Let's give chance a chance

Michael Panao
18 de ago. de 2016
4 min de leitura

Many Christians fear randomness in nature means that Creation is unguided, and we're the evolutionary product of chance. Some atheists use this to argue about the meaningless thought of God's existence. Whenever I read these ideas, I'm surprised. Don't we get it?

I recently read an article that tries to put randomness in a theological perspective. The usual argument is this: randomness challenges the idea of a God that provides and cares for the world (Divine Providence). If chance events are real, and some of those events result in suffering, pain, or even death, God doesn't care.

The article presents two ways of seeing the relation between chance and Divine Providence.

The first is that God does not experience time the way we do. According to Josh Reeves, timelessness in God implies chance events don't surprise God. "God knew before creating the world what the outcome would be."

God surveyed the limitless possible worlds due to chance and whatever the outcome, it was already chosen by God.

I'm uncomfortable with this idea.

If one of these outcomes implies the death of a young child, God already chose that outcome? If one of these outcomes implies an Extinction Level Event, God chose that outcome? I think this might lead thinking that God doesn't care about the outcome. And if God doesn't care where is this Divine Providence?

The second way if that chance events are governed by general Divine Providence. This means "the actions of a God which apply to creation universally". Special providence would refer to God's actions in a particular case. Reeves gives two examples. If God allows you to fall from a ladder, as judgment for your sins or within the larger scheme for your life, this is special providence. (Arghh... uncomfortable with this approach). Or if God sets up the law of gravity leading you to fall from the ladder, this is the result of general providence (ouch... that hurt). When bad things happen - by chance - God allowed. Hum...

Later, it is also said "God thus might have created the world through probabilistic general laws, which would allow God to foresee the result, even without fully determining the details."

To be honest, I think this fails to image God as someone who cares. He foresees a bad outcome, but is within the grand scheme of things for a higher purpose.

Allow me to suggest another approach.

God is with us and for us. Thus, whatever happens to the world God takes part in that event closer to us than we are to ourselves.

If we suffer, God suffers with us.

If we're in pain, God experiences that pain with us.

If we die, God dies with us.

Where is God? With us.

Not judging us.

So, what is the role of chance?

Does God knows every outcome?

I do not know what God knows. According to Pannenberg (and I like this expression), God is the all-determining-reality, not so much an all-knowing-reality. And I think it is reasonable to think that "determining" for a God who is Love is "loving".

Jesus showed us that love in God is self-giving. When God created the world, He created out-of-love. He didn't need the world to exist, but since love is giving, self-giving, the greatest gift is the Gift of Existence. And from God's free act, only a world where freedom exists could emerge.

But how can a world be free if it is not allowed being free?

Chance is more than randomness.

Randomness is our scientific explanation for chance. And not all forms of knowledge are reduced to the scientific one.

Chance is the opportunity for the emergence of novelty in the universe. Chance results from the world's freedom to evolve. But it doesn't occur by itself only. It is contingent.

When stories cross, contingent events may emerge giving birth to novelty. It is through relationships that the world evolves and chance events have a "chance" to occur. Therefore, chance is a creative relational condition under which God acts in a non-interventionist way. Something I explore in my short book.

Contrary to Reeves, I think chance events will surprise God, because a God that loves is a God that never ceases to surprise us. He is a God of Surprises. How could a God of Surprises allowed himself not being surprised?

What God gave us with freedom through the possibility of chance events was the "chance" for the world to create itself, and - in our case - be co-creators with God through creativity. Chance doesn't mean the world is unguided, but instead it is guided by love in the freedom to act, freedom to "be". Love is God's point of view. Love that is not detached from events (good and bad), but closer to them than these are to themselves.

Chance also tells us we live in an unfinished universe. The story is not over and God continues to create. This is why I always wonder, what comes next...

Let's give chance a chance.