Dear Guy,
I appreciate beyond what I can express for all that you have done related to your work. I agree with what you have said from time to time that God is without cause (that we cannot do anything, "good" or "bad" to get God to act specifically towards us in the physical plane). The evidence in what we see in the world and in our own lives seems abundantly clear that this is the case, despite what many claim.
I am not taking a biased stance on this issue or trying to argue a point of view. However, relative to the idea that God seems to be without cause, how do you reconcile various references made in the Bible that suggest God might be with a cause towards individuals? You frequently refer to scripture in your talks and it has often confused me that there seems to be a possible discrepancy between the idea that God is without cause and other statements made at several points in Bible that would suggest that God is with cause.
Probably the most relevant or striking is the idea in the New Testament that God will (relative to a life after death or a Judgment Day to come) look favorably on those who had believed that Jesus was the Savior of the world (for those who look to him for the forgiveness of their sins) and that those that believe will have an eternal life after death with God and those that don't will not. Does not this suggest that God is actually, in some manner, with cause, if not in the physical world, but in one that relates to a life after death? I understand this is complicated and one can debate the meaning of various ideas such as what is "eternal life".
As you can tell, this is a big area of confusion and conflict for me personally. Is Jesus actually a Savior in the terms promoted by traditional Christian Doctrine relative to a life after death with God? I suppose all I can do is accept all possibilities relative to whether God is with or without cause relative to the Christian Doctrine of Jesus being the Savior, and move on with the various issues in the here and now. Any further thoughts on your part about this would be appreciated. (Student correspondence, 12/25/07)
