RE: Your personal take on “The Problem of Evil?”
September 3, 2014 at 6:05 am
(This post was last modified: September 3, 2014 at 6:07 am by Michael.)
(September 1, 2014 at 11:25 pm)XK9_Knight Wrote: I’m not asking for arguments, just honest opinions for those who are open to sharing. I noticed within “Disproving Christianity” that David’s main assertion is the argument from nonbelief; basically that it is morally abhorrent that God would send someone to hell that has never had the opportunity to know him. “God is not good, therefore he is not God,” basically. And if I can recall correctly, that there are so many moral stains on Christianity that it’s concept of God couldn’t be true (I’m paraphrasing, it was to that affect though, I’m sure).
So, McAfee seems to (for at least one reason) reject God on the basis of a perceived moral injustice. How do you the rest of you feel towards all this?
Hi Knight.
It's a big topic, but a a few quick personal reflections are....
1) Taking the last point first (on the record of those who profess to follow Christ), I don't hold God responsible for the actions of Christians. The Christian world view is that people do bad things.
2) The objection to God on the basis of a moral objection presupposes some moral standards. Personally I find it easier to understand how moral standards exist from a theistic rather than an atheistic perspective.
3) I don't believe God would damn people to hell without the having sufficient knowledge. But I believe the vast majority of people do know God's will; it's the voice of the conscience, or 'the law written on their hearts' as St. Paul talks of the gentiles having.
4) The problem of evil is often framed in such a way that it assumes God's primary responsibility is to make sure we're always happy. But I think the Judeo-Christian world-view would see that as the equivalent to a parent just wanting their child to be happy regardless of how they are living. Rather, I would say that God wants us to love and be loveable. So I would challenge the very foundation of the 'Epicurean dilemma'.
That's just four very quick thoughts on a very large topic.
On hell specifically, I find this three minute from Tom Wright thoughtful ....
http://youtu.be/vggzqXzEvZ0
