How is "original purpose" defined? Do we have an illustration, a source?

-- Anonymous, May 11, 1999

Answers

Critt -- I had said in Intentional Technology 1.0,

"The fall of man was the preeminent root cause of ecological catastrophe when compared to Gods original purpose for this universe."

There is a relationship between original purpose and man's calling to dominion. I speculate (this would take us too far afield) that Satan's fall, which was foreseen, is to be redressed by the "sons of God" taking the place, ultimately, of the fallen angels in the economy of God. (BTW, I think that may be Mormon doctrine, yikes)!

More down to earth (though I'm already in loony-ville for non-Christians, I suspect) is this from Ephesians:

"(God) having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him." (Eph. 1:9-10)

Overlooking for a second the meaning of this, we can assume that, with God, the end purpose (summing up all things in Christ: the true "ecology", as it were) matches and is one with the original purpose (that is, to dynamically move man and history towards the fulfillment of that purpose).

-- Anonymous, May 26, 1999