Quantum Mechanics, Time, and Theology: Indefinite Causal Order and a New Approach to Salvation

Qureshi-Hurst, Emily; Pearson, Anna

doi:10.1111/zygo.12621

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Therefore, the theological postulate that sinners can change is deeply problematized in the block universe. In the final section, I will sketch out my own solution to this problem, building on arguments I have made elsewhere (Qureshi‐Hurst and Pearson 2020).…”

Section: The Problem Of Change In a Static Universementioning

confidence: 99%

“…I call this process mind‐dependent salvific becoming . I have written elsewhere on how freedom and causation play into salvation so defined (Qureshi‐Hurst and Pearson 2020). This article builds upon those arguments, advancing a more detailed articulation of the fine‐structure of this proposed mechanism of soteriological change.…”

Section: Mind‐dependent Salvationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can Sinners Really Change? Understanding Personal Salvation in the Block Universe

Qureshi-Hurst¹

2022

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This article brings time and theology together constructively in response to a pressing problem for the doctrine of personal salvation. The problem arises within the physics and metaphysics of time, as these support a so-called temporal B-theory in which time does not pass and reality is comprised of a block universe. Within this static temporal metaphysic, objective change is highly problematized. Yet salvation requires an objective change from fallenness to redemption. So, how can we understand a salvation-transformation in the block universe? In other words, can sinners really change? I argue that on a B-theory of time, a salvation-transformation is best understood as a form of qualitative, phenomenological, and subjective change, rather than a robust ontological change. I conclude that the individual's transformation from fallen to saved is one of minddependent becoming. So, sinners can change. But, in this lifetime, that change can only be subjective.

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Section: The Problem Of Change In a Static Universementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mind‐dependent Salvationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Sinners Really Change? Understanding Personal Salvation in the Block Universe

Qureshi-Hurst¹

2022

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Causation and Laws of Nature

Loke

2022

The Teleological and Kalam Cosmological Arguments Revisited

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I define the key terms of the Causal Principle, namely ‘whatever’, ‘begins to exist’, and ‘cause’, and the related terms ‘time’, ‘eternal’, ‘event’, ‘change’, ‘perdurantism’, and ‘uncaused’. In particular, something has a beginning if it has a temporal extension, the extension is finite, and it has temporal edges/boundaries, that is, it does not have a static closed loop or a changeless/timeless phase that avoids an edge. This definition is compatible with both dynamic and static theories of time. While causal eliminativists and causal reductionists have claimed that causation has no basis in fundamental physics others have replied that fundamental physics does not provide a complete description of reality, and that it does not exclude causation and causal properties which operate at a more fundamental level as the ground of the regularities described by fundamental physics (Weaver, Fundamental Causation: Physics, Metaphysics, and the Deep Structure of the World. London: Routledge, 2019). Quantum physics has not shown that the Causal Principle is violated given that (1) quantum particles emerge from the quantum vacuum which is not non-being but something with vacuum fields, (2) radioactive disintegration of atomic nuclei exhibit statistical regularities that strongly indicate the existence of more fundamental ordered causes, and (3) many different interpretations of quantum physics exist, and some are perfectly deterministic.

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God, Salvation, and the Problem of Spacetime

Qureshi-Hurst

2022

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Much has been written on the relationship between the nature of temporal reality and the God of Classical Theism. Despite the popularity of this general area, what the physics and metaphysics of spacetime might mean for specific theological doctrines has received less attention. Recently, however, interest in this rich and dynamic interplay of ideas has seen rapid growth. This Element provides both an introduction to the physics and metaphysics of spacetime and a jumping-off point for understanding how these can – and in fact should – inform both Christian theology and the philosophy of religion more generally. The author will argue that the nature of spacetime raises particular and pressing problems for Christianity, specifically the interrelated doctrines of salvation and eschatology, and explore whether adequate solutions to these problems are available.

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Quantum Mechanics, Time, and Theology: Indefinite Causal Order and a New Approach to Salvation

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Can Sinners Really Change? Understanding Personal Salvation in the Block Universe

Can Sinners Really Change? Understanding Personal Salvation in the Block Universe

Causation and Laws of Nature

God, Salvation, and the Problem of Spacetime

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