Perry,
My statement highlights the inability of even smart people to explain how a world without the possibility of evil could ever be considered free. Could you explain that? If someone can't explain it; why blame God for something that is a requirement for what people desire?
Who has ever denied that evil is unavoidable in this world? The problem is not in the presence of evil, but the presence of a God in light of evil. Natural disasters, genocides, rising petrol prices... How could a *righteous* God stand by and watch these things march a long and settle in its own time? Is ANYTHING worth such misery? I watched a clip from South Park last night where one of the characters, who was lying in hospital, was read the story of Job. His conclusion was "What sort of God would go all the way just to prove a point to the Devil?". Chew on that for a sec.
If God exists, it is He who gave us free will and it is He who allows Evil to exist. It is hardly finger-pointing from humans that makes Him responsible for evil in our world. He just IS BY DEFAULT! He is the idle Almighty, for crying out loud. You shy away from what you must perceive is blasphemy, yet the rest of us will not hold back from stating the obvious truth.
God said that he made the earth for humans and their desendants. In other words he placed the earth under their limited jurisdiction and limited authority. It is not a stretch for me to imagine that he would simply back off after the Fall, having done so natural forces simply follow the laws of physics sometimes tragically.
Moving on to Romans 8... I agree that when the commands in Genesis were utterred, man had limited dominion of the earth. I'd imagine that it logically refers to expansion of the Garden and taking care of the animals. I do not see an implicit gift to Adam of the power over tectonic plates (earthquakes, volcanoes) or over the movement of the winds (weather). Nothing in the scriptures suggests that Adam was given any such supernatural powers. That has and will always be the jurisdiction of God, if He exists.
So I see no reason to blame Adamic error for the natural catastrophes we witness today. If God can't prevent a tsunami, it is no wonder He wasn't around when they gassed millions of Jews. You seem to make light of this burning evidence against a loving God by implying that people who wouldn't commit to belief expect too much in terms of security. If you do not have the answers for why Evil exists, on what basis do you expect people to believe in a caring God? An emotional high?
The absence of answers may sit well with you because your faith is bereft of logic and facts. This is not my slur on your faith. You said so yourself "I don't need logic, a religion, or special training or education to do it." But for the rest of us, it is not a question of costs, it is a question of plausibility.
I do not know what you meant by people who obey laws are cursed and how that is relevant to the causes of natural disasters.
It seems like to me that some folks want a guaranteed risk free relationship before they'll decide to "believe God". I never would have gotten anywhere with my wife if I placed these kinds of requirements on her as we dated...Why would it be any different with God?
Such a simplistic metaphor. You forget that:
1) Your wife is not invisible
2) She didn't commission the writing of a biography that is filled with literary inconsitencies.
3) She is not by default held responsible for all the Evil in this world (at least I hope not)
With these major differences poking out at us, how can you possibly draw a comparison between accepting God and accepting the woman who is now your life partner?
INQ
