[lit-ideas] Re: The Problem of Evil
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:22:59 -0800
Eric,
You have assumed that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and purely good, but
why not also assume two other attributes: Creator (of all things) and Love.
If we add these latter two attributes then we are entitled to assume that He
wants something from humans, for he created them. We may also assume that
his reason for creating humans is loving, consistent with his nature.
We can assume (as Leibniz does in his Theodicy, if memory serves me) that
God has chosen to create humans that will love him of their own free will.
In order for humans to be able to make that choice, they must be able to
choose evil. If there is no evil there can be no such choice.
The way you have it, God being purely good could not create humans because
humans can choose evil. But there is no evidence in history that God avoids
the use of evil if evil is defined as bad things happening: people and
animals suffer injury, illness, disaster, and death. Surely these events
are evil and yet they are a part of creation
If evil is not simply something bad that happens but something that is
chosen, then only humans can choose or do evil. Why would there be such a
species as ours? One can provide a naturalistic anthropological explanation
that supports the idea that choosing goodness enhances survival in some way.
But one can also support the idea that God wants us to choose him of our own
free will and not choose evil. Good and evil must both exist for that to be
the case.
Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Eric
Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 11:00 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] The Problem of Evil
As a result of making and tasting some of my High
Plains Texas Chili, I've been thinking about the
philosophical "problem of evil." Here's a synopsis
of the problem, and philosophers on the List are
certainly encouraged to rewrite or correct it.
1. If God exists, then God is omnipotent,
omniscient, and purely good.
2. If God has these qualities, God has the
power, awareness of, and desire to obviate all evil.
3. Evil exists.
4. If evil exists and God exists, then God
lacks the power, awareness of, and desire to do
away with all evil.
5. Therefore God, as defined by those
qualities, does not exist.
If God is a purely metaphysical entity without a
binding connection between omnipotence,
omniscience, and goodness, then there is no
"problem of evil." God is "the stone look on the
stone's face," a ground of being remote from hopes
and human projections.
If so, is God worthy of "worship" or any of the
other religious attitudes--such as hope and prayer?
I know Buddhists solve this problem one way (no
God) and Christians another (original sin and
redemption). The Hebrew tradition doesn't offer
much of a solution except for positing our
inability to look at evil and understand it (Job).
Hindus solve the problem, I think, by breaking God
into its many conflicting god-qualities in service
to a giant drama. Stoics seem to suggest that
evil, when it is outside the human will is not
something to be concerned about (Epictetus' Manual).
These solutions all strike me as narrative
evasions. It's like asking an author why things
have to go so badly for the hero, why all the
trouble, why so much suffering, and the author has
to reply, "Because it makes a better story, dummy!"
Any thoughts on the problem of evil?
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
