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How do we know that god isn't perfectly evil?
August 16, 2010 at 4:23 pm
All the arguments from suffering, free will and morality in favour of god presuppose he is perfectly good. But all these arguments work in reverse eg
- argument 1 god loves us so much he gave us free will in order that we might choose the right path, do good, worship him but come freely to him
- argument 2 god hates us so much he gave us free will and urges us to do evil and cause suffering to trick us into worshipping him but he wants us to give ourselves to him freely
the second argument is no less valid but has improved explanatory power in that it accounts for suffering athey've god of the OT. How do we know god is all good and not all evil?
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RE: How do we know that god isn't perfectly evil?
August 16, 2010 at 4:29 pm
You're right, of course. That would make much more sense. Almost as much sense as there being no god at all.
'We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.' H.L. Mencken
'False religion' is the ultimate tautology.
'It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.' Mark Twain
'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.' Abraham Lincoln
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RE: How do we know that god isn't perfectly evil?
August 16, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Well, I wouldn't say "almost" as much sense (I'd say not by a fucking long shot). But more sense, yeah.
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RE: How do we know that god isn't perfectly evil?
August 16, 2010 at 4:48 pm
How do we know he's not perfectly evil? Because if i was a super-being i would be able to do some way more fucked up shit. The biblical God is evil for sure, but he aint perfect in any way.
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RE: How do we know that god isn't perfectly evil?
August 16, 2010 at 4:49 pm
He's pretty fucking hard to beat though.
Wiping out everyone but Noah and a few albums is rather 'over the top'.
But killing him and them as well and then creating everyone again and killing them over again in even more horrific ways, infinite loop, is worse I guess.
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RE: How do we know that god isn't perfectly evil?
August 16, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I can one up him off the top of my head: Spontaneous global circumcision via jack russell.
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RE: How do we know that god isn't perfectly evil?
August 16, 2010 at 4:57 pm
The worst things he can do are of course very unimaginative and vague statements like this one of course:
"Cause the most horrific suffering possible to the greatest number of sentient individuals constantly without respite for all eternity".
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