NPR.org - Bart Ehrman, Questioning Religion on Why We Suffer

by JPT 3 Replies latest jw friends

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  JPT

  I'll try this again, last time I guess I did something wrong. Anyway I think some will find this audio interview interested in this story: NPR: Bart Ehrman, Questioning Religion on Why We Suffer

  Fresh Air from WHYY, February 19, 2008 • It's one of the oldest faith questions: If there's an all-powerful and loving God, why do human beings suffer?

  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19096131&sc=emaf

  This is the first I heard of him but he presents some interesting thoughts. The steps of growth he has taken through his life, that’s what is interesting to me. You know when we were young it all seemed so clear and straight forward. Got it all figured out. Now things are just not that easy are they? I'm not saying I agree with everything he says but interesting.

  And one more thing; to his question, “Why We Suffer” I am comfortable the WBTS explanation on why there is suffering. The settling of the issues of who is to decide right from wrong, can man do it independently from God.

  That’s all I’ve got for now,

  JohnT
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  Gopher

  John, (a belated) welcome to the forum.

  That was an interesting article, especially the last paragraph which sums it up well:

  The problem of suffering became for me the problem of faith. After many years of grappling with the problem, trying to explain it, thinking through the explanations that others have offered—some of them pat answers charming for their simplicity, others highly sophisticated and nuanced reflections of serious philosophers and theologians—after thinking about the alleged answers and continuing to wrestle with the problem, about nine or ten years ago I finally admitted defeat, came to realize that I could no longer believe in the God of my tradition, and acknowledged that I was an agnostic: I don't "know" if there is a God; but I think that if there is one, he certainly isn't the one proclaimed by the Judeo-Christian tradition, the one who is actively and powerfully involved in this world. And so I stopped going to church.

  I too think there really is no acceptable answer. I don't like the answer that an all-powerful and all-loving God would allow it. That sounds sadistic. If God exists, he/she/it seems to be off on some other project in another universe, and unconcerned with earthly events. I believe it's up to good, hard-working people to try to create the best environment and to try to alleviate suffering to the extent possible, because it doesn't seem that suffering proves anything or that any deity will come soon to end it.
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  JPT

  Hi Gopher,

  There either is or is not a God It just seems to me that there is a God. By just looking at what is around us there is order, rules by which things work. From the smallest thing to the giant universe. If there is no God, I see no reason to deny the personal name Jehovah, our English language, then nothing can be explained.
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  Gopher

  if there IS a God, he sure has a lot of explaining to do, especially about the suffering. If he is as involved in earthly affairs and people's lives as some people claim, then he's either too weak to act or too sadistic to care. I wouldn't want to accuse a "God" of incompetence or sadism, so it's more logical (in my mind) to think he's not anywhere around, or is totally non-existent.

  The existence of scientific laws makes some extrapolate that there is a God. However, belief in God is really an item of faith -- it requires nine leaps of faith. These leaps are listed in this document, part of which I present for your inspection. http://friendlyatheist.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/34UnconvincingArgumentsforGod.pdf

  The first leap of faith is that a supernatural realm even exists.

  Second, that beings of some sort exist in this realm.

  Third, that these beings have consciousness.

  Fourth, that at least one of these beings is eternal.

  Fifth, that this being is capable of creating something from nothing.

  Sixth, that this being is capable of interfering with the universe after it is created (i.e. miracles).

  Seventh, eighth, and ninth, that this being is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving.

  If people want to believe in a god more specific to a particular religion, then some additional leaps of faith are necessary.

  Some would choose to make those leaps of faith. I choose to be skeptical about the idea of a deity.