From Wikipedia- “Pantheism is the belief that reality is identical with divinity,[1] or that all-things compose an all-encompassing, immanent god.”
I think this is saying that pantheism teaches that God is All and All is God.
I’m not certain of that.
Would one study medical uses of antibiotics if one believed that God alone could heal or if one believed sickness was not caused by microbes? Young-Earth creationists study the earth and come to different very conclusions than other scientists. Belief in certain metaphysical propositions can have a direct impact on studies and the conclusions derived from studies.
Sure. People can do jobs they don’t believe in.
People can compartmentalise.
There are young earth creationist scientists who work in their field and are quite capable of playing the materialist game. No one knows who they arrrrrrrre 
I agree with most of what you’ve said.
I think it comes down to: If we play by the same set of rules, we can apply the rules and reach similar endpoints. This is why ‘scientific’ inquiry works – We all generally use the same rule book. But that still requires metaphysical choices/axioms, even if we think there are strong empirical justifications to the current scientific approach. Certain metaphysical positions don’t use the same rules and consequently don’t get to the same endpoints. I don’t believe that makes each endpoint equally valid (I’ll take antibiotics for infections over prayer any day), just reasoned with different axioms. One goal of scientific pursuit is to bring objectivity to bear on a question but it’s not possible to be certain of that objectivity. This is one area where the philosophy of science (& epistemology) has been struggling for some time.
1 Like
Thomas Jay Oord offers five short summaries of claims that together are meant to solve the problem of evil. I will quote his claims and comment on each one.
1- “The first of the five beliefs says God can’t prevent evil singlehandedly. That’s probably the most controversial claim in the book. I explain that although God is almighty and always involved in creation, God’s love is inherently uncontrolling. God’s love is necessarily self-giving and others-empowering. And because God loves everyone and everything, God can’t control anyone or anything. I appeal to common sense, personal experiences, the Bible, and theology to argue this point.”
To the claim that God is uncontrolling.
Proverbs 19:21 “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.” Proverbs 20:24 “A man’s steps are from the LORD, so how can anyone understand his own way?” Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.”
Romans 9 says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He could demonstrate His power. Acts 4:27-30 says that Gods hand moved Herod, Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do what He had predestined.
2-“Although God can’t control those who do evil, God does empathize with victims. In chapter two, I reject the view that God is unmoved, unaffected, or impassible. I reject the idea that God is “impassible,” to use the classic language. I say God is a fellow sufferer who understands. Survivors of evil tell me how helpful it is to believe God feels their pain.”
Obviously ‘Bible God’ Can and Does control those who do evil for His own purposes. But Yes I agree that he understands and sympathises.
3-“I tackle healing in God Can’t. After looking at healing advocates and deniers, I draw from the science of medicine and explore claims about divine healing. I argue that God always works to heal to the utmost possible, but God can’t heal singlehandedly. Inopportune conditions in creation or noncooperating creatures prevent God from healing fully.”
“I want to know Christ–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead”. Philippians 3:10
“And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ–if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:17
“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory”. 1 Peter 4:13
“For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows”. 2 Corinthians 1:5
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh”. 2 Corinthians 4:8-11
“Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church”. Colossians 1 :24
“And if one member of Christ’s body suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it”. 1 Corinthians 12:26
4-“Many people say God causes or allows suffering as part of a mysterious master plan. I reject that view. God works with creation to squeeze good from the bad God didn’t want in the first place. I also reject the idea that God punishes. There are natural negative consequences when creatures don’t cooperate with God’s love. But God doesn’t beat up disobedient creatures or ask others to beat them”
Suffering as part of the Master Plan
Acts 2:22, Acts 4:27-30, indicate that God had predestined Christ to come and suffer the evil of the world for the world.
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us.
In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”
Verse 4.- Jews were chosen in Christ before the universe was created.
Verse 5.-Jews were predestined to be adopted as sons. Jews need to be adopted because they were also predestined to lose their first sonship through Eve, Adam and Satan.
Verse 7.- Jews were predestined to have redemption in Christ. Redemption is buying them back from slavery to evil and sin.
Verse 11,= Jews were predestined to obtain the inheritance that Jesus shared with them. We share his inheritance if we suffer evil with him. Romans 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
The point of this exercise in Ephesians is to show that before the universe was created, Jesus was Predestined to come and die for this evil world. Therefore evil was predestined, Therefore the fall was predestined. Therefore Satan was Predestined to turn evil.
5-“Some people dismiss any attempt to solve the problem of evil. “We don’t need theories,” they say, “We need to be activists who work to overcome evil.” I disagree. I’m in favor of activism to instigate positive change. But without good theories about God, few will be motivated to stop the evil they think God causes or allows. God needs creaturely cooperation for love to win in the world and the afterlife.”
I say evil is not a problem if you are with God who created evil. But if you want to pretend that God and evil dont mix then you are going to have a problem. Thats what sin is…trying to separate your evil from your Father. You just end up separating yourself from him like Cain did with his downcast face.