Abraham's Dice: Chance and Providence in the Monotheistic Traditions
- ISBN-10
- 0190277157
- ISBN-13
- 9780190277154
- Category
- Abrahamic religions
- Pages
- 360
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2016-05-16
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- Karl W. Giberson
Description
Most of us believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is "God's will," "karma", or "fate," we want to believe that an overarching purpose undergirds everything, and that nothing in the world, especially a disaster or tragedy, is a random, meaningless event.Abraham's Dice explores the interplay between chance and randomness, as well as between providence and divine action in the monotheistic religious traditions, looking at how their interaction has been conceptualized as our understanding of the workings of nature has changed. This lively historicalconversation has generated intense and engaging theological debates, and provocative responses from science: what of the history of our universe, where chance and law have played out in complex ways? Or the evolution of life, where random mutations have challenged attempts to find purpose withinevolution and convinced many that human beings are a "glorious accident." The enduring belief that everything happens for a reason is examined through a conversation with major scholars, among them holders of prestigious chairs at Oxford and Cambridge universities and the University of Basel, aswell as several Gifford lecturers, and two Templeton prize winners. Now, as never before, confident scientific assertions that the world embodies a profound contingency are challenging theological claims that God acts providentially in the world. The random and meandering path of evolution is widely used as an argument that God did not create life. Organizedhistorically, Abraham's Dice provides a wide-ranging scientific, theological, and biblical foundation to address the question of divine action in a world shot through with contingency.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2016-04-18
- 368 pages
- Ebook
- Oxford University Press
-
- 2016-04-18
- 360 pages
- Ebook
- Oxford University Press
Similar books
-
Reconciliation: Basic Seminar : an Experience of Imparting a Vision of Faith-based Reconciliation that Transforms People and Societies
By Brian CoxReconciliation: Basic Seminar : an Experience of Imparting a Vision of Faith-based Reconciliation that Transforms People and Societies
-
Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence
By Jonathan SacksFrom Darwinian evolution to game theory, Sacks shows how the common human problem - that we pass on our genes as individuals, but can only survive in groups - drives a tendency to violence which can subvert even the most loving of religions ...
-
Reconciliation: Basic Seminar : an Experience of Imparting a Vision of Faith-based Reconciliation that Transforms People and Societies
By Brian CoxReconciliation: Basic Seminar : an Experience of Imparting a Vision of Faith-based Reconciliation that Transforms People and Societies
-
Jung and the Monotheisms: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
By Joel Ryce-MenuhinThis book provides an exploration of some of the essential aspects of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
-
The Life of One Chosen by God: A Study of the Stories of Moses in Jewish, Christian and Muslim Sources
By Elena Narinskaya"Moses is an inspirational prophetic figure in Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious traditions. This book journeys through the Abrahamic faiths and illustrates their respective depictions of the Moses' stories.
-
Challenging the Stereotype: The Theology of Karl Barth as a Resource for Inter-religious Encounter in a European Context
By Glenn A. ChestnuttThis book asserts that a case can be made on the basis of Barth's theology for promoting a democratic society which respects freedom and difference. It shows how this argument can be extended to accommodate religious pluralism.
-
Owning Disaster: Coping with Catastrophe in Abrahamic Narrative Traditions
By Aaron M. Hagler"Delving into the intertwined tapestry of Jewish, Christian and Muslim sacred texts, exegesis, philosophy, theology, and historiography, this book explores the similar coping mechanisms across Abrahamic communities in reconciling the ...
-
The Oxford Handbook of the Abrahamic Religions
By Gedaliahu A. Guy Stroumsa, Adam J. Silverstein, Moshe BlidsteinThis handbook offers a comprehensive discussion of Abrahamic religions, providing comparative study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
-
The Monotheistic Religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam
By Abe M. CohenThis series seeks to educate and elighten youth to one of the world's most predominant religions in an easy-to-read format.
-
The Three Sons of Abraham: Interfaith Encounters Between Judaism, Christianity and Islam
By Jacques DoukhanThe contributors to this volume start from the premise that there is a price to be paid by the "sons of Abraham": whether Jews, Muslims or Christians.