is The trial of Adam and Eve an evil? resulting in more evil?

by waton 2 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  waton

  For months, week by week, wt devotees have been hammered to use just one bible text in 'the ministry',

  James 1:3 " - god does not try anyone with evil - "

  to show on what shaky footing wt doctrine defenders are, ask the presenters these questions:

  who created the paradise, all the beautiful trees? amazing animals?* --- the deity, yes? --so,

  the tree of knowledge, with the death penalty for the whole family, for merely touching it, was a creation of the deity? a trial set up? --- yes?--

  Explain to me, how is the suffering that happened in the last 6000 years, to billion of people, because of the degradation for all of us, -- resulting from this trial that our parents failed, not the greatest evil ?

  Is all this evil for our good? is this the message of your leaders?

  *talking snakes, monkeys, mosquitos, amazing plants, nettles, poison ivy, deadly mushrooms, ---
• 

  truth_b_known

  Oh, boy!

  The philosophical debate you set up is similar to The Problem of Evil originated by Greek philosopher Epicurus -

  If God exists, then God is omnipotent, omniscient, and morally perfect.

  • If God is omnipotent, then God has the power to eliminate all evil.
  • If God is omniscient, then God knows when evil exists.
  • If God is morally perfect, then God has the desire to eliminate all evil.
  • Evil exists.
  • If evil exists and God exists, then either God doesn’t have the power to eliminate all evil, or doesn’t know when evil exists, or doesn’t have the desire to eliminate all evil.
  • Therefore, God doesn’t exist.

  My issue with the line of thinking is that "good" and "evil" are concepts created by theology and western culture. This is as opposed to that which is beneficial and that which is harmful in eastern culture. Good and evil are binary concepts which are often trademarks of Abrahamic faith's influence.

  Also the idea of suffering. There is pain which is a beneficial function of the central nervous system. Then there is suffering which is a mental anguish generated by a combination of concepts, beliefs, and how one orients themselves to an event. In short - we create our own suffering.

  So, yes, the Genesis account makes absolutely no sense. There are many responses by Christian Apologists to this. However, those responses do not stand up to logic and reason.

  Here is an interesting video on the topic. The end of it has a line of questions to ask Apologists that shows the fallacy in their response.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0_pTSAzYZA
• 

  waton

  The philosophical debate T B N

  The aim of this thread is to get wt followers to look at the nonsensical assertions in their presentations, be it by telephone, person to person and meeting 'parts'

  In the talking snake bible story, it is the deity that sets up the trial, to see and try if A&E can be tripped up in temptation.

  wt asserts that all evil, even the appearance of carnivores of any kind is the result of our parents falling for the bait that was set up.

  Since this James 1;13 'presentation' has been scheduled ad nauseum in perhaps 30 scenes, it is possible, that it is addressed not as a training for their sales people, but to hammer home, that the wt god, the upper elite, does no evil, no matter what is done.

  "whether it is reasonable from a human standpoint or not"

  evil is good. when gobd does it.