Biblical Christianity and Islam: Plural Monotheism versus Monolithic Monotheism (Part 2)
Posted on June 14, 2007
Filed Under Islam & Biblical Christianity |
(Continued from last Thursday…)
Rom 1:20 “…since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
This is a remarkable verse. When God created the cosmos, it was stamped with His image. In fact, it was SO stamped with His image that men are declared to be without an excuse because God’s nature is “clearly seen” through His creation. Verse 19 says that “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”
This is the basis for understanding that God has not only delivered to us His “special” revelation through His Word, but He has also provided “general” revelation of Himself through what He has made.
It is here we will begin our search for evidence that supports either “monolithic” monotheism or “pluralistic” monotheism.
I have always been fascinated by creation. It is amazing to me. I anxiously await the newest photos from the Hubble telescope; I love the discoveries of strange fish that live miles down in the ocean; I am excited about the latest news from quantum physics or genetics or how the human eye works. The diversity of the cosmos is stunning. Rather than a monolithic mass, it is an explosion of color and life and sizes and shapes. It is filled with hot and cold, bright and dark, delicate feathers, unique fingerprints, spider webs and orchids.
My sister and her husband were just visiting us from Idaho. They love the outdoors and all that it has to offer. While they were here, my sister spotted a bird that she couldn’t identify, so she pulled out her bird field guide to find it—not an easy task. Why? There are hundreds and hundreds of pages detailing the most diverse range of birds: shrikes and loons, wrens and limpkins, darters and auks and swallows and thrashers and on and on and on.
In the world of birds, which is just a small piece of the cosmos, the grandeur of this diversity is almost overwhelming. Each are part of the larger unity of birds, yet they range from eagles to owls to parrots; yellows, browns, greens; split tails, tufted heads, long legs, short legs, hooked beaks, talons, and an almost infinite breadth of sounds and chirps and singing.
(Who can fathom the notion that all of this came about randomly without purpose?)
I am also deeply interested in the myriad of systems that fill the universe. These, to me, are the most amazing aspect of the cosmos: little pieces and parts that work together to achieve a larger and more complex purpose. Take the blood-clotting system for example. The numerous proteins that must cascade properly to form a blood clot are present within the blood stream for this single objective alone. They serve no other purpose. If one of these parts does not cooperate or doesn’t fulfill its relational role, the over-all objective isn’t achieved and the larger organism bleeds to death.
How did this happen? What is behind this most intricate system and the individual pieces that work in harmony together?
Our cosmos if full of these amazing little systems: the atom’s proton, neutron, and electron; photosynthesis; the water cycle; cleansing tides; hearing; seeing; digesting; thinking; pollination. Our world is full of nothing but systems: individual parts working together in a unified whole.
We are only scratching the surface of our quest, but we have stumbled upon one of the most perplexing realities: we live in a universe that carries both diversity and unity. Secular philosophers are baffled by this.
But what about our two monotheistic positions?
Certainly one could argue that a monolithic god could, by fiat, simply create it all this way. However, one would then have a universe that does not reflect its maker’s glory. In a cosmos filled with parts that make up wholes, bearing a fundamental characteristic that everything is in relationship with something else, it would seem that the creation would be actually pointing to, or revealing, a Creator who must have within Himself a nature that is self-relational. In other words, if the cosmos is inherently filled with relationships, then it seems we have to start with a relational God. Otherwise, we are left with a god who has existed for all eternity in aloneness—un-relating because his nature and character are non-relational. Then, after this eternity of non-relating, he created a universe filled with relationships, contrary to his nature.
If we begin with the position that all truth emanates from the character of God and that His creation reflects His nature, then the truth of what we see in creation would require some internal pluralism within God in which relationships existed prior to the creative work. And although we would be talking about a God who is infinite and unfathomable, it would be reasonable, looking at what He had made, to conclude that this God must have internal elements that are somehow working together in perfect relationship and harmony. Otherwise, we have no basis for real diversity and unity; no basis for relationships; no basis for communion or fellowship or intimacy.
Although at this point, we could not build a case for triune monotheism, it would appear that we would have to begin to lean, at least, toward some plural form of monotheism rather than a monolithic one.
The plain evidence of the creation just seems to point there.
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3 Responses to “Biblical Christianity and Islam: Plural Monotheism versus Monolithic Monotheism (Part 2)”
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Dr. Del Tackett is president of the Focus on the Family Institute and Senior Vice President to Focus on the Family. He is also the architect and chief spokesperson for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project--a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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This isn’t about the Islam article but an earlier one about righteousness and judgement. I so appreciate your clarifying how God deals both oorporately and individually. This has taken me 20 years to figure out and I couldn’t have put it into words as well as you.
I have told my girls that God has made laws that the universe stands on and those laws hold for believers and unbelievers alike. So if an unbeliever obeys God’s laws (like the 10 commandments or being geneerous with orphans and widows), God will bless him for obedience. The unbeliever will not know that is why he is being blessed and may think he is just “lucky”.
In the same way, a believer who does not obey God’s laws will live a more difficult life, for God will keep trying to bring that believer back into right relationship with Himself. If the believer continues to go astray into a sinful lifestyle, God may well withdraw his protection from him and let him “swim with the sharks” a while.
The difference is that an unbeliever will live a decent life but in the end go to hell for all eternity. Whereas, the believer will live a more difficult life than he should but will go to Heaven for all eternity. This is one of the reasons missionaries put their lives on the line every day. They understand the eternal significance of the Gospel message.
Lynne St. Angelo
ps. The Truth Project is helping me explain many things like the death penalty as a punishment. My family now totally gets the reasons why abortion is wrong but was having a difficult time with the death penalty as a punishment for certain horrific crimes by a nation.
Thank you.
I hope this is not too long.
Dr. Del Tackett:
Thank you for delving into the subject of Islam. While I agree with you that there are many differences between the god of Islam and the God of the Bible, we can say the same for every other god or gods and false religion out there. But, if we are going to be able to set the captives free and remain a free nation with the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, we need to do something now before it’s too late.
Your discussion about Biblical Christianity and Islam is all good, well, and true, but after the great “Truth Project” work of yours, I think America needs some great minds like yours to help keep the American government from being taken over by fundamental Islam.
Dr. Tackett,
Nice track on the relational aspect of God being seen in creation itself. While I have always understood that Romans passage in the sense of the Majesty and awesomeness of God I had never considered the intricacy and inter-related-ness as being reflective of that characteristic of the glory of the Lord.
Thanks from Iraq,
VC