KateWild said, from the OP: "For me evilness is more classified with intentional acts to harm deliberately out of vengence, anger, malice and even pleasure. To me that is what evil stands for. Indifference is something comepletely different in my view."
....
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/archive/news/passers-by-ignored-dying-child-who-was-run-over-twice-in-street-in-china/story-e6frf7lf-1226169281030?nk=fb85863a4d365a1d96ef8e9972ac4117
...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9lKUwBCIBzA
...
http://m.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1216338/india-shocked-dying-woman-child-ignored-busy-tunnel-40-minutes
defender of truth
JoinedPosts by defender of truth
-
40
Is God evil, just because he fails to prevent suffering?
by defender of truth ina poster on another thread made the following comment, that really made me think.. it is about god: .
"imo i would say [god is] not evil but just indifferent.
apathy allows it.
-
-
defender of truth
-
35
God is love, but if you dont love him back he will slaughter you!
by BU2B inthis was one of the things that first got me thinking.
i noticed how in books like "draw close to jehovah" they paint god as a loving, warm, just god who does not desire any to die.
i could not love him at all, let alone with my whole heart.
-
-
defender of truth
Cofty--
"Similarly, Christians generally end up acknowledging that there is suffering, but rather than amending their speculative, unprovable view of God (i.e. that He’s omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent) they suggest that He must have a reason for allowing suffering, even if we can’t know it. To me, this looks uncannily like Stockholm Syndrome. However unpleasant or abusive God must be if their beliefs are correct, and however responsible He is for their current suffering, they still want to justify His actions and excuse His crimes. They believe He could stop all their suffering, they know He doesn’t, but nevertheless, He must be a nice guy and have His reasons.
Alternatively, why not try Battered person syndrome on for size, to explain why Christians continue to worship a God who, if He exists and has anything like the power they believe, looks very much like a serial abuser. Have a look at these common beliefs and attitudes:
*The abused believes that the violence was his or her fault.
*The abused has an inability to place the responsibility for the violence elsewhere.
*The abused fears for his/her life and/or the lives of his/her children (if present)."
http://recoveringagnostic.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/do-christians-suffer-from-stockholm-syndrome/ -
40
Is God evil, just because he fails to prevent suffering?
by defender of truth ina poster on another thread made the following comment, that really made me think.. it is about god: .
"imo i would say [god is] not evil but just indifferent.
apathy allows it.
-
-
defender of truth
Did what I said to Fernando in the last post make any sense at all?
My illustrations generally suck, or they are very unclear.
The 'warning the child many years ago' was meant to represent the Bible from some believers perspectives, being a very old book and supposedly a warning for today.
The 'poison' was meant to be whatever we are supposedly doing to bring all of these disasters and illnesses upon ourselves.
The 'antidote' was meant to represent Gods message to us, telling us how we should be acting and what we should believe in order to fix all the worlds problems, as supposedly taught in the Bible according to people like Fernando..
And finally, the 'child either failing to understand or read the instructions to the antidote' was meant to be the human race (from a Bible believers perspective) not being able to understand how to cure all of our problems by means of the supposed ''one true message" in the Bible.
My point was: even taking all of these things into account hypothetically speaking, that God of the Bible's inaction still seems sickeningly callous and unjust, even if people in general are 'ignoring the gospel'.
(Obviously the poison in the dogs water bowl represented how we have supposedly been responsible for all animal suffering, deliberately or otherwise, yet God allows them to reap the consequences of our 'wicked course'.)
........
Sorry for the long explanation, I just worry that I've talked nonsense and killed a decent thread.. Good points so far. -
40
Is God evil, just because he fails to prevent suffering?
by defender of truth ina poster on another thread made the following comment, that really made me think.. it is about god: .
"imo i would say [god is] not evil but just indifferent.
apathy allows it.
-
-
defender of truth
"Of course your point is valid defender of truth.
And I'm asserting that the Kingdom will benefit humans and animals alike, in ways we may find hard to imagine until we are more familiar with the solution/medicine/map."
Your child has just swallowed some poisonous liquid that you left out (but many years ago you warned them not to touch it). Would you sit there and watch as your child, failing to understand the instructions (or just not being able to read them) on how to prepare the antidote, dies horribly of poisoning?
(As a side note, you also watched as the child deliberately poured some of the poison into the dogs water bowl. Would you just let the dog die, or clean the bowl?)
Then compare your decision to God's inaction and indifference today. -
130
Atheists and JWs are on the same footing!
by exWTslave inatheists believe that god should stop the large-scale injustice on earth; if he does'nt, then he does not exist.
jws believe that god will intervene sometime in the last days!.
interestingly, both throw themselves on their own expectation of soemthing god should or will do, yet in fact something god does not have to do.
-
-
defender of truth
ExWTslave said: "It's sad when people stop believing in the existence of God, automatically their humaneness disappear."
http://thaumaturgical.com/a-big-list-of-atheist-charities/
....
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/11/20_amazing_quotes_from_atheists_that_prove_religion_isnt_necessary_for_a_meaningful_life_partner/ -
40
Is God evil, just because he fails to prevent suffering?
by defender of truth ina poster on another thread made the following comment, that really made me think.. it is about god: .
"imo i would say [god is] not evil but just indifferent.
apathy allows it.
-
-
defender of truth
Dagney, I am actually an atheist myself. KateWild just made the interesting comment in the OP, and I thought it would be a basis for thought provoking discussion between both sides.
Maybe it still can be.
....
FERNANDO, are you saying that God allows evil because people have not put into practice the words in the Gospels? Surely He could still step in and cure a dog that is dying painfully from cancer, for example? The dog cannot even read the Gospels.
The suffering that God allows includes all living creatures, not just humans. -
130
Atheists and JWs are on the same footing!
by exWTslave inatheists believe that god should stop the large-scale injustice on earth; if he does'nt, then he does not exist.
jws believe that god will intervene sometime in the last days!.
interestingly, both throw themselves on their own expectation of soemthing god should or will do, yet in fact something god does not have to do.
-
-
defender of truth
(ExWTslave, my posts 439 and 440 have still not been replied to. Thanks)
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/282559/3/Atheists-and-JWs-are-on-the-same-footing#.U-s_fV2t-o8 -
40
Is God evil, just because he fails to prevent suffering?
by defender of truth ina poster on another thread made the following comment, that really made me think.. it is about god: .
"imo i would say [god is] not evil but just indifferent.
apathy allows it.
-
-
defender of truth
Here it is:
AndDontCallMeShirleyposted ~ 16 hours ago(8/12/2014)
Post 3161 of 3167
"If a lifeguard, or worse, a parent, stood by and 'indifferently' watched a child drown just a few feet away, when both the lifeguard or parent could easily save their life, that wouldn't be considered evil because they were not "deliberately" pushing the child down into the water?"
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/282559/4/Atheists-and-JWs-are-on-the-same-footing#.U-she12t-o8 -
40
Is God evil, just because he fails to prevent suffering?
by defender of truth ina poster on another thread made the following comment, that really made me think.. it is about god: .
"imo i would say [god is] not evil but just indifferent.
apathy allows it.
-
-
defender of truth
OntheWayOut: Really? The key word there was 'why', why she thought that.
So, if someone simply posted in this thread: 'God is not evil for allowing suffering which could be prevented', would you not ask them 'why?' ?.
If you would feel the need to ask that, I would hope that you would apply the same standard to something you already agree with. For the record, I agree with Dagney, and ADCMS gave an excellent example on another thread of why it seems evil for God to be indifferent. I won't be replying to this thread again, lets see what others have to say. -
40
Is God evil, just because he fails to prevent suffering?
by defender of truth ina poster on another thread made the following comment, that really made me think.. it is about god: .
"imo i would say [god is] not evil but just indifferent.
apathy allows it.
-
-
defender of truth
Dagney: You didn't seem to be saying it was your opinion, it sounded like you were stating "it's evil" as a fact. I'm not challenging you, just hoping you might expand on why you think that. I guess this is a pointless topic anyway.
....
SecondRateMind, welcome to JWN!!! If you want to add your opinion to a thread talking about why God allows natural evil, as in animal suffering, feel free to check out the lengthy discussion here...
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/222352/1/Theists-why-does-God-allow-suffering#.U-qJ8F2t-o8