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God and randomness

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Jeff:
I've been searching for Scripture that might explain something that has always held my curiosity and opinions are welcome.

God is in control of everything, but does that preclude randomness, or chance?

My personal understanding doesn't necessarily exclude the possibility that chance does not exist, but I obviously can't simply ignore the fact that God will always know the outcome of everything.

Does that mean that there is no true randomness?

This may seem to be a frivolous question, but I think God sometimes wants us to ask questions that we don't know the answer to, and this is one that's been on my mind for decades. I've never been able to sufficiently come to a conclusion.

If pressed I'd have to say that chance, luck and randomness aren't possible - the nature of God and his omnipotence, would seem to validate this, but I sometimes have tunnel-vision and don't always see the bigger picture.

Kat:

Hi Jeff, well as for the notion of chance, free will comes to mind, here is the definition of chance  1 : something that happens without apparent cause 2 : the unpredictable element in existence : luck, fortune (Merriam-Webster). So can't see how there can be something like chance, it seems to fly in the face of God's sovereignty.

I did find is a couple of place that Ray touched on randomness.

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?topic=7714.0 ----------

One of the main reasons most Christians can not understand the Scriptures is because of this doctrine of free moral agency or free will. They don’t understand it, but they absolutely insist that they have it and that God gave it to them. They don’t understand the basics of physics. 

Now I know today they say that there is such a thing as true randomness in physics. I say oh really, what law is that based on? They will say, ‘well there is no law.’ Oh, if there is randomness there has got to be a reason for it, and that reason is the law behind it. I’m not saying that I totally understand it, but there is a lot we don’t understand and until we understand it and then it’s, 'oh okay there it is.' 


http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?topic=5154.0 -----------

“That strikes many people as incoherent," [said Dr. Silberstein, who noted,] "that every physical system that has been investigated has turned out to be either deterministic or random.”

Ray's comment: I don’t want to get into that, I did some research once for about 8 hours on randomness, it will drive you crazy. Let’s just suffice that they find that in the universe, you either have determinism or randomness. But here is what he said, “Both are bad news for free will.” Either one of the two things that we find, or in other words when you get down to the level of quarks and things, they think there is such a thing as randomness - things that happen with no apparent systematic law governing it.

However I have this theory, that they are governed by the law of randomness. Okay
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mercy, peace and love
Kat

cheekie3:
Jeff -

There is no randomness or chance that is not according to what He has determined will happen.

He controls all causes (including the circumstances) that we all are in.

He is Life, Love and Light.

Whether we as mankind do Good or Evil, He states that He is responsible for ALL.

We are accountable for the way we live and have our being - but He has a way out for us when we do not reach His standard because of the weakness that is mankind - and that is total forgiveness for everyone's sins in Christ Jesus.

I may want to win the Lottery to reduce my family debt to the elite of mankind - but whether I work hard at winning the Lottery or not, He has determined who will win each Lottery Ticket.

He has determined who His Elected Called Out Ones are; and He will enlighten us in a little, more or much as He Desires.

He has also predetermined what we do with the enlightenment He has passed onto us - which I believe will be made a part of each and every one of His Elect in this Age (and the rest of mankind in the age or ages to come) - as it really is part of His Fruit (characteristics) for Right Living.

I hope this helps.

In Holy Spirit.

George.

lilitalienboi16:
Randomness and chance are merely relative ways of explaining from a human perspective an affect or event which has no percieved reason or cause. Of course, in the absolute, and even by science and God's declaration, we kn ow, there are no causeless events. An event that is not caused is an event that did not happen. God is the ultimate cause of all things, it was He who brought creation into existance and so it all goes back to Him.

There really is no chance or randomness when you understand God works ALL THINGS after the LAW of His own will.

God bless,
Alex

Jeff:
I was thinking more along the line of throwing dice or dealing a shuffled deck of cards.  Ironically, with regard to computing, there are pseudo-random number algorithms, and it's well known that there is no genuine randomness - it's impossible with the technology we have, and my guess would be that that will always be the case.  The idea of randomness has to do with physics, and since God created everything, and is in control of everything...

After reading what Ray wrote, I felt a little foolish for asking this question. :)

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