RE: Q: do you, Christian, claim that God exists, rather than you believe that he exists?
February 27, 2014 at 1:05 pm
(This post was last modified: February 27, 2014 at 1:07 pm by discipulus.)
(February 27, 2014 at 12:32 pm)Ryantology (╯°◊°)╯︵ ══╬ Wrote:(February 27, 2014 at 11:48 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: If it were me, I'd knock omnipotence and omniscience down to 'ultra-powerful' and 'ultra-wise'. That gives us a God doing the best it can in a vast universe where we're probably not the only ones who need miracles rather than an omnipotent tyrant. And it probably doesn't care if we worship it, because it is silly to care if lesser beings worship you.
I've pointed out before that it is those omni-qualities that make the Problem of Evil problematic. Call God imperfect but trying to improve and everything changes. You can see the development from the angry, irrational God of the OT to the somewhat more empathetic and conciliatory God of the NT. You'd have a god who matures relative to his followers, and that would be a god that makes a lot more sense. It would do nothing to address the problems stemming from the total absence of any evidence that the god exists, but it would certainly offer a reasonable way to invalidate the Problem of Evil.
Process theology never has made much sense to me. Nor do the majority of Christian apologists try to slide out of the problem by positing that God changes or becomes more empathetic as time passes. The issue of evil and suffering must be dealt with head on with sincerity, honesty, and sound reasoning. If Christians believe the God of the Bible exists then the issue of the existence of evil and suffering must be dealt with.
Because one thing is not in doubt....evil and suffering are a reality. Christians cannot avoid it by saying it is an illusion like several other worldviews maintain.
