A Contradiction

[jc4751]

We’ve all heard the “If God exists, why does He permit evil?” arguments before.

I was listening to someone the other day talk about an atrocity that had been done in WW2, then following up with the statement of “I don’t believe in God, because God would not have let that happen.” I did not have a chance to respond at the time, but mulled over the question a while, then realized a problem with that thinking – by finding that there was a negative associated with the atrocity, the person was then implying that there was value associated with the lives that were taken. So, again, I think that it is not so much that people are arguing against God, but angry that they do not have a level of understanding of things that God does.

I’m not a philosopher, so it would be interesting to know how other people have built on that thought.

 

[agnes_therese]

My opinion only – when we say “God would/should not permit . . .” we are saying that God shouldn’t have given humans free will.
If we didn’t have free will, then of course we wouldn’t be able to disagree with anything God does. I wonder if those same people like that concept?

 

[Zachary]

These same people would have a fit if God had created to be like the Borg.

 

[ThinkingSapien]

People can only argue for or against god concepts. The problem of evil is a problem for some but not all god concepts (dystheism for example). But even within the context of Christianity there are differences in the god concepts that various churches promote. You may need to find out more about the god concept being discussed so that you are aware of the differences before formulating a reply.

 

[Zachary]

If they feel some things are so evil that God cannot exist, then they must believe that some things are so good that God must exist.

Since this contradicts itself, they simply drop the second part (because it’s easier) rather than conclude that, although God allows for bad things to happen (and good things) He does not want anything but good for His people.

 

[123Strontium]

We’ve all heard the “If God exists, why does He permit evil?” arguments before.

I was listening to someone the other day talk about an atrocity that had been done in WW2, then following up with the statement of “I don’t believe in God, because God would not have let that happen.” I did not have a chance to respond at the time, but mulled over the question a while, then realized a problem with that thinking – by finding that there was a negative associated with the atrocity, the person was then implying that there was value associated with the lives that were taken. So, again, I think that it is not so much that people are arguing against God, but angry that they do not have a level of understanding of things that God does.

I’m not a philosopher, so it would be interesting to know how other people have built on that thought.

The bible implies that God’s kingdom is in heaven. Earth is some remove away from God’s complete domain. He can only hold sway over us by the grace he instills in us.

Read Screwtape. Those letters describe the civil war that is earth, between good and evil. We are the empty vessels that could be filled with either good or evil.

 

[WmJackP]

We’ve all heard the “If God exists, why does He permit evil?” arguments before.

So, again, I think that it is not so much that people are arguing against God, but angry that they do not have a level of understanding of things that God does.

I’m not a philosopher, so it would be interesting to know how other people have built on that thought.

I believe that people do, in fact, have a level of understanding of things expected of God. People, for example, claim that homosexuality is sinful. Hence, the expectation that God will condemn the act. So then if we are right to hold beliefs as to what God desires, what He is inclined to find pleasing, then are we not correct to have precisely this level of understanding? Doesn’t seem to me that this is borne out of anger but rather is a product of holding the beliefs which the Catholic Church professes as truths about God.

 

[Robin_des_Bois]

Some of the people who used the Problem of Evil as an argument against God don’t even believe in objective morality.

 

[fhansen]

Some of the people who used the Problem of Evil as an argument against God don’t even believe in objective morality.

That’s a good point. How can any being be responsible for evil if there’s no such thing?