Self-Organizing Systems and Divine Action

Self-organizing systems abound in the world. These include interstellar systems, environmental systems on Earth, biological systems including sentience-bearing ones (bodies), and sociocultural systems, which include religious systems. All self-organizing systems attempt to maintain equilibrium, which in the case of sociocultural systems always involves some contestation. However, when changing conditions cause significant disequilibrium, such systems strive to regain equilibrium. While modern scientific knowledge offers some resonances with the classical world religions, it has nevertheless caused significant disequilibrium in these systems. Classical religions face substantial disequilibrium insofar as they feature supernatural or divine intentional agency that supersedes, interferes with, or manipulates natural processes to cause particular outcomes. For scientific knowledge and the worldviews strongly influenced by modern science provide no evidence for such agency or causation. This article draws upon two historical cases of classical religions facing and overcoming disequilibrium. It next covers attempts by scholars of the religion and science dialogue to reconcile divine particular causation with scientific knowledge and judges them a failure. It then details affordances offered by classical religions sans divine particular causation. Finally, it explores a model for reinterpreting the divine.