tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post8529108916014344747..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: In the Big ChairRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-85809584889187409182007-02-17T13:12:00.000-05:002007-02-17T13:12:00.000-05:00or God has a plan in place already that John Loftu...<B><BR/>or God has a plan in place already that John Loftus doesn't know about that will one day demonstrate that all suffering was worth the wait because God is smarter than Loftus.<BR/></B><BR/><BR/>Yes, that is an additional option.....and one is forced to ask the question:<BR/><BR/>how plausible is that that there is some goal/plan in God's mind that necessitated that, to name one of the many evils of the world, infants be born with congenital defects causing them to slowly die after weeks of terrible agony?<BR/><BR/>The answer. Quite obvious to anyone not blindly committed to the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevent being:<BR/><BR/>not very.<BR/><BR/>Just as the christian missionary would say if they encountered a remote tribe which believed in an omnibenevolent God who commands human sacrifice. Those theists would make the same argument as the christians here do:<BR/><BR/>God has a plan beyond our understanding and when that plan becomes clear we will know that these sacrifices were necessary and just and no contradiction of God's goodness and benevolence. <BR/><BR/>Who are we to judge God?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-72887931610350783442007-02-14T15:59:00.000-05:002007-02-14T15:59:00.000-05:00Not that it'll sink in...Loftus said:---So, the ex...Not that it'll sink in...<BR/><BR/>Loftus said:<BR/>---<BR/>So, the extent of intense suffering in the world means for the theist that: either God is not powerful enough to eliminate it, or God does not care enough to eliminate it, or God is just not smart enough to know what to do about it. <BR/>---<BR/><BR/>Of course, even in your false creation of the problem these aren't the only options available. I can immediately think of another alternative:<BR/><BR/>[E]ither God is not powerful enough to eliminate [suffering], or God does not care enough to eliminate it, or God is just not smart enough to know what to do about it, <B>or God has a plan in place already that John Loftus doesn't know about that will one day demonstrate that all suffering was worth the wait because God is smarter than Loftus</B>.<BR/><BR/>Since you're listing it as a bunch of "either/or" options, I don't even have to defend that position in order for your "problem" to crumble into dust...as it has a thousand times already.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-8347770714693593822007-02-14T14:02:00.000-05:002007-02-14T14:02:00.000-05:00Berny said:"We have answered you why the existence...Berny said:<BR/><BR/>"We have answered you why the existence of evil is perfectly consistent with the biblical idea of God. You have yet to deal with the respones here. You simply just repost your original argument."<BR/><BR/>I agree. He's done that on other issues as well. Sometimes he'll make comments about how Christians don't see things the way he does or how Christians haven't had the experiences he's had, but either side of the discussion could make comments along those lines, and making such comments doesn't refute the objections being raised against his arguments.Jason Engwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17031011335190895123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-74486059301596555342007-02-14T13:46:00.000-05:002007-02-14T13:46:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.dogfreidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13751614375780546890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-81483383076024668712007-02-14T13:14:00.000-05:002007-02-14T13:14:00.000-05:00If I were a kumquat, I would grow. If I were a sta...If I were a kumquat, I would grow. If I were a starfish, I would feel like eating some clams. <BR/><BR/>Oh, snap!Aaron Kinneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12059982934663353474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-90579420012364495952007-02-14T12:52:00.000-05:002007-02-14T12:52:00.000-05:00Steve, the problem of evil is stated by me in thes...Steve, the problem of evil is stated by me in these words:<BR/><BR/>If God is perfectly good, all knowing, and all powerful, then the issue of why there is so much suffering in the world requires an explanation. The reason is that a perfectly good God would be opposed to it, an all-powerful God would be capable of eliminating it, and an all-knowing God would know what to do about it. So, the extent of intense suffering in the world means for the theist that: either God is not powerful enough to eliminate it, or God does not care enough to eliminate it, or God is just not smart enough to know what to do about it. The stubborn fact of evil in the world means that something is wrong with God’s ability, or his goodness, or his knowledge. <BR/><BR/>Again, the explanation needed if from within what you believe. In fact, even if there were no atheists around to argue for it, you would still have to deal with it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-19374381980874847542007-02-14T12:41:00.000-05:002007-02-14T12:41:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.dogfreidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13751614375780546890noreply@blogger.com