Dear Friends,
It seems to me, I am not for or against the clockwork God theory, I do find it interesting. The US founding Fathers thought that God created the universe so elegantly, what appears to us to be interventions, were actually set up at the start of time by God. I suspect this idea is hard to accept, because we cannot imagine anything, even God himself, to be that smart. I, however, do believe God is that smart. The countervailing argument, that God is active in the universe he created, has merit as well. Since, according to religious sources not only Christian, the universe exists at God’s suffrage. He sustains it by his will. If that is indeed the case, then by definition, he is active. This question is one we will probably never comprehend but in reasoning it we gain some understanding.
Simply that God sustains the universe by his will doesn’t mean he necessarily changes or guides it, actively. Perhaps his attention is in creating new universes, higher planes of existence or something so amazing we could never hope to comprehend it. The point is, God might have set the universe in motion at the start knowing everything that would happen, until the end, or maybe he doesn’t have an end but a perpetual evolution. Either way he wouldn’t need to guide it as it goes along, he could have set it in motion like a clockwork. Else he could be using the Universe as a means of entertainment, which would be more inline with an active God interpretation. Both theories have their backers as well, and those backers have divided themselves into distinct philosophical groups.
The clockwork God theory fits more with a materialist mindset. Materialists would be more likely to believe in a clockwork God than an active one. Their image of their own omniscience lets them believe that a god could be that smart, cause they are. Moreover, a materialist’s own subjective experience bears less weight to them, than inculcated “scientifically” objective ideas, come by subjectively. Which is to say that a materialist, like everyone else, has transcendental experiences but refuse to give them credence. Because they are not reproducible, recordable or explainable within their dogma. Closing their minds off to the possibility of the supernatural. Such rutted thinking leaves only the clockwork God theory as possible. Even that is too supernatural for the Materialist’s single edged skepticism.
The active God theory fits more with the idealist mindset. People who discount the objectively observed for the subjectively felt, are no different than the Materialist, who discounts the subjectively felt for the objectively observed. Both are bigoted. Not by race, religion or class, but by creed. Their creeds are polar opposites. The idealist may not really believe in science but gets on a plane because they feel subjectively that planes fly, who cares how… which makes the idealist philosophy amenable to the active God idea. They feel God’s presence around them and so believe that God is active. That he might have started it knowing everything that would happen seems cold to them. They favor the idea that God works, (or should work) tirelessly, to mitigate their personal discomfort.
I think we should treat the universe as if God is active, while resting assured his clockwork will turn out the correct time, sooner or later. One thing we can all observe, objectively and subjectively, is that reality is a dancing landscape. What is a smart thing to do at one time and place is utter idiocy in another. Which means, other than having a family, there is no perpetually correct action. Mencius called the middle path through our reality the mean in action. If we apply this philosophy to the question at hand, we can reason that God would be smart enough to set up a clockwork, and since the Universe exists at his will, he is active in some way, and so pragmatism should guide us. Since pragmatism is maximizing the outcome for everyone, we should act that way. That is, we should pray as if God is active, while resting assured that regardless of our actions, his clockwork will tick along.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
