I am not trying to insult anyone, I just want to see the theist's point of view on this question:
If good is omnipotent and omniscient, then why did he allow the holocaust, the rwandain genocide, the armenian genocide and all the others to take place? Didn't he tell Noah, after the flood, that he would never try to wipe out humans ever again?
2007-10-20 08:22:35 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Your question assumes that "good" is something that can be defined outside of and apart from God, such that God would be subject to some higher standard. That's a problematic definition, because no being can be God without being so high on the scale of supremacy that no higher standard exists by which to judge that Being. Your question also assumes that the single worst thing that can happen to a person is to die physically. This is unintelligible in a non-theistic system, because whether one lives or dies is strictly a function of randomness, and there is no conscious afterlife anyway, so why worry.
In a theistic system, physical death is not the worst possible event, as all these lives belong to the Creator anyway, and He may sustain them or stop them as He sees fit, according to the thesis of the Greater Good. The premise is that God, in Himself, defines The Good. He literally can do nothing that does not ultimately further the cause of The Good. Lesser events along the way, such as hang nails, lost girlfriends, failed tests, lost jobs, foreclosed houses, incarceration, illness, pain, and even death, are nothing but minor detours on the way toward the Greater Good.
A materialist must reject this, I agree. If materiality is all you have, then this is an impossible position to take. On the other hand, if there is more, if the materialism theorem is incomplete after all, then "judging God" through human standards of The Good will be hopelessly shortsighted. In large measure, faith is the ability to trust God for that ultimate goodness, even when we are challenged by the difficulties we impose on others and ourselves. If you could fully grasp the plan, you would be equal to God, because the plan is necessarily infinite in scope. But we can grasp in some degree His love for us, and for that reason we who believe accept that all things will work together for good concerning those who love God, who have been called according to His purpose. See Romans 8:28.
2007-10-20 09:05:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the real world people can choose to follow good or evil. Both of these decisions are important because they have consequences not only for those who choose them but those who are affected by those choices. So choose wisely.
2007-10-20 08:44:47 · answer #2 · answered by Edward J 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gosh. I had to use the bathroom first before I could answer your politely dear friend.
It is true that God allows those atrocities to happen. But you have to recognize that there evil men with horrendous ideas that use their mind and intelligence to commit evil to their fellow man for any reason. And you must recognize that it is God using other people whether knowingly or unknowingly to fight those demonic inspired men who are committing those awful crimes against humanity.
Might I suggest a short trip to the bathroom yourself after reading my reply?
2007-10-20 08:34:29 · answer #3 · answered by Uncle Remus 54 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He didnt. He just let it happen. A lot of people however have alot of hate towards God even to the point of not beliving in Him just because they dont think an all powerfull God would allow such things to happen. Well those people are weak. Sure bad things will happen, we should all just deal with it.
2007-10-20 08:30:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Genesis9:15
I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
It is all life that wil not be destroyed by a flood.
2007-10-20 08:43:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
i wonder what would be better. Being forced to love god and to commit no sins whatsoever by hypnosis and mental control ( That's what you are asking for)
or allow people to love and give them a chance to be good on their own .
Why should God be responsible for everything? People are givenfree choice.
_________
Would you like to live in a country that forced you to love the government and refused to give any liberties/freedom to you? Better go to Myanmar. In myanmar, you wouldn't be complaining, because you won't be allowed to.
2007-10-20 08:30:15 · answer #6 · answered by shrek 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Many explanations, testing people's faith in him, he gave us free will, those things have not wiped out the race, he is not there to stop us doing horrible things like this those things should not happen but thwen they do they good people that suffer for it are rewarded eventually.
Ps i am not a Theist i'm not even sure what one is hehe.
2007-10-20 08:26:31 · answer #7 · answered by nonoodles74 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
God said He'd never destroy the earth by flood again.
Those events you named are humans sinning to the extreme.
Very pathetic how you blame God instantly, but don't think about human responsibility as God has given us to do.
2007-10-20 08:27:51 · answer #8 · answered by Chris 4 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Genocide isn't an act of God. It's an act of man, and man has free will - in other words, he can choose to do good or evil.
2007-10-20 08:28:49 · answer #9 · answered by triviatm 6 · 4⤊ 2⤋
He exploited a loophole in that verbal contract. He said that HE would never wipe people out. He didn't say anything about using his fairy powers to make other people puppets of his lust for mass homicide.
2007-10-20 08:27:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋