Free Will and Providence in the Light of Findings of Modern Physics
Modern science has arguably shown “much more congruity with the idea of an interested God than does the classical physics of Newton and Laplace, which identified fundamental reality with primary qualities.” To illustrate this point, the definition of both providence and free will must first be established. Providence may be defined as the practical reason, adapting means to an end. When applying this concept to God, Providence is God Himself considered in that act by which in His wisdom He so orders all events within the universe that the end for which it was created may be realized. The universe is a system of real beings created by God and directed by Him to this supreme end, the concurrence of God being necessary for all natural operations, whether of things animate or inanimate. Free will addresses whether, and in what sense, rational agents exercise control over their actions and decisions. Addressing this question requires understanding the relationship between freedom and cause, and determining whether the laws of nature are causally deterministic. In the religious realm, free will may imply that an omnipotent divinity does not assert its power over individual will and choices whereas in the scientific realm it may imply that the actions of the body, including the brain and the mind, are not wholly determined by physical causality.
Rudolf Bultmann stated that “the inner world of the human subject or of historical existence is the domain of faith, and the impersonal realm of nature belongs to science.” However, modern science has contributed to the idea that if a personal God exists, this God would be interested in the whole cosmos not just human s ...