But God, having much greater ability than us to prevent evils, does not do so. — Marchesk
But God, having much greater ability than us to prevent evils, does not do so. The conclusion from this is that God values free will more than the good, which makes God something other than perfectly good. — Marchesk
We can imagine another being who values free will to such an extent. Lucifer of yth and fiction is often portrayed as the embodiment of free will, rebelling against God's plan, and embracing or promoting all that is bad. — Marchesk
I think you may be wilfully blurring the distinction between ability and permission. — Luke
Your post is entirely anthroporphic. First, even though, on the basis of what you post, you don't profess to have any actual belief in God, you think you understand what such a being, if such a being exists, must or must not do, on the basis of a comparison between that being, and what parents do. — Wayfarer
According to the main Christian denominations, humans are autonomous agents who are able to behave as they wish. — Wayfarer
Free will is necessary in order that we may be able to determine the truth, through choice of what to believe, instead of just believing what is told to you by your parents or other authorities. It is by questioning the authorities that we rid ourselves of falsity within our beliefs. — Metaphysician Undercover
The idea that God is good is an anthropomorphic idea, based on what human beings value as good. — Marchesk
The ancient man approached God as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man, the roles are quite reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock. He is quite a kindly judge; if God should have a reasonable defense for being the god who permits war, poverty, and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that man is on the bench and God is in the dock. — C S Lewis
Christians don't behave as if being wholly autonomous in society is desireable. — Marchesk
he ancient man approached God as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man, the roles are quite reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock. He is quite a kindly judge; if God should have a reasonable defense for being the god who permits war, poverty, and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that man is on the bench and God is in the dock. — C S Lewis
Really, I have no intention of continuing this dialogue. I don't wish to defend the Christian religion against those whose only interest in it is why it ought to be abandoned. — Wayfarer
According to them, freedom is found in abandoning the self, not in fulfilling it. — Wayfarer
It is believers who put the notion out there that a perfect being permits such things to happen. — Marchesk
I think you will find that impossible to validate with respect to any textual sources. — Wayfarer
The problem is that you (not just you) don't understand what is the problem that religions seek to solve. — Wayfarer
The reason I'm hesitant to go into bat for Christianity is because I don't self-identify as Christian and I don't want to come off as evangalising on its behalf. — Wayfarer
Imagine parents who permit their kids to torture animals, terrorize neighborhood kids, steal and vandalize, etc. They do this because they value the free will of their children, which is considered a higher good and more loving than constraining their will. — Marchesk
Keep in mind that Yahweh flooded the Earth in Noah's time, because it was full of evil, but he didn't' see fit to prevent WW2. — Marchesk
Yet the God of monotheistic religions is said to permit this sort of behavior from us because of free will. Slavery, genocide, war, child soldiers, rape, etc. is allowed to take place, even though God is good and able to prevent them. — Marchesk
To be fair, you ought to mention the good actions of the alleged god of monotheistic religions (whom I doubt you believe in) allows or (allegedly) aids and abets. You should mention liberation movements, emancipations, wonderful life-enhancing inventions like Nintendo and vibrators, peace making, Straight Guys Against Rape, great art of all kinds, Ben and Jerry's great flavors of ice cream, kind humble people (millions of them--count 'em!), smart, polite children and pets, and so on. — Bitter Crank
t's give God a break. The problem is parents and their children. — Bitter Crank
I don't see any omni-perfect beings on or off the hook. — Bitter Crank
Metaphors are not to be taken literally. — Bitter Crank
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