More details on Creation in relation to Providence

Two facets of creation are recognized here: its coherence and stability, and (in the adjacent dilogic) its independent reality.

The dilogic of Being and Becoming was resolved in this form by Aristotle. If there were no Being, only appearances that changed from moment to moment into their opposites as Heraclitus taught, then we could not form words or ideas to describe the world. This would have the practical result that we could not systematically explore the world, or even communicate reliably among ourselves.

Biblically, there is an additional argument for the stability of the world: the Bible itself describes the creation in common words; it places God's blessing of reality and recognition on the stars, air, water, plants and animals of our world. These same common words were used even in describing creation before the Fall. This one creation is real to God, as well as to us. Its material things are not to be despised, but rather declared to be good. Nature is not to be dismissed as illusion or mere appearances, as some Eastern religions teach.



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