Vincent Torley's Response to Loke's Argument for the Resurrection

[PdotdQ]

@vjtorley

As we possess libertarian free will,

I don’t believe that we have libertarian free will in the sense that humans do not conform to the laws of physics.

@vjtorley

What do you think of this approach to miracles?

I think it’s fine if you’re a concurrentist; as I said, there are many ways for god or god(s) to enact miracles. In a probabilistic universe, for example (a la certain interpretations of quantum theory), God can simply cause the wavefunction to collapse a certain way at a certain event.

@vjtorley

It will be noted that God does not change the laws of physics, on the concurrentist picture: He simply withholds his normal co-operation with causal agents, but they retain the tendency to act in their accustomed way

I think that doing this means that God indeed changes the laws of physics. The laws of physics is not concerned of the tendency of causal agents, but on the actual physical consequences in the physical world.

@vjtorley

Personally, I can see how this account would explain the case of Shadrach in the fiery furnace, but I’m not sure it would explain entropy reversals, such as a resurrection from the dead.

As @dga471 mentioned, there is really no reason to say that the resurrection is an entropy reversal. I am pretty sure I did not miss the paper where someone went back in time, measured the temperature around Jesus’ corpse at the point of the resurrection, and found no change in temperature.