RE: How can a god, that apparently loves everyone, allow this kind of thing to happen?
October 23, 2013 at 3:08 pm
(October 23, 2013 at 8:55 am)John V Wrote: It's not a circle, it's two possible worlds.
One has suffering, but also has compassion, generosity, self-sacrifice, etc. - qualities which most consider to be good and noble.
The other has no suffering, but neither does it have these good and noble qualities.
It's a matter of opinion as to which one, if either, is better.
That only works if god is incapable of creating the benefits, i.e. compassion and generosity, without creating suffering. If god is omnipotent, that is not a problem. Even bigger of a problem still, your own religion promises you a world with all those benefits without suffering as an eternal reward. Now you're trying to have your cake and eat it, too.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
