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The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World

Book by Paul C.W. Davies · 5 quotes · Science, God, Deism

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The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World Quotes

“In the seventeenth century it was fashionable to regard the universe as a gigantic machine that had been set in motion by God. Even today, many people like to believe in God’s role as a Prime Mover or First Cause in a cosmic chain of causation. But what does it mean for a God who is outside of time to cause anything? Because of this difficulty, believers in a timeless God prefer to emphasize his role in upholding and sustaining the creation at every moment of its existence. No distinction is drawn between creation and preservation: both are, to God’s timeless eyes, one and the same action.”

“Belief in a divine being who starts the universe off and then “sits back” to watch events unfold, taking no direct part in subsequent affairs, is known as “deism.” Here God’s nature is captured by the image of the perfect watchmaker, a sort of cosmic engineer, who designs and constructs a vast and elaborate mechanism and then sets it going.”