Rod wrote:
<snip>
> I'm a little prejudice myself. I have trouble understanding
> why a god that claims to be capable of so much is doing so
> damned little ! Thats, added to the fact that the idea of being
> "owned" and having someones mark on me is extremely repulsive.
The question I have posed to a number of theological type people as to why
is there evil inthe world when there's a good and loving and omnipotent
God
has been answered glibly that its all about free will.
To a certain extent, fair enough, one has to live with the consequences of
one's actions.
But what about things that happen that have nothign to do with an
individual's free will. Siobhan's brain tumour, for example. What did she
do
or fail to do that got her a fatal brain tumour? Are there other people
out
there who have done (or failed to do) whatever it was that she did('nt) do
that are still goign around, tumour-free? Just what evil could a Christian
4
year old do that would warrant a brain tumour when there are people out
there who are doing vile and disgustign thigns to the world and are living
inthe lap of luxury and health?
And what about those who are victim of another's free will - of those who
are hurt & killed because someone else chose to do that to them? Not an
accident, not neglect, not bad luck, but an active and concious decision
to
do another harm. Where is God then? the victim of an horrific rape, for
example, receives a life of torment and unhappiness, whilst the rapist(s)
get a jail sentence of 5 years ago (or even the mother of a murdered child
lives in anguash for the rest of her days whilst the murderer walks free
in
25 years). How does a loving and omnipotent God answer that one?
The conclusions seem obvious enough:
Either
a) there is no onipotent, loving God
b) there is an omnipotent God, but it isn't a loving God
c) there is a God that is loving, but it isn't omnipotent, or
d) that the day to day goings on, the misery, hurt and suffering of a heck
of alot of people barely register on the omnipotent, loving God such that
it
does't usually recognise that anythign needs rectifying.
I waver between (a) and (c). Sometimes I think that perhaps "God" is a
totally different concept, perhaps its our conscience, or perhaps its the
sum of all living things, or its the universe etc etc, and that we have
just
anthropomorphised this *idea* into a God so as to ascribe a reason when
there really isn't a reason - its just a '**** happens' and all we can do
is
make the best of hte lot we are given. Or that perhaps there is some Deity
or Deities out there that do have our best interests at heart, and do have
some influence over the events of our small, insignificant lives, but said
Deities are still trapped int he same universe we are, still subject to
the
same laws of physicas and chemistry that we are, and therefore cannot
perform miracles that would go against said laws of physicas and
chemistry.
Perhaps, they can merely tilt the odds a little at best. And perhaps they
are busy dealing with their own lives and their own sh*t and don't have
alot
of time to get into the minutaie of 6 billion human lives.
Somtimes I wonder whether Deity isn't like a cosmic parent - who loves and
cares for their children but can't be the be-all and end-all all the time.
From a young child's point of view, parents can and do perform miracles,
from making the boo-boo right to fixing toys to makign the cake rise. The
parents provide for their chilren and love them and try to do their best
for
them, but parents are constrained by their own world - they ahev to go to
work, there's not enough money to buy everything the child wants, there's
not enough time ot play with the child all the time. parnets seem to
perform
many miracles, but can't 'miraculously' fix thigns like broken bones or
stop
the dog eatign the favourite toy, and parents aren't always perfectly
rational reasonable human beings that have the time and ability to do what
the child wants, when the child wants it. Sometimes, for the benefit of
the
child, the parent has to say 'no' and be (in the child's eyes) really
mean.
i wonder wether or not thats "God" at all.
I wonder...
Yowie
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