rtris (04/07/83)
In response to Don Chan's (utcsrgv!donald) article w.r.t. an OMNIPOTENT God. I think the position I stated w.r.t. Yigal's article can be maintained consistently but didn't want to spend a page at it at that time. But Don (correctly) rips what I said apart, so I will try to explain my understanding more fully. Remember, I don't think I'm proving anything, merely showing that I think something can be held consistently. First, I'd like to deal with his last remark: if God is OMNIPOTENT it makes no sense to say he loves us (my paraphrase). One of the axioms of Christianity is that God is a personal God. We are persons, and we are made in his image. Christ was one with God and Christ was a person, and loved etc. etc. God's omnipotence exists within this context (and I don't see off hand how it limits it). Now then, a short treatise on the problem of moral evil (my understanding of it anyway). God is at the decision point. To create or not to create, that's the question. His motivation for creation was that he was ALONE, and wanted fellowship with beings, that would be satisfying. The only way to accomplish that was to create beings with FREE WILL (relationships with robots, however sophisticated, is unsatisfying). He acknowledged at that point that these beings could abuse that free will. If they so chose however, it would be at great cost to them, and to God, but that situation too, God would be able to work to the good of all involved. So knowing the possibilities, God chose to create and WE messed things up. Now moral evil exists in the world, and God disapproves (bleh what a square word). But to get rid of the evil, he would have REMOVE our free will (you'll notice that I'm defining moral evil as rebellion against God and His ways). This however would undo what he has wrought. It would go counter to the spirit of the thing. Furthermore, note that man was not created to be happy, but a companion to God. (It also doesn't say man isn't supposed to be happy, but that's not his Purpose). So God carries on His creation, attempting to communicate with humanity (in a way suited to His purpose (which are probably more complicated in totality than I indicated)). And that's how we came to be where we are. Ralph. P.S. Eternal life may seem like it's going to be a bore, but it also promises that there will be no sorrow, pain or tears or such things. So I'm sure God will provide some kind of solution. (P.P.S. Sometimes (in my more "blasphemous" instants) I think all this was created in a moment of Cosmic Boredom.....)
mark (04/10/83)
the article this follows up stated that god is omnipotent, and then went on to explain how god created humans with free will so that they would make interesting companions, but we abused our freedom of choise and messed things up. this strikes me as a pretty poor grade of omnipotence. why couldn't god create people that would not make bad choises? surely some of us do choose "rightly"; what's wrong with the rest of us - manufacturing defects? mARK bLOORE univ of toronto decvax!utzoo!mark