This is a good one. So God allows or causes natural evil as temporal punishment because we’ve done something to warrant it? Or do you mean that actions of sinful beings brought natural evil into the world? You’ll have to explain this a little bit further.
I’m not convinced that we will never know, but that is irrelevent. We would indeed call it an intoxication of physics if we placed a lot of trust into it; let it govern our actions and modes of living and relation; let it usurp other observable scientific phenomena because we fancy such a mystery. Do you see the distinction? Science has had a long tradition of revising itself in the wrong, where answers didn’t align, where religion has not.
This kind of mantraing is what makes Christians seem stupid to non-believers. You’re not stupid; you can certainly, if you try, contribute something to the discussion at hand.
I can’t see how that could ever be verified. Shall I take your word on it as authority?
You have a degree in theology!? (I just checked your profile). If you have the necessary tools for debunking this bad ol’ natural evil problem, why don’t you share some goodness with the rest of the world? We’ve got a brainy theology scholar right here in our midst and we’re not privy to this problem’s solution?
I sought to have a reasoned discussion. But rather was repaid
From whence does the right to your continued existence derive? How does the legislature know to write such a law? It is obvious that there is no metaphysical law that “you must exist”, so your continued existence is largely a matter of not making such a nuisance of yourself that somebody takes a gun to your head.
I am saying that the actions of sinful beings brought natural evil into the world. If you had read my previous posts you wouldn’t need to ask that question. I also maintain that God is fully justified in allowing natural evil as a temporal consequence of our actions. Why is that “a good one” in your view?
I see no distinction on these forums. I actually had somebody the other day tell me that our observations with respect to virtual particles disproves efficient causation. I have seen others claim that it disproves the law of non-contradiction. Now you tell me who’s crazy.
Who knows? It probably derives from some extension of the social contract, through which it is collectively understood that we ought to respect the continued existence of those around us. How was such a conclusion met? Through very difficult means, to be sure. I can tell you have such a conclusion was NOT met (But there’s a ban on the topic
)Agreed.
More of the same jibberjabber. Just because you can posit reasons why, doesn’t make them satisfying. Why suffer at all? Why anything bad? Why any confusion over any of it? Well, because God wanted to remain elusive and mysterious… Yeah okay, I feel safe under such a providence.
Mea culpa. I have to keep track of a lot of replies.
Why the Haitians then? Why does God punish with natural disasters only those who live in areas where they naturally occur? This is on top of extreme governmental corruption and poverty. God is just not satisfied until the Hatians are in the dust, wondering if He’s even there.
Because it raises more of the same unanswerable questions; because it’s brutally victim-blaming; because it’s an obvious way to absolve God from blame that is clearly due.
Maybe you should look a little harder.
The population of Haiti is around 80% Catholic. If you had read my previous posts, you would know that it isn’t possible to determine exactly why this natural disaster occurred. What we do know is that if humanity had not sinned, it wouldn’t have happened. There would be no such thing as death.
You are mistaken again. It’s not unanswerable or even particularly difficult to understand, except for you it seems. The cause of natural evil is the actions of sinful being. The Church has always taught this. The Biblical canon has always taught this. And it makes sense to those who still believe the laws of logic hold, although many of your contemporaries apparently have abandoned those too.
Lol! Okay. I’ve been here since 2006. You’ve been here for a couple of months. Perhaps you should show me where I should look for self-enlightenment.
We move within God Who is everywhere, even the earth. Does God ‘send’ earthquakes? Is God in charge of nature, should be the question. Jesus had something to say about this when a group of men who were working on a building were killed when the scaffolding went down. He asked if his listeners thought the reason they died was because of their sins. What he ended up answering was that, whether you are a sinner or not, you know not the time or hour when you will be called before God to give an account of your own life.
The intellectual problem you have oncovered comes from TWO distinct understandings of God.Who knows? It probably derives from some extension of the social contract, through which it is collectively understood that we ought to respect the continued existence of those around us. How was such a conclusion met? Through very difficult means, to be sure. I can tell you have such a conclusion was NOT met (But there’s a ban on the topic
Agreed.
More of the same jibberjabber. Just because you can posit reasons why, doesn’t make them satisfying. Why suffer at all? Why anything bad? Why any confusion over any of it? Well, because God wanted to remain elusive and mysterious… Yeah okay, I feel safe under such a providence.
Mea culpa. I have to keep track of a lot of replies.
Why the Haitians then? Why does God punish with natural disasters only those who live in areas where they naturally occur? This is on top of extreme governmental corruption and poverty. God is just not satisfied until the Hatians are in the dust, wondering if He’s even there.
Because it raises more of the same unanswerable questions; because it’s brutally victim-blaming; because it’s an obvious way to absolve God from blame that is clearly due.
Maybe you should look a little harder.
)
How mysterious.