Re: A loveing and careing God?

lynx wrote:
> Chris Bell wrote:
> 
>> lynx wrote:
>>
>>> Chris Bell wrote:
>>>
>>>> lynx wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Chris Bell wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> lynx wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Chris Bell wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> lynx wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Chris Bell wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Barry OGrady wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:31:45 GMT, lynx <none@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> *snip*
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> What Mark calls God the rest of us call nature or the
universe.
>>>>>>>>>>> No wonder Mark's God lacks intelligence.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> God lacks intelligence? How can that be when God is infinite, 
>>>>>>>>>> encompassing the whole universe and all the "intelligent" 
>>>>>>>>>> beings with it? Seems to me that God has all the intelligence. 
>>>>>>>>>> Its someone closer to home who lacks in that department Barry
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> If this world is the best an 'intelligent' God can do, then he 
>>>>>>>>> stuffed up big time! and it speaks very little for His 
>>>>>>>>> so-called intelligence.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I don't understand this comment. 
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Oh really? You think that a world where the lot of mankind is to 
>>>>>>> suffer from all manner of causes- natural disasters, famine, 
>>>>>>> sickness and disease, etc.,- and whose only remedy is the slow 
>>>>>>> and painstaking evolution of knowledge of how to overcome this 
>>>>>>> situation over countless centuries is a good plan?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Who am I to question what God does or doesn't do? 
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> That's a potentially dangerous way of thinking. What if ppl had 
>>>>> said 'who am I to question what the Sun God does?'
>>>>>
>>>> Why is that dangerous?
>>>
>>>
>>> It limits your thinking, and the 'who am I' attitude is 
>>> psychologically harmful as it's a put down of oneself. It can 
>>> facilitate a mindset that is not beneficial.
>>>
>> I generally agree with that, but I think that God is beyond your or my 
>> comprehension, and that makes this a different situation. If you look 
>> through the bible and ask the question "why does God do that", it gets 
>> pretty difficult to answer at many points.
> 
> 
> Fair comment, however the simplest answer is simply that God does not 
> exist.
> 
I seem to remember discussing this point at length some time ago (was it 
with Sean?). My position is still that the default position is that God 
exists, based on numbers as much as anything else. There are very few 
atheists around.
>>
>>>> What I think is dangerous is when you don't question those who claim 
>>>> to speak for God.
>>>>
>>>>>> What makes you think that the suffering of mankind should be an 
>>>>>> overriding concern of God? 
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> So your position is that God is happy to allow his creations to die 
>>>>> and suffer in pain and misery. What does that say about God?
>>>>>
>>>> No, I am not saying that. I am saying that God suffers with us in 
>>>> our pain and misery.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> So God is not omnipotent.
>>>
>> I didn't say that. I don't actually think that is a relevant question 
>> to ask. I certainly don't see any evidence that he is, or that he
isn't.
> 
> 
> If God is suffering then presumably he is unable to alleviate His 
> suffering.
>
Or chooses to suffer with his creatures.

> 
> 
> 

Chris