I quite like your point about omnipresence. Regarding omniscience, I think a great deal about how the unconscious plays a role in shaping human stories. God is presumably aware of all the contents of His own mind, unlike human beings. I am curious, do you think that all the elements that slip into a story beneath the author's awareness nonetheless come from the author's mind?
No. That's one example of where the writer-God analogy falls apart. The reason things 'accidentally' fall into place for human writers is because we live within a greater framework that can connect things for us. God doesn't live within a framework, so everything that proceeds from Him is original and intentional.
Good job, man!! This was extremely edifying and encouraging; as well as being one of the clearest explanations for Calvinism I've ever heard. Keep up the good work.
BUT, (maybe this is in part two) would this make angels the readers?
If you've read N.D. Wilson's Outlaws of Time series, there's a part where Father Tiempo, a time-walker, describes the Great Story much the same way. He (FT) is a character like the others, a Word, but unlike the others, he can walk in the margins of the pages instead of confined to the lines... he can walk time.
Dunno where I was going with that reference, but I really enjoyed this one, Turner. Great post.
The local library only had book 1, so that's as far as I got.
No, readers aren't angels because they're not delivering messages or interceding in nature or killing hundreds of thousands of people. And angels are bound by time. I appreciate the effort though.
Hopefully this wasn't too nerdy (then again, if you're going to NSA, this is totally up your alley). Cuz Part 2 is gonna be insane.
Ok, makes sense... local libraries have really gone downhill. I can't find any Canon press books in our system. (Although, they have the Wingfeather Saga, so there's that at least) I just finished the series so it was on my mind. Book two is the best one in my opinion.
I wonder who would be the readers, then... or would there be just One... both Reader and Writer? You did say the analogy isn't perfect, but it does make me wonder...
Oh yeah this was up my alley. I loved it. Looking forward to part two!
Applying the reader thing would imply that there is a being that is separate but equal to God, which is not true. God's 'audience' is Himself and us - the characters. Thus, there is no reader, and the story of history is art for art's sake.
(Never thought about the separate-but-equal thing.) I think where this analogy has its weakness is the fact that the characters also witness the playing out of the story, some to a larger degree than others...
But does not God Himself play a part in the story? Where does that enter into your analogy?
I actually think a few people might have, but I’m not totally sure…
But it would probably feel pretty staged as, unlike real life, the characters don’t actually have free will and the author is actually moving them around like little dolls.
I quite like your point about omnipresence. Regarding omniscience, I think a great deal about how the unconscious plays a role in shaping human stories. God is presumably aware of all the contents of His own mind, unlike human beings. I am curious, do you think that all the elements that slip into a story beneath the author's awareness nonetheless come from the author's mind?
No. That's one example of where the writer-God analogy falls apart. The reason things 'accidentally' fall into place for human writers is because we live within a greater framework that can connect things for us. God doesn't live within a framework, so everything that proceeds from Him is original and intentional.
Great question.
I appreciate that answer. I'll no doubt be ruminating on it for a while to come. God bless.
Good job, man!! This was extremely edifying and encouraging; as well as being one of the clearest explanations for Calvinism I've ever heard. Keep up the good work.
Thanks bro means a lot. I'd appreciate a restack, and stay tuned for Part 2!
Absolutely!! Can't wait :)
Great post!
Ok, ok. I love this.
BUT, (maybe this is in part two) would this make angels the readers?
If you've read N.D. Wilson's Outlaws of Time series, there's a part where Father Tiempo, a time-walker, describes the Great Story much the same way. He (FT) is a character like the others, a Word, but unlike the others, he can walk in the margins of the pages instead of confined to the lines... he can walk time.
Dunno where I was going with that reference, but I really enjoyed this one, Turner. Great post.
The local library only had book 1, so that's as far as I got.
No, readers aren't angels because they're not delivering messages or interceding in nature or killing hundreds of thousands of people. And angels are bound by time. I appreciate the effort though.
Hopefully this wasn't too nerdy (then again, if you're going to NSA, this is totally up your alley). Cuz Part 2 is gonna be insane.
Ok, makes sense... local libraries have really gone downhill. I can't find any Canon press books in our system. (Although, they have the Wingfeather Saga, so there's that at least) I just finished the series so it was on my mind. Book two is the best one in my opinion.
I wonder who would be the readers, then... or would there be just One... both Reader and Writer? You did say the analogy isn't perfect, but it does make me wonder...
Oh yeah this was up my alley. I loved it. Looking forward to part two!
Applying the reader thing would imply that there is a being that is separate but equal to God, which is not true. God's 'audience' is Himself and us - the characters. Thus, there is no reader, and the story of history is art for art's sake.
Thanks for getting me thinking about that.
No problem.
(Never thought about the separate-but-equal thing.) I think where this analogy has its weakness is the fact that the characters also witness the playing out of the story, some to a larger degree than others...
But does not God Himself play a part in the story? Where does that enter into your analogy?
An author could totally write a story where the characters are actually aware of him and he intercedes in things. It's just that nobody's done it.
I actually think a few people might have, but I’m not totally sure…
But it would probably feel pretty staged as, unlike real life, the characters don’t actually have free will and the author is actually moving them around like little dolls.