(April 7, 2013 at 9:29 am)Mr_Dew7 Wrote: So, if you believes in a perfect place with a perfect God, earthly things would still be better than gifts from that place?
Well if it's a "God" is what is been contended by the premise, obviously, if it was God, (ie. worthy of worship), then eternal praise would be greater than earned praise.
However to answer your question, I do believe earned praise is greater than happiness to be offered in the next world or anything that can be given by the creator, which is why to me, the problem of evil/suffering is not an issue. I believe that earned praise that we go through, is worth the troubles this world gives humanity, especially given perspective that we will be at everlasting peace and that praiseworthiness earned remains, while the suffering passes away.
This is why to me, the problem of evil/suffering is not a sound argument, and doesn't disprove the possibility of a benevolent creator.
I love the benevolent creator, I adore it, but I don't worship it. If praiseworthiness can be given as much as it can be earned and there is no edge of earned praiseworthiness over given praiseworthiness, than I don't see why the Creator would make us earn praiseworthiness through a world that evil and suffering is a huge factor of defining our humanity.
If he can just give us eternal paradise and give us the same value without us earning it, I don't see why he makes us humanity go through suffering.
I understand the Biblical view, that the world was perfect, and it's a fallen state, but I disagree with it, on a number of fronts.