From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhtsa!alice!npoiv!houxm!ihnp4!ihlpf!dap1
Newsgroups: net.religion
Title: Re: Comprehending an infinite God - (nf)
Article-I.D.: ihlpf.133
Posted: Mon Apr 18 18:01:57 1983
Received: Mon Apr 25 05:46:09 1983

#R:qubix:-21000:ihlpf:22600003:  0:1072
ihlpf!dap1    Apr 18 17:32:00 1983

I think that Steve Hutchison has missed the mark by a little bit.  In my
opinion, the analogy breaks down when we start using a psuedo-random number
generator.  I don't think that the comparison of a programmer with limited
knowledge of the output of a psuedo-random number generator and a God with
precise knowledge of the future of his creation holds up.  I think a better
analogy would be a run where the programmer knew the generator was going to 
generate a zero as the tenth number and he also knew that if any zeroes were ever
generated that the nuclear plant he worked for would have a meltdown.  What's
more, he had the ability and the knowledge to rearrange the number generator
so that no zeroes ever appeared, but he chose not to.  Now whose fault is it
when the reactor has a meltdown?
	To me, omniscient means he had to know that the zeroes were going to
appear and omnipotent means he had the power to change that fact.


                                                         Darrell Plank
                                                         BTL-IH