RE: Plantinga's "Free Will" defense contradicts Christianity
February 8, 2020 at 4:49 pm
(This post was last modified: February 8, 2020 at 4:51 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
God beliefs have to innovate to compete, like any other product in the marketplace. Plantinga, though, is geared toward a stable feature of christian belief. That their god is smart, powerful, and good.
In a way, plantingas defense is a brave entry in an otherwise less-than-credible pursuit. It takes intellectual and moral rigor to hold your own god up to at least the standards of man, declare it's inactivity a potential moral failure, and discharge that failure by insisting that god is incompetent. The reason it's considered a successful defense, when nothing in theodicy is considered as much, is because it actually makes sense. As unflattering a picture as it paints, it at least follows from premises that anyone can accept, with no invocation of impenetrable mystery, and staring straight at the problem rather than sweeping it under some rug.
In a way, plantingas defense is a brave entry in an otherwise less-than-credible pursuit. It takes intellectual and moral rigor to hold your own god up to at least the standards of man, declare it's inactivity a potential moral failure, and discharge that failure by insisting that god is incompetent. The reason it's considered a successful defense, when nothing in theodicy is considered as much, is because it actually makes sense. As unflattering a picture as it paints, it at least follows from premises that anyone can accept, with no invocation of impenetrable mystery, and staring straight at the problem rather than sweeping it under some rug.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
