My personal philosophy is a bit of a hotch-potch of things that I think are important and/or sound plausible
I think that's probably natural (and good, and what most people do).
Sorry, I don't want to criticize what anyone believes personally, but since we're here, I'd like to explain what I was trying to say. I think most people who believe in a good, omnipotent God, accept they're not certain how God and suffering can coexist, but either think some answer is mostly right, or that it makes sense for a reason we can't see.
Isn't that an argument from an atheist point-of-view?
Well, yes :) Or rather, not quite -- I think medieval christian philosophers asked the question, and proposed various answers. Possibly the answer that God is not good, not omnipotent, or not existing is more recent :) But just because it's believed by fewer people doesn't make it wrong :)
Hilarityallen's last post made a very good summary of the position.
Basically, I see what you're saying about suffering. If I was in charge, I don't know what I'd do specifically. It's quite possible that a good God would have a world with some suffering for all the reasons you name.
But that doesn't seem to explain why some people have some suffering, and some people seem to have nothing but suffering. Some people are born, live for a couple of days or a couple of years, and die, with no chance to do anything at all. Surely the world would be plainly better if they were given some chance?
I don't mean that's conclusive, but I think that's the question the "question of evil" is trying to ask. And I think we have a number of potential answers, including yours, including some other traditional ones brought up in the thread, including the one my post #1 point hints at, but none feel quite satisfactory (to most people).
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Date: 2008-05-12 03:20 pm (UTC)I think that's probably natural (and good, and what most people do).
Sorry, I don't want to criticize what anyone believes personally, but since we're here, I'd like to explain what I was trying to say. I think most people who believe in a good, omnipotent God, accept they're not certain how God and suffering can coexist, but either think some answer is mostly right, or that it makes sense for a reason we can't see.
Isn't that an argument from an atheist point-of-view?
Well, yes :) Or rather, not quite -- I think medieval christian philosophers asked the question, and proposed various answers. Possibly the answer that God is not good, not omnipotent, or not existing is more recent :) But just because it's believed by fewer people doesn't make it wrong :)
Hilarityallen's last post made a very good summary of the position.
Basically, I see what you're saying about suffering. If I was in charge, I don't know what I'd do specifically. It's quite possible that a good God would have a world with some suffering for all the reasons you name.
But that doesn't seem to explain why some people have some suffering, and some people seem to have nothing but suffering. Some people are born, live for a couple of days or a couple of years, and die, with no chance to do anything at all. Surely the world would be plainly better if they were given some chance?
I don't mean that's conclusive, but I think that's the question the "question of evil" is trying to ask. And I think we have a number of potential answers, including yours, including some other traditional ones brought up in the thread, including the one my post #1 point hints at, but none feel quite satisfactory (to most people).