Theodicy....
"Is God dead?" in the immortal words of Nietzsche (I know a little out of context...but still valid)...Can God exist with an Evil world were innocents suffer? How many times have we heard the story of the righteous man that suffers. OR the great examples: Genocide, Rape, Murder...
Or the religious man who claims suffering is punishment for sin and blessing a reward for righteousness...What about Job? He did nothing wrong, yet he suffers. Job losses his family, wealth, credibility, ending up in the ashes. Why?
If we suffer for soul making, to build better character, then why doesn't it end there? Besides that why can't we be taught bravery, compassion and sensitivity through good rather than pain?
If the Problem of Evil stems from Free will, then why didn't God give man free will with a preference for good, instead of a sinful nature?
If instead the world is ruled by Karma and we suffer because of past misdeeds? Then why strive for good in this life?...you won't remember in the next life anyway....there is no help for the sufferer of Karma. Does the existence of evil and suffering mean there is no God?
Try answering this in a 3 page essay! Its impossible...Paradox exists within God and within our suffering for a purpose. Personally, I believe these issues are meant to be contradictory and paradoxical. This paradoxical nature proves that God’s Nature is beyond human conception. God is always beyond what we make of him...once we create a notion of God, suffering, pain, and injustice shattering this image of God. The problem of Evil has no satisfactory answer.
P.S. Offer any opinion on the subject! I'd love to know any ideas about theodicy, or God!
2 comments:
What a tough question! I'm no expert or anything, but i think that where there is darkness, there is light, somewhere. regarding murder, rape, etc., suffering leads to suffering. they may have been victims themselves. think of the bullied kid who becomes a bully. i don't know about karma though. if you don't remember your last life, then how do you know where you are regarding THIS life? sometimes pain teaches a lesson better than just words. how would you know how it felt unless you feel it yourself? personal experience makes a person all the wiser, hopefully they learn from past mistakes. or maybe we're just contradictory ourselves, maybe WE'RE the paradox. lol.
This is an open door to be judged since this question boils down to the belief in god (which i struggle with because of this idea exactly). It would seem that if I'm punished for no "apparent" reason (though the reason exists beyond my comprehension) that the one punishing me is doing so for humor. We (humans) tend to teach/inform the punished the reason for punishment if they don't know & since we're supposed to be made in the "likeness" of a higher being why is that trait not present. A friend of mine once said "What if God was just some kid in his world playing with his toys (us) because he's on punishment & angry at his parents?"...."very interesting thought my dear Watson" I answered.
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