Why did god create evil?

[Epimethean]

[spoken in Jame T. Kirk style]

I. Can ... not. Understand ... how we. Can ... have serious ... conversations about. This ... archaic. Bit of. Tomfoolery ... called. Original. Sin.

[The Grand Nudger]

Well at least he doesn't take it literally..lol. So that's forward progress.

[Epimethean]

Methinks a circular path awaits ...

[Old Seer]

Here's a question for you: Why do you think anyone wants your answers? You have no demonstrable authority and are an unknown here.

Because we are obligated to give others what we know. What we give them we leave for them to decide whether is true or not. In your world you have many masters, in our world we are masters of our selves. We can show you to be masters of your own----so you will be free. As long as there are those who are masters over others they will always be a henderence to us. We are here to take them away. Consider carefully---the only thing the world could possibly need saving from are those that run it.

I haven't said anyone wants our answers. We only wanted to give to you. We are on another Atheist forum and they're stumped. They were wise enough to ask questions. The best thing to do in this case is let you all be informed via the grapevine. So, I will be on my way. Good living to you all.

[Epimethean]

There is a reason this is the number one atheist forum, and it does not have to do with asking questions of crackpots. Have fun in the sky castle!

[tackattack]

That's fine. Upon what basis then were human beings cast out from the garden, or was there ever a garden? What then is sin, and why must we be washed of it? Why do we die, and are we then not fallen or cursed? How does your comment regarding Eve and god have anything to say about free will or evil if it is only a fanciful story? What are our origins (and indeed the origins of everything) if the genesis narrative is not literal, etc etc etc. I may think that the genesis narrative is garbage, but I don't see how christianity can proceed forward without it, it's the initiating moment in the prophetic cycle and without it god has no established authority, nor are we subject to all the nasty shit mentioned therein.

For the record, I'm not the one who postulates deck stacking. It's a certain bent of christian that insists in either the truth of this narrative or gods great omni-ness, not me, as an atheist. You already know I'd tell anyone who asked that the biblical narrative is bullshit start to finish.

Well, then why argue that the deck is stacked, if you'd like to take that stance for conversation we could continue that, but since it's not your stance, ATM, then we'll press on.
1-Upon what basis then were human beings cast out from the garden? for failing to obey the will of God.
2-or was there ever a garden? Whether there was literal garden or it represents the intent and originating relationship we had with God is irrelevant. God gave us everything, told us what was wrong and right, then see #1
3-What then is sin, and why must we be washed of it? The continuous willful experience of not following God's plan for our life.
4-Why do we die, and are we then not fallen or cursed? Adamic lifespans were longer, whether that was exaggeration or tribal generation or literal years, I don't know. I'm not aware of any dying going on in the Garden of Eden so I assume that because of our choice to rebel we were cursed to toil instead of having everything provided including long life, and now die.
5-How does your comment regarding Eve and god have anything to say about free will or evil if it is only a fanciful story? Free will that was against God's plan is the crux of the creation and expulsion story and has an insight into free will applied correctly.
6-What are our origins (and indeed the origins of everything) if the genesis narrative is not literal? I believe science has come a long way to answer that question... do I need to get into abiogenesis and the big bang and other theories.
7- I don't see how christianity can proceed forward without it? religious types that deny scientific evidence can't proceed without it, luckily it's a minority I believe.
8- God's authority doesn't come from a story in a book, or multiple books, or from rules written on stone tablets.

[Faith No More]

I haven't said anyone wants our answers. We only wanted to give to you. We are on another Atheist forum and they're stumped. They were wise enough to ask questions. The best thing to do in this case is let you all be informed via the grapevine. So, I will be on my way. Good living to you all.

Before questions are to be provided, one must prove they have worthy answers.

[The Grand Nudger]

---

1-Upon what basis then were human beings cast out from the garden? for failing to obey the will of God.
2-or was there ever a garden? Whether there was literal garden or it represents the intent and originating relationship we had with God is irrelevant. God gave us everything, told us what was wrong and right, then see #1
3-What then is sin, and why must we be washed of it? The continuous willful experience of not following God's plan for our life.
4-Why do we die, and are we then not fallen or cursed? Adamic lifespans were longer, whether that was exaggeration or tribal generation or literal years, I don't know. I'm not aware of any dying going on in the Garden of Eden so I assume that because of our choice to rebel we were cursed to toil instead of having everything provided including long life, and now die.
5-How does your comment regarding Eve and god have anything to say about free will or evil if it is only a fanciful story? Free will that was against God's plan is the crux of the creation and expulsion story and has an insight into free will applied correctly.
6-What are our origins (and indeed the origins of everything) if the genesis narrative is not literal? I believe science has come a long way to answer that question... do I need to get into abiogenesis and the big bang and other theories.
7- I don't see how christianity can proceed forward without it? religious types that deny scientific evidence can't proceed without it, luckily it's a minority I believe.
8- God's authority doesn't come from a story in a book, or multiple books, or from rules written on stone tablets.

---

1- Thought that this wasn't literal?
2- Sorry, it isn't irrelevant. What did god give us, not a garden, apparently. Anything else we can remove from the list by invoking metaphor? It would be irrelevant if we were going to be punished or rewarded metaphorically, but I don't think that's what you'd like to propose, is it? If I'm to be punished in actuality based upon the metrics set forth by fiction, or by committing "fictional evil" then I'm even more justified in my opinion that the christian view of god is petty and small, in addition to being abjectly ignorant of the differences between actuality and metaphor, reality and fiction. Let's go ahead and imprison authors who use evil metaphors in their evil fictions, or the actors who play mob bosses on TV.
3- What plan? What god? How can I possibly be willing myself to rebel against a plan that doesn't exist, set forth by a being that doesn't exist? Are you willfully disobeying the Havamal?
4- What garden are you referring to, the one you don't take literally? Our choice to rebel, I thought that was something you didn't take literally?
5- Applied correctly? You mean interpreted in the way you would like for me to interpret it, I'm pretty sure. Let me just add here, that the way you interpret this as both literal and metaphoric is another if by whiskey, and I don't appreciate it.
6- No, I'm familiar. You might want to watch your blasphemous tongue though, lol.
7- Religious types can't proceed without evidence? I'm pretty sure I've misunderstood you horribly here.....because if I haven't, you know what I'm going to ask for. We both know you won't be able to meet my request.
8- That's the only place anything about god comes from. God's authority is as mythical as the god in question. See, those stories and tablets can be demonstrated to exist, and anytime someone asks themselves what god wants or wills, what exactly do they reference? Stories, books, and stone tablets. Unless someone has a direct line to the wizard, and if that's the case, I want it as per #7.

Your entire post can be boiled down to, "It doesn't matter if it's true or not because it's true!" If this is the sort of conversation you think that I'm going to continue to engage in you're mistaken. If you want to argue for something try to do it with a little consistency. I refuse to accept your waffling back and forth between the metaphoric and the literal as it suits you when referencing the same narrative. If you decide that some part of the narrative is absurd taken literally then stick with it. If you lose some foundational claim for your faith in the process that's not my problem, it's yours. You should address it honestly rather than wave your hands around like it doesn't matter. These last two posts have been either exceedingly dense or willfully dishonest. That's twice in a row that you've tried to slip inane bullshit by me. Is this going to become a pattern?

[dtango]

1-Upon what basis then were human beings cast out from the garden? for failing to obey the will of God.

Gentlemen,
the story in the Old Testament is not a story invented by Jews because it is a universal story.

1-Upon what basis then were human beings cast out from the garden?
The garden has to do with time and not place. The humans lived happily before the advent of the gods

2-or was there ever a garden? There was no garden. There was only a golden epoch: The epoch without gods (if you have any knowledge of mythology you know that the gods are the offspring of the giants and therefore there was a time without gods).

3-What then is sin, and why must we be washed of it?
The original sin = too much human blood in our veins. We are no gods, we are no good!

4-Why do we die, and are we then not fallen or cursed? Adamic lifespans were longer, whether that was exaggeration or tribal generation or literal years, I don't know. I'm not aware of any dying going on in the Garden of Eden so I assume that because of our choice to rebel we were cursed to toil instead of having everything provided including long life, and now die.

You are now making a soup out of fact (rebellion) and theological rubbish (cursed to toil) which is to be expected from a theist, but an atheist should know better and be able to distinguish between traditional matters and theological issues.
When atheists reach the point of realizing the difference between tradition and theology, they understand that the Old Testament is the atheist’s best friend.

[The Grand Nudger]

When atheists reach the point of realizing the difference between tradition and theology, they understand that the Old Testament is the atheist’s best friend.

Tell that to "the smote", no friend of mine, lol.