(no subject)
This is my Ethics essay, have a read and give me some feed back. It would be much appreacaited, and remember to be as critcial as you want! Its also generally intresting...
Suffering causes religious believers philosophical problems, because they believe that God is Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omnibenevolent (all good) and (all loving). They also believe that god created the universe, therefore he created everything in it including suffering, and because he created the universe he is therefore responsible for it. Another argument the problem of suffering would cause is that “how can an all-loving god, send anyone to hell?” The answer would be to that question, God doesn't send anybody to hell - we decide to send ourselves there. The Bible tells us that God does everything possible to keep us out of hell, while maintaining our nature as free-will human beings. God made us in His image and after His likeness, giving each of us the ultimate power to say "yes" or "no". If we choose to reject God, we choose to spend eternity separated from him. Some may continue and say, "Why did God set up the world this way, including a heaven and a hell?" The only answer is that he's the Creator of the Universe. He has a plan and he established the rules. He's God, and we're not! He's an all-loving Creator, but He's a truly just Creator. If we decide to break His rules by writing our own, we will pay the consequences. Why would a loving God send people to hell? Because a perfectly loving, perfectly holy and perfectly just God will send people where they choose to go.
Some might also say that suffering and evil are needed for love! They are there so we can appreciate true love, God could have created robots that do nothing more than forever say, "I love you, I love you, I love you." But such creatures would be incapable of a real love relationship. Love is not real, unless there is an option to not love. It says in the bible that god wants a real love relationship with us. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (I John 3:18). Because we have the option not to love God and others, nut instead choose too out of our own free will, that would allow for a real love relationship with God If one were able to choose not to love God, but chose instead to love God.
Another problem would be that, if he (God) was all-powerful, why can’t he stop suffering and evil! They could say, “Does he just choose to let it go on? Surely if he was all-powerful then he would have the power to stop such pain.” The counter factual hypothesis to this would be that God could continually make everything good, but he chooses not too because if he interfered in such a way, we (humans) could not develop. And if he was Omniscient (all knowing) which a lot people believe he is, then he would know what he is doing is right! Another theory would be the Irenaeus theodicy. Irenaeus believed that there was an “episodic distance”. He said God leaves us at a distance, so that we can find out way back to him. If he was close to us from the start we could become overwhelmed.
Well there is it! i know i can write more, on this subject, but its getting late and i need to work out and have a bath and such...im also lazy! =P
Chris
Job well done
Suffering causes religious believers philosophical problems, because they believe that God is Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omnibenevolent (all good) and (all loving). They also believe that god created the universe, therefore he created everything in it including suffering, and because he created the universe he is therefore responsible for it. Another argument the problem of suffering would cause is that “how can an all-loving god, send anyone to hell?” The answer would be to that question, God doesn't send anybody to hell - we decide to send ourselves there. The Bible tells us that God does everything possible to keep us out of hell, while maintaining our nature as free-will human beings. God made us in His image and after His likeness, giving each of us the ultimate power to say "yes" or "no". If we choose to reject God, we choose to spend eternity separated from him. Some may continue and say, "Why did God set up the world this way, including a heaven and a hell?" The only answer is that he's the Creator of the Universe. He has a plan and he established the rules. He's God, and we're not! He's an all-loving Creator, but He's a truly just Creator. If we decide to break His rules by writing our own, we will pay the consequences. Why would a loving God send people to hell? Because a perfectly loving, perfectly holy and perfectly just God will send people where they choose to go.
Some might also say that suffering and evil are needed for love! They are there so we can appreciate true love, God could have created robots that do nothing more than forever say, "I love you, I love you, I love you." But such creatures would be incapable of a real love relationship. Love is not real, unless there is an option to not love. It says in the bible that god wants a real love relationship with us. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (I John 3:18). Because we have the option not to love God and others, nut instead choose too out of our own free will, that would allow for a real love relationship with God If one were able to choose not to love God, but chose instead to love God.
Another problem would be that, if he (God) was all-powerful, why can’t he stop suffering and evil! They could say, “Does he just choose to let it go on? Surely if he was all-powerful then he would have the power to stop such pain.” The counter factual hypothesis to this would be that God could continually make everything good, but he chooses not too because if he interfered in such a way, we (humans) could not develop. And if he was Omniscient (all knowing) which a lot people believe he is, then he would know what he is doing is right! Another theory would be the Irenaeus theodicy. Irenaeus believed that there was an “episodic distance”. He said God leaves us at a distance, so that we can find out way back to him. If he was close to us from the start we could become overwhelmed.
Well there is it! i know i can write more, on this subject, but its getting late and i need to work out and have a bath and such...im also lazy! =P
Chris
Job well done