How Does God Interact With The Mind? Durham University Christians in Science Jonathan Foster Clare Parkinson
How do we talk about it? I felt God was telling me I had a sense of God s presence I got a picture of Language of sensing
Sensing Model
Assumptions 1. God does interact with our minds 2. We are capable of making a free and rational choice about how to respond to God 3. God maintains our free will when he interacts with us
Scientific/Philosophical Understanding
The mind is a surprising thing! I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am -Descartes
Dualism- Spirit and Matter Conscious State A Conscious State B Conscious State C Brain State A Brain State B Brain State C
Dualism- Spirit and Matter Conscious State A Conscious State B Conscious State C GOD Brain State A Brain State B Brain State C
Reductive Physicalism- nothing but matter Conscious State A Conscious State B Conscious State C Brain State A Brain State B Brain State C
Reductive Physicalism Conscious State A Conscious State B Conscious State C GOD Brain State A Brain State B Brain State C
The Placebo effect Consciousness Consciousness Brain Drug Acts on Brain Brain Mental Experience Affects Brain
Non-Reductive Physicalism Conscious State A Conscious State B Conscious State C Brain State A Brain State B Brain State C
Non-Reductive Physicalism Conscious State A Conscious State B Conscious State C GOD GOD Brain State A Brain State B Brain State C
Sensing Model GOD?
Biblical Understanding
Does God interact with our minds? Strong evidence that God does interact with the minds of humans: Seeing God Dreams e.g. Joseph (Matt 1) Visions e.g. Saul (Acts 9) Hearing God Prophecy e.g. Book of Daniel An audible voice e.g. Moses (Exodus 3)
Does this still happen today? But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26)
Can people make a rational choice about how to respond to God? Many examples in the Bible of people making a decision based on their encounter with God
Biblical Examples MOSES When the LORD saw Moses he called to him Moses! (Exodus 3:4)
Biblical Examples JONAH The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. (Jonah 1:1-3)
Biblical Examples SAUL / ANANIAS ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. (Acts 9:11-12)
Non-Israelites in the OT the LORD made the enemy troops attack each other with their swords (Judges 7:22) The LORD had made them determined to fight the Israelites (Joshua 11:20) He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command (Ezra 1:1)
Non-Israelites in the OT speculation Could it be that we only have a choice in how to respond to God if we know something of him already? We only get the story from the point of view of the Israelites Perhaps they just couldn t see what was going on in the minds of their enemies?
Moses and Pharaoh Pharaoh s hardness of heart: 1. Pharaoh hardened his heart 2. Pharaoh s heart was hardened 3. God hardened Pharaoh s heart
God and Pharaoh What about Pharaoh s free will? Progression through passage Plagues 1-5 Pharaoh hardens his own heart Plague 6 God hardens his heart Pharaoh s free will can remain intact
Conclusions Does the sensory model stand up to scientific, philosophical and biblical scrutiny?
Conclusions 1. God does interact with our minds
Conclusions 1. God does interact with our minds 2. We are capable of making a free and rational choice about how to respond to God
Conclusions 1. God does interact with our minds 2. We are capable of making a free and rational choice about how to respond to God 3. God maintains our free will when he interacts with us
Conclusions 1. God does interact with our minds 2. We are capable of making a free and rational choice about how to respond to God 3. God maintains our free will when he interacts with us This is what we would expect from a true and loving God
Any Questions? When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you sometimes find that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it. Thanks to David Wilkinson for his help and encouragement