Open AccessDivine Openness for Physical Relationship
Author(s) -
Pavel Butakov
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
roczniki filozoficzne
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.128
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 2450-002X
pISSN - 0035-7685
DOI - 10.18290/rf21693-9
Subject(s) - openness to experience , consciousness , epistemology , proposition , interpretation (philosophy) , argument (complex analysis) , subject (documents) , metaphysics , constraint (computer aided design) , natural (archaeology) , theism , object (grammar) , philosophy , social psychology , psychology , sociology , mathematics , computer science , history , linguistics , biochemistry , chemistry , geometry , archaeology , library science
The success of the atheistic hiddenness argument depends on the “consciousness constraint” it imposes on the divine-human loving relationship: namely, that this relationship requires human conscious awareness of being in the relationship with God. I challenge the truth of this proposition by introducing the concept of a physical relationship with God that is not subject to this constraint. I argue, first, that a physical relationship with God is metaphysically possible; second, that its plausibility is supported by natural theology; and third, that a perfectly loving God would prefer physical relationships with human beings over consciousness-constrained relationships, because a perfectly loving God would prefer to preserve the integrity of human freedom of participation and allow inclusion of all people regardless of their natural cognitive capabilities. I also offer an interpretation of apparent divine hiddenness in the light of the idea of God’s openness for physical relationships.