Says:

October 8, 2009 at 10:14 am
Are you a Theosophist? Theosophy may be very different than what you are referencing in you blog title. It’s an occult term for divine wisdom, most commonly known for the int’l society that was created in 1875. I’m just wondering because I handle social media(FB & Twitter) for the Theosohical Society in America and have the term among my google alerts, which for obvious reasons, tags you.

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

October 8, 2009 at 10:21 am
Xochi Adame,

No, I am not a Theosophist. “Theosophical” is a term some non-Theosophist’s use to describe an approach to religion that bridges theology and philosophy (which is why my blog’s tagline is “a collage of theological and philosophical musings”).

Jason

LikeLike
Chaplain Grady Powell Says:

January 4, 2010 at 9:26 am
How can i get in touch with you? I need to speak with you.

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

January 4, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Grady, you can email me at jasondulle@yahoo.com and we can go from there.

LikeLike
JT Says:

January 10, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Hello Jason,

I have enjoyed reading some of your material and appreciate the quality of your thought and your expression of it, as well as the service you undertake to share it on the web. After reading your arguments for the oneness model of the Godhead, I would like to make a brief (relatively) comment in response.

I think that the key to reaching clarity for the contemporaries of both sides of this argument is a consideration of the concept of “person”. I think that a close examination of the evolution of the concept from a biblical context to the modern western Christianity context will show that it has changed considerably.

Our idea of a person today portrays a very independent and isolated entity the qualification of which as a person is grounded entirely within its own being. A more ancient Near East idea, on the other hand, portrayed an interdependent and communal entity whose ground of being as a person is found only within the context of a relational community existing around it.

One person necessitates two, and two persons necessitate three. (Witness the creation progression for the completion of mankind). One person cannot exist in isolation. There simply is no such thing as a person-by-itself. E.G., A human being raised by wolves would not have the faculties necessary to constitute a “person”. While the evidence is abundant for this facet of human nature, I think we can deduce from implication and biblical data that the same is true of Divine nature.

When one properly understands the concept “person” it becomes apparent that unity and community (of persons) are not in the least antithetical, but are rather synthetical. This explains why God has found it necessary to create a community of persons to bear His image for eternity.

T

It is readily apparent that the nature of God’s revelation through history has been progressive with regard to the disclosure of His personal nature and His works. Thus, it is not surprising that the post-incarnational and culminating revelation of the NT would reveal greater depth and clarity regarding the One God’s personal nature. One could imagine that the primitive Sinaitic Jews might have been confused by as much in their historical/spiritual context to the degree that they would have falsely separated the persons. Indeed, they demonstrated such a propensity when they manufactured the false god at the base of Sanai, which Egyptology instructs us may have represented a dual God, the calf and its invisible rider. Thus, the unity of God stressed in the OT was not necessarily meant to be analytical of His nature, but rather it was probably intended to identify and stress His distinction from the variety of false deities that surrounded Israel and the exclusive nature of His relationship to His people. Whereas, once God has Himself revealed the Son through the incarnation and the proceeding scriptural witness, and imparted the Spirit unto the believers, it becomes safe to make the distinction on the part of worshipers, for the accurateness and veracity of the distinction is sure.

It may seem contradictory to speak of three persons as one entity and to use a singular pronoun. But this manner of speaking is not any more contradictory than God’s speaking of the people Israel (and the Church) and other nations and groups as singular entities. They are, in fact, singular entities. Israel or the church is a plurality of persons but one people, one temple, one image-bearing entity. YHWH is a plurality of persons but one (and the only) Divinity.

I know my writing is a bit rough and unclear, but supposing you catch my drift, what are your thoughts in response to this line of argument?

LikeLike
Jay Says:

April 12, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Jason,

I just wanted to comment that your blog here, and at onenesspentecostal.com, are refreshing to my mind and spirit beyond belief! i have been involved in apostolic/pentecostalism for going on four years now. i am still wrestling with issues such as baptism in Jesus’ name being essential to salvation, and some theology issues regarding the Godhead. the civility and intellectual appeals from your blogs make me happy and encourage me. just wanted to let you know bro.

Jay

LikeLike
Aaron King Says:

April 14, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I love this blog site! Excellent material and a great read. Well composed and thoughtfully presented. Even the reply comments are intelligent and a good read. Well done.

LikeLike
Hope Says:

April 28, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Your “What is your worldview?” image…may I use it? Where did it come from?

Please let me know.
Thank you and blessings,
Hope
faithinhumanity72@yahoo.com

LikeLike
Francis Says:

June 19, 2010 at 7:30 am
Hi Bro Jason,

I’m Francis, a oneness believer from the Philippines. I have a question and hope u can help me clarify on this matter.

Q: We believe that in Christ, the divine (Father) and human nature are united inextricably and inseparably. Did the Father (divine nature) leave the body of Christ at the point of death on the cross? Is this possible? David Bernard teaches in his oneness of God that the Father left the body of Christ during his death…

I believe that the Father never left the body at death even until Christ burial. The Father that is united inseparably in the flesh suffered the passion and death. And that it was buried also, and it is that Spirit in the dead flesh that resurrected it….is my belief correct or not?

Thank you so much…

LikeLike
Scalia Says:

August 10, 2010 at 12:00 pm
JT writes,

One person necessitates two, and two persons necessitate three.

And three persons necessitate four, and four persons necessitate seven, and seven persons necessitate seven thousand….

Why stop at three? The problem here is your use of the word necessitate. There is no logical necessity attached to a person. Perhaps you meant to use the word implies. Adam was a person prior to Eve, so the claim one cannot be a solitary person is demonstrably false, but the fact he was probably created with reproductive capacity implies, but doesn’t necessitate other persons.

A more ancient Near East idea, on the other hand, portrayed an interdependent and communal entity whose ground of being as a person is found only within the context of a relational community existing around it.

Thus, the idea of person is tied to a compound unity.

You later state this more clearly:

When one properly understands the concept “person” it becomes apparent that unity and community (of persons) are not in the least antithetical, but are rather synthetical. This explains why God has found it necessary to create a community of persons to bear His image for eternity.

Your definitions here are imprecise, which is a common feature of trinitarian apologetics. You use singular personal pronouns for God like “His” and “Himself.” Thus, God is a He. Yet, within God three persons apparently exist in a relational community. If God, as a whole, is a He, and the three persons are themselves, individually, “He,” then there are four “He’s” in the Godhead (a Quaternity, not a Trinity). If God is not a He, then “God” is an abstract term akin to a corporation, with no personal identity except in the three persons that compose this divine corporation (what you later affirm). In that case, God cannot be a He, but an It, except as a figure of speech.

Against this you might argue that each person shares in the one “He” of the Godhead. But if the “He – God” is a composite of three, then God becomes a composite or fractional unity (your position). As classical trinitarians have noted for centuries, the compound is posterior to its components (the components being ontologically prior to the whole), which necessitates an explanation of the whole in terms of its composition. This negates the affirmation the composite is divine. For what is composed cannot be uncaused, nor can it be the first principle of being; its parts are the first principles.

Moreover, if omnipotence is composed, then the omnipotence (along with the other omni-attributes) of each person is contingent upon two other persons (a person is not omnipotent in himself). But three contingent beings cannot compose a non-contingent being. Three fractions cannot create an infinite. If the parts are finite, the whole is finite; if the parts are contingent, the whole is contingent.

You are thus saddled with affirming each person is, in himself, infinite. If that is the case, you have three Gods, by definition. Additionally, it makes your affirmation unintelligible in another way: It affirms each part (which is alleged to be infinite) is equal to the sum of the whole. This is logically unintelligible because the whole is the sum of its parts.

On the other hand, if one argues from the perspective of divine simplicity, then there is no intelligible way there can be three personal relations within a being whose existence is identical with His essence — whose essence is identical with His attributes. If God is entirely simple, having no potency in His being (a being of pure act), it is unintelligible to then insist His being is somehow “divided” among three persons. If each person shares divine essence equally (and that includes the mind of God which is identical with His essence), there can be no “sphere” or “region” of divine substance unique to a person. The “distinction” of persons then becomes a division of persons which ipso facto makes God a composite being (the opposite of simplicity). This is a classical attempt to divide God while insisting God cannot be divided (one in substance, three in relation). If, however, the distinction is one of name or mode, not personality, then you have modalism, not trinitarianism.

It may seem contradictory to speak of three persons as one entity and to use a singular pronoun. But this manner of speaking is not any more contradictory than God’s speaking of the people Israel (and the Church) and other nations and groups as singular entities.

This demonstrates your rejection of divine simplicity. A composite God cannot be God, by definition.

Israel or the church is a plurality of persons but one people, one temple, one image-bearing entity.

One entity, but not one personal being. Corporate status is not personal identity, except in metaphor. God, according to you, is not a personal being; “he” is merely an impersonal club of immaterial beings. Real personal identity is not in God, it is in its constituents. All personal pronouns associated with God are mere personifications. This philosophically self-destructs (per above) because one cannot be commitment to monotheism under a Trinitarian paradigm.

LikeLike
Guillermo Says:

August 18, 2010 at 3:31 pm
hello, i was wondering what you use to write your articles in your website, and for this blog. do you use the web base interface, or some software in your computer?
thanks.
God Bless 🙂

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

August 18, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Guillermo

I use Dreamweaver for my website, and for the blog, I paste my content into the WordPress “new post” box from either a MS Word doc, or from a MS Outlook email (I often write my blog posts in advance and save them in my drafts folder of Outlook).

Jason

LikeLike
Guillermo Says:

August 18, 2010 at 4:55 pm
thanks 🙂

LikeLike
JT Says:

August 20, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Cool! Someone responded to my post! Thanks Scalia!

I’d like to respond for the purpose of constructive dialogue, but I don’t want to clutter Jason’s blog with my amateur theosophying any more than I already have.

Perhaps you would allow me to email you a response directly?

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

August 23, 2010 at 2:07 pm
JT,

Please email me your email address to jasondulle@yahoo.com and I’ll pass it along to Scalia.

LikeLike
C Cook Says:

September 28, 2010 at 11:18 am
So when are you going to start your apologetics page? With the resurgence of Calvinism, it seems like there is a growing number of theological works on the Trinity, and a growing number of popular blogs, calling the oneness view heretical. Unfortunately there is not equal number of scholarly blogs on the oneness view.

Unfortunately many of the student who have came out of CLC and have become scholars have rejected the oneness position. I believe the have because

a. they first rejected our hard stance on salvation (which I am agreement on),

b. but also because it easier to be a trinitarian (and accepted) than one of the oneness persuasion.

Not to say that any came to real belief of the Trinitarian doctrine, (I just don’t see it as the ONLY reason) It is apparent that peer pressure and lack of any strong scholars or strong scholarly pastors in our theological movement is eroding the scholars among us, because there is little room for scholars within the UPC itself. Scholars question everything, while our movement has doctrine of What Type of clothing is actually considered women’s clothing.

In other words, I am looking forward to your apologetics site up and running, and focusing apologetics as it concerns the nature of God. I am just curios to when we’ll start to see it, and if we’ll be seeing it linking to the other scholars in the movement.

Our movement needs it. Many of the young pastors who have come out of our movement and even out of CLC have rejected the idea of only oneness people people saved, but still want to see some strong scholarly work on the oneness position of God. It’s not easy being rejected by your trinitarian or oneness brothers, especially when you hold a high standard of truth and the word of God.

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

October 19, 2010 at 10:45 am
C Cook,

I have already bought the domain for thinkingtobelieve.com, but I have not put any content up there yet. In the meantime, this blog and onenesspentecostal.com are housing my apologetics material. But when I do get the site up and running, it won’t be about doctrinal apologetics. It will be about Christian apologetics: atheism, the problem of evil, moral relativism, religious pluralism, etc. The kind of content you seem to be looking for is already up at onenesspentecostal.com.

Jason

LikeLike
Scalia Says:

October 25, 2010 at 12:37 pm
For the record, Jason emailed me JT’s email address on August 25th. On the same day, I emailed JT and invited continued dialog. I have yet to hear from him. Of course JT may have valid reasons for not replying, but s/he has not given me any explanation for h/er nonresponse.

LikeLike
Aaron Says:

February 28, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Hi, Jason.

Wasn’t sure how else to contact you. Hopefully you see this soon.

I have a question. I came across a term on this blog that a commentator used to describe a doctrine or idea regarding the level to which Christ was in the Father and the Father was in Christ, especially in a mutual sense. I’d never heard of the term before, so I looked it up. But now, I cannot remember it, nor find it on your blog. I only remember thinking it starts with a “p” and is either an -ism or -logy of some sort from perhaps the 2nd or 3rd century.

Can you help?

Thanks,

Aaron

LikeLike
Jason Dulle Says:

February 28, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Aaron,

I think you are referring to “perichoresis.”

Jason

LikeLike
Aaron Says:

March 3, 2011 at 3:57 pm
That’s it. Thank you!

LikeLike
Pachomius Says:

March 18, 2011 at 4:24 am
May I just suggest that you call your blog instead of Theosophical Ruminations,Theo-philosophical Ruminations.

In that way people will not right away turn away from your blog when it comes up with Google search,* people for example like myself who am not into the writings of theosophists.

Pachomius

*Search Results Science Cannot Identify Uncaused Entities « Theosophical Ruminations 10 Mar 2011 … For example, when scientists detect a new particle such as the neutrino, … If uncaused things can only be identified philosophically, …
theosophical.wordpress.com/…/science-cannot-identify-uncaused-entities/ – Cached

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

March 18, 2011 at 7:03 am
Pachomius,

Others have mentioned this to me in the past, but I like the word and refuse to let a cult own it. The first time I came across it was while in seminary to describe the confluence of theology and philosophy, and I think it is an apt description. So despite its potential drawbacks, I decided to keep it the way it is.

Jason

LikeLike
Danzil Monk Says:

July 20, 2011 at 10:07 am
Greetings brother Jason, long time I know, but as you I stay quite busy.
Just want to give you a shout out and encourage you in what you do so well.
stay encouraged and focused. I have not forgot our last contact discussion.
I am interested in your take on the topic. I did respond to your email but I don’t know if you received it. I will resend as your input is welcome always.
blessings.
Brother Monk

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

July 28, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Yes, I did receive it (assuming you are referring to the issue of the age of the universe). I don’t have anything written on the topic to send you.

Jason

LikeLike
Aaron Deskin Says:

November 11, 2011 at 8:36 pm
It seems that you are more of a philosopher than a Christian.

Are you still challenging Oneness on Theological, Salvational, Christological teachings?

Are you holding the Son is God and eternal?

Are you holding the two persons of Jesus doctrine?

Have you been blacklisted yet from UPCI for false teaching yet?\

Aaron
aka Scmit on CARM

Oneness Apostolic Pentecostal Christian

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

November 15, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Aaron,

I didn’t realize that being a philosopher and being a Christian were antithetical categories. But no, I’m not more of a philosopher than a Christian. My formal training is in theology, not philosophy.

I am doing my best to understand God. If that results in challenging specific formulations of God I think are in error, then so be it. Is there any theologian alive who does not challenge other theologies, including some theologies within the group he associates with? No. If rigorous study leads you to believe everything that someone else believes, one of you isn’t thinking. That’s just the nature of scholarship.

Of course the Son is God and is eternal, if by “Son” you are referring to the divine person who is incarnate.

No, I have never held to a two-persons view of Jesus. I oppose such a view adamantly.

No, not yet. And I don’t expect to be anytime soon. Have you been blacklisted for being so disrespectful yet?

Jason

LikeLike
Susan Says:

November 20, 2011 at 6:24 am
You look handsome for an apologist !

LikeLike
Aaron Deskin aka Scmit Says:

December 14, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Jason you are a philosopher and not much of a Christian if you hold to the trinity doctrine of the Son is God, for to tbe so he must be eternal and that is not what Oneness teach (maybe you pander to them, we don’t).
Oh and is threates of banning and the only way you can win a argument?
Sounds just like a Inquistional Trinitarian as well.
I see your false teachings as teaching two gods!, two persons of Jesus and you slip and slide about the Son, now we have the divine person what inside the human person and you got two persons now?
Maybe you should understand, Jesus is the person ALONE!, the sole person of which is FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST!

You think following the common salvation, the one God truth, Spirit baptism, Jeuss name baptism is then following and not thinking as we get it from the Bible and for ourselves and not your mind, then you are not sound at all and teaching your own heresy.

You don’t know what rigorous study is, what you got a few hours as college and that makes you someone, something?
I hope not to see your writings again in print in Oneness magazine, you are a false teacher and a fraud.

on carm SCMIT

LikeLike
JC Lamont Says:

February 12, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Just wanted to say hi and more power to you. I never get used to the Christians pick fights with Christians concept. I’d really like to understand how all Jesus admonitions to love one another get so lost. It’s very sad. Anyway, keep up the good work.

LikeLike
Gordon Says:

June 27, 2012 at 3:31 am
Would you please enter into a web blog subject dealing with the word “nature”? I have seen this word (I beleive) used in ways in which the writer seems to want to project deity by capping the “N” regardless of where it is in the sentence. Further I have read various sentences where the word is used as if to replace the word God (and of course its meaning) and even read the sentences putting “God” in replacing the word ‘Nature’ and it reads just fine. I know there are dictionary definitions (and I could look them up–and have) but I feel this is not what the various authors are portraying. What are your comments on this?

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

June 27, 2012 at 10:26 am
Gordon,

I agree with you that those who do this tend to see “nature” as the God substitute. I find this telling. While they reject God, they need to find a substitute for Him because His role is necessary in explaining reality. There must be some ultimate being, and they know it. They just don’t want it to be a personal God who makes demands on their life.

Jason

LikeLike
Greg Says:

December 27, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Hey Jason. I am doing some research in the scriptures on who baptized the apostles during Jesus ministry. I am looking at John 3:22 & 4:2. It shows that Jesus didn’t baptized the apostles and John 4:2 is a continuation of John 3:22. Only Paul is mentioned being baptized and we know who did the baptism. What are your thoughts according to the scriptures?

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

December 28, 2012 at 12:32 am
Hi Greg,

John 3:22 and 4:2 doesn’t rule out the possibility that Jesus baptized the apostles. It only shows that the apostles, rather than Jesus, were baptizing the masses. But it would be odd for the apostles to be baptizing if they themselves had not been baptized. And since disciples of a rabbi were often baptized by the rabbi as a mark of their discipleship, it makes the most sense to think that Jesus had previously baptized the apostles before the events of John 3:22.

Jason

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

February 27, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Scmit,

You write, “Jason you are a philosopher and not much of a Christian if you hold to the trinity doctrine of the Son is God, for to tbe so he must be eternal and that is not what Oneness teach.” You did not read what I wrote carefully enough. I said, “Of course the Son is God and is eternal, if by ‘Son’ you are referring to the divine person who is incarnate.” My statement was qualified. I didn’t know if you were using “Son” as a synonym for “Jesus” or not. Given your usage of the term, no, the Son is not eternal because “Son” refers to God’s human mode of existence which began just 2000 years ago.

Then you say, “Oh and is threates of banning and the only way you can win a argument?” Again, you need to read more carefully. In response to your previous question, “Have you been blacklisted yet from UPCI for false teaching yet?”, I responded, “No, not yet. And I don’t expect to be anytime soon. Have you been blacklisted for being so disrespectful yet?” So the context was about being banned by someone else, namely the UPC. I was not talking about banning you from my blog, but asking whether you had been banned from the UPC for your disrespectful demeanor.

As for the two persons view you ascribe to me, as I noted in another comment thread (just a few minutes ago):

“I do not hold that the Father and Son are two divine persons, nor that the Father is a divine person while the Son is a human person. When it comes to the Father and Son there is only one person in view. Jesus and the Father are the self-same divine person. So what is there two of? Natures. There is a divine nature and a human nature. Via the human nature He assumed in the incarnation, God is able to personally exist and function as a genuine human being (Jesus) while continuing to exist and function as God (Father) via his divine nature, simultaneously. So there are two natures, which allow for the one divine person to exist in two distinct ways simultaneously. I repeat, “There are not two persons!” Any construal of my theology as teaching two persons – whether two divine persons or one divine person and one human person – are radically off-base.”

Jason

LikeLike
Scmit aka Aaron Says:

February 28, 2013 at 8:22 am
You have made comments to the effect that Oneness follow two persons, do you state that is not what you stated?
I say you did.

LikeLike
Joey Says:

March 18, 2013 at 11:24 am
Hi Jason

I was reading up on the topic raised last year.

‘Stephen Hawking: God Could not Create the Universe Because There Was No Time for Him to Do So’

I am in some what agreement (and puzzlement) with what Arthur says (no.23)

“the ball did not create the indent. Furthermore, no such cushion and ball exists. It’s no more helpful than asking if a toy were made by Santa’s elves, what would it prove about the existence of elves.”

I am slightly agreeing with Arthur because, the point he was raising was that if the ball and cusion scenario was the case then 2 possibilities would occur.

1. The universe would have created the dent in the cushion since it is there and there was no cause.

2. There would be no dent, if these properties were created at the same time in an instant, there may not even be a dent, The ball would have penetrated the cushion.

I understand that this ball and cushion scenario was the scenario sent up by Kant as a route to understanding cause and effect on a logical plane, But as Arthur may have implied, who says that there would have been a dent in the cushion, if you can make up scenarios like that then you can also make up scenarios like what was mentioned (“It’s no more helpful than asking if a toy were made by Santa’s elves, what would it prove about the existence of elves”)

If you want to understand the universe or its origins, then the scenario must be in compliance of the universe or it would not make sense.

Just to clarify, I am a christian and in agreement to what you posted in relation to the creation of the universe, but the point that was raised by Arthur shows that it could be a possibility that cause and effect may not exist on a logical plane

What are your thoughts?

LikeLike
Daniel Williams Says:

April 15, 2013 at 12:42 am
God is eternal; he was not created. The heavens and the earth (creation) are not. They were created. I wonder what God was up to prior to creation. Jason, can you write a post on this topic. We obviously don’t know what God was doing specifically… But if you could come up with some Theosophical Runinations on this topic I would love to read them. Thanks,

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

April 15, 2013 at 10:36 am
Daniel,

I can answer that here. While I know what you mean by “prior to creation,” technically speaking that is a category error. “Before” is a temporal concept.” Time began with creation, so there is no “before creation.” A better way of describing it is “God without creation.”

So what was God doing? Technically speaking, nothing. If God was doing something, then there would be time because acts require temporal duration. But in eternity, there was no temporal duration, and thus God performed no acts. He was changeless.

Jason

LikeLike
Daniel Williams Says:

April 15, 2013 at 11:00 am
So that’s why God is still “changeless”, because he is simultaneously present in a changeless eternity and in his creation if time?

I was pondering over your reply for several minutes. I understood it completely. But something still had me puzzled on the topic. I think it’s my concept of God doing nothing during his existence of “without his creation”. So I was going to ask, if his thoughts and reasoning process would be considered “acts” that require time. But then I would assume that since God is supreme, and all knowing; that he would not have to reason or think since he already knows; So he therefor, could exist eternally without ever doing anything at all. Is that right?

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

April 15, 2013 at 11:47 am
Daniel,

Actually, I don’t think God is still changeless. I think the act of creation, being a temporal act, “drew” God into time. God is now omnitemporal, enduring through time alongside His creation. Read http://www.onenesspentecostal.com/divineeternity.htm for the details.

When we think of God doing nothing, we tend to imagine a long period of time passing in which God is static. But there is no passage of time without creation. Without creation, God was just existing timelessly. He didn’t even have mental events. Unlike us, God does not reason discursively. In virtue of His omniscience, He simply knows all truths at once.

Jason

LikeLike
Daniel Williams Says:

April 15, 2013 at 11:59 am
I’ll check out that article.

I believe “He didn’t even have mental events. Unlike us, God does not reason discursively. In virtue of His omniscience, He simply knows all truths at once” is exactly where my thoughts led me at the end of my last reply.

Jason, thanks so much for your insight on this. I appreciate you.

LikeLike
Defending The Natural Institution of Marriage | Misfit Mag Says:

June 19, 2013 at 2:29 pm
[…] This post was originally found and borrowed from Theo-shophical Ruminations written by Jason Dulle […]

LikeLike
gordon Says:

December 27, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Atheism is getting very ‘angry’ and critical of those who believe (let’s pick on Christians—seeing as we both are).

The (now) “new” atheism is on an attack mode and is out to make those who believe seem silly, by ridiculing and even mentioning (I think as does Dawkins – or one of the four horsemen of atheism); ‘let the parents raise their children and we will indoctrinate them into atheism in the public schools and universities and work place’.

So let’s give them what they want (I thought); what do we do away with if all religions (but specifically the three monotheistic religions) are eliminated:

No Christmas (no more gift giving and the purchasing of gifts—which would hurt our economy and emotionally impact society in general); no more cemeteries (saving space for more buildings, we’d just cremate everyone and use it as fertilizer—or whatever); of course, we must change the “in God we trust” from our money (no one will cry about that); remove any oath that can be based on any authority other than the fallible human from the courtroom; use churches for storage facilities or condos or whatever (but no more church services will be tolerated as all ‘such’ meeting places are there to practice worship to a God that no one wants and that society says must go); philanthropic giving needs to be re-evaluated as Darwinian principles hardly support any such foolishness (it is rooted in religious ethics); Sunday is gone as being Sunday for religious reasons and so therefore the workweek will be re-established to 6 days of work and one day off; many universities have/had Christian foundation and such history needs to be expunged this goes for the hospitals too; We need to burn all Bibles and Korans and Dead Sea scrolls and all other religiously orientated publications…such as (certain) art and poetry and music. And how are we to run society: to care for people, have compassion, run a proper legal system, to have a functioning political base…without some moral standard to ‘point’ towards?

I bet I could go on naming others (things) but perhaps this is a good subject to write an article on or ask your readers about? I know that D’Souza wrote “What’s so great about Christianity” and so many of the above points may be there BUT he wrote with the idea to educate the readers about the good that Christianity has done (and still does do)…perhaps it is better to smack the atheists in the right cheek to get them to realize once we start down the back side of the curve, the slope gets slippery, fast; all the way to the book-burnings of the Nazi regime. As soon as the atheists is told no more cemeteries, Christmas trees, and weekends are now just Saturday…perhaps they will realize that one should be carefully about what they wish for…for they just might get it and not have any way to go back!

Ya know…we humans are a MESS!

LikeLike
Daniel Williams Says:

February 10, 2014 at 7:36 pm
Bro Jason, I guess there’s a first for everything. I just received what looks to me a comment email notification that looks like spam.

God bless, -Dan

On Feb 10, 2014, at 9:18 PM, Theo-sophical Ruminations wrote:

WordPress.com Sab Taylor commented: “Dear business owner of Theosophical.wordpress.com I would like to take a few minutes from your schedule and ask for your attention towards Internet marketing for Theosophical.wordpress.com. As a business Owner you might be interested to gain profit “

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

February 11, 2014 at 3:37 pm
Hi Dan. Yes, span gets through every once in a while. Just deleted it.

Jason

LikeLike
Defending the natural institution of marriage | Radical Today Says:

March 25, 2014 at 6:06 pm
[…] This post was originally found and borrowed with full permissions from Theo-shophical Ruminations written by Jason Dulle […]

LikeLike
Obiora Ezike (@Obioraezike) Says:

June 3, 2014 at 2:03 am
I haven’t gone through any formal training in philosophy ,so I get easily lost with some of the arguments canvassed in support of the existence of God.I have read through Augustine’s City of God and Aquinas’ Summa and several other write-ups, but I must say that the articles in your blog are really insightful. I think your explanations on the problem of evil and existence of God are more compelling and easy to understand than most of the arguments I have seen elsewhere.
Please do you have any post on the biblical account of creation?and how it could be reconciled with scientific data on the origin of the universe.What is your take on this? Based on creationist estimation, the universe isn’t up to 3 billion years old as posited by science and supported by fossil records. I find it hard to defend the seven days account in the bible when asked for explanation by skeptic friends. Thank you

LikeLike
Obiora Ezike (@Obioraezike) Says:

June 3, 2014 at 2:06 am
I haven’t gone through any formal training in philosophy ,so I get easily lost with some of the arguments canvassed in support of the existence of God.I have read through Augustine’s City of God and Aquinas’ Summa and several other write-ups, but I must say that the articles in your blog are really insightful. I think your explanations on the problem of evil and existence of God are more compelling and easy to understand than most of the arguments I have seen elsewhere.
Please do you have any post on the biblical account of creation?and how it could be reconciled with scientific data on the origin of the universe.What is your take on this? Based on creationist estimation, the universe isn’t up to 3 billion years old as posited by science and supported by fossil records. I find it hard to defend the seven days account in the bible when asked for explanation by skeptic friends. Thank you

LikeLike
gordon Says:

June 3, 2014 at 3:17 am
“…in support of the existence of God.”

Do a Google search–you’ll get pro and con. I always find it strange that when science or just folks want to consider the existence of God that they ‘put’ God in our frame of reference (length, width, depth, time, space, hunger, touch, weight, etc etc). No one (especially a Christian) should go about putting God in their worldly ‘box’ so that they can then…”prove the existence of God” to others. Everyone on their own decides as a change of mind, heart and spirit whether belief (faith) is truth. No one changes another’s mind…we each change our own mind (Rom 12:2). Let’s make an analogy. If you go to a museum (the Louver) and see the Mona Lisa; do you also know what the artist looks like? The artist is a given because of the irreducible complexity of the arrangement of the paint on the canvas–you KNOW that the information in the arrangement of the paint MUST point back to an artist! The artist uses the paint to weave his intelligence into it and onto the canvas via a brush and all that implies (without doubt) intelligence. If science (or any reasonable endeavor) finds information then that information always points back to intelligence. And if it is not information then science would not give it any credence…chaos does not get labeled as information. So as the artists uses canvas, brush, and paint to express his intelligence via information, God uses time, space, energy (matter) to create (and too life) this world and in so doing expresses His Intelligence via information. Further, forensics is the science of investigation of change (my idea)…that is if change is made by upsetting the natural entropy of time impressed onto ‘creation’…that is; things naturally wear out and decay…then if some(one) comes along and upsets that natural process then forensics ‘basically states that they can scientifically determine intent and sometimes motive. just as a criminal can be found out…(even though he tries to alibi the crime) a designer is not trying to hide but still upsets the natural decay of the entropic process. God is not hiding it is just that we do NOT see correctly.

LikeLike
SonofMan Says:

July 13, 2014 at 8:25 am
Tim:

Here is the critical flaw in your argument; it lies in this sentence:

“But this would mean that to get to today we would have to pass through an infinite number of days.”

This is untrue because?

Imagine that “we” are a flower: the flower argument might say that there are 730 days in the Finite universe, “But this would mean that to get to today the flower would have to pass through the finite number of 730 days to arrive at the day of its blooming but this could not be true since the flower blooms and wilts in one season while many seasons (and days) passed before it.

Man is a flower in the Garden and the Garden IS the infinite universe, not the flowers; stars are like flowers in the Garden and many days pass before the star is born and while they are within their bloom; a fruit fly is a flower in the universe and so are the pathogens whose life cycle may be merely minutes.

“……..we would have to pass through an infinite number of days.” assumes that “we” humans are the universe and not the flowers therein, n’est ce pas?

LikeLike
sonny b. binayao Says:

January 13, 2015 at 5:17 am
Jason,

Just to ask you other topics. Is it Biblical to conduct an oath of office for our new officers in the youth assembly?

LikeLike
jasondulle Says:

January 29, 2015 at 11:57 am
Sonny,

The Bible doesn’t speak to such matters, and does not mention such positions (there were no youth ministers). But that’s not to say because it’s not in the Bible it is wrong. For it to be wrong would require that it violate something in Scripture. Based on the limited information you gave me, I have no reason to think something is wrong with it.

Jason

LikeLike
Colleen Letwinch Says:

April 18, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Jason,
I just found this page! I am asking if you could set me up with the smaller banner on your Institute of biblical studies site? I had it on my old phone, but I just got a new phone and there is nothing there I can use, and I refer often to that site, thanks to you!!

Colleen Letwinch

LikeLike
Theosophical Ruminator Says:

April 20, 2019 at 1:17 pm
Hi Colleen! I’m not sure what banner you are referring to. The site is onenesspentecostal.com .

LikeLike
Eduardo Joudzbalis Says:

November 7, 2020 at 9:16 am
Hello. Do you have an email? I would like to ask you something about the hypostatic union.

LikeLike
Theosophical Ruminator Says:

November 10, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Hi Eduardo. I just accepted your FB friend request. Please send me an IM.

LikeLike
Gordon Says:

November 10, 2020 at 1:21 pm
>

LikeLike

Thinking to Believe

About

70 Responses to “About”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Receive Email Notifications for New Posts

Theosophical Ruminations

Apologetic

Bioethics

Politics

Theology

Categories

Archives

Thinking to Believe

About

Share:

Like this:

70 Responses to “About”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Receive Email Notifications for New Posts

Theosophical Ruminations

Apologetic

Bioethics

Politics

Theology

Categories

Archives