(urth) The Outsider

[Gerry Quinn]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" <danldo at gmail.com>
 could be explained in various ways:
>> that Jesus is actually present within that universe.
>> that there is an analogue of Jesus, who is merely a prophet.
>> that the stories have somehow been transmitted from another universe.
>> But I don't think the first is ruled out.
>
> I do. The idea of multiple Incarnations is not only "not strictly
> Orthodox Christianity," it is abhorrent to the idea that Jesus died
> once _for all_. "All" is a big word, which I mostly try to avoid, but
> it's unambiguously present in Scripture.

Even theologians who take a hard line on this might pause for thought when 
considering the precise situation Wolfe is postulating (tentatively) - a 
succession of near-identical iterated universes.

"All" is a big word, but it is usually taken as referring to the contents of 
a particular universe.  Many physicists invoke at times the concept of a 
multiverse, and yet they may use "all" to indicate the contents of a single 
one.

Furthermore, the question of a single incarnation is actually highly 
problematic in such a sequence!

We know there is a Jesus-analogue in the Solar Cycle.  Some hypothesise that 
this is an imperfect Jesus, a man who is not the incarnation of god, as he 
will be in a future cycle, presumably ours.

But if he is the Incarnation in one cycle, what happens in the cycle after 
that?  Back to an imperfect Jesus-analogue?

Or is our iteration the last?  If so, one would think it should be in some 
way perfect.  Does it look perfect to anybody?

I think multiple Incarnations are almost an inevitable consequence of 
Wolfe's scenario.

(I don't think most people, including Catholic theologians, would be shocked 
by the notion of Incarnations on differnet planets of our universe 
either...)

- Gerry Quinn