serp777
Well-Known Member
It seems like no religious person in the Abrahamic faiths takes Epicurus' riddle seriously:
The most common objection to this is that God is testing us and so he wants to stop evil and he can do it, but its apart of a greater plan where everything will be set right at the end during the final judgment.
There are so many problems with this. First of all the idea that this is a test is insane. The tests range in difficulty and duration for each individual where some are extremely easy and others are impossibly difficult or are affected by things like mental illnesses. Also what's even the point of this test/plan? God already knows what will happen and he knows the moral content of each person, and yet he needs to test anyways? This is malevolence by any sensible definition. Also, since God knew what was going to happen before we were created, then his plan is predetermined and thus the test is rigged. Its a game of entrapment where the crimes and sins we commit have to happen in order to fit God's plan. This means that the subtle way God designed us and designed the world determines our actions, and so in conclusion, if this was a plan and God is omnipotent and omniscient, then basically he designing certain people to go to hell and others to
We also hear that disbelief results in a judgment too--our gullibility and ability to believe something based on extremely limited evidence determines the outcome. its ridiculous especially since God designed us with doubt and skepticism in the first place and he allowed for a number of false religious to lead us to the wrong direction. On top of that ignorant peasants like doubting Thomas received evidence and yet 21st century scientists have to take it on faith? This connects back to the unreasonable and unfair test. if a test is going to be any good at all it needs to be the same for all people. Nothing about this criticism is logical and sensible at all. You're still left with malevolence or he just doesn't care about the pettiness of human sin.
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?
The most common objection to this is that God is testing us and so he wants to stop evil and he can do it, but its apart of a greater plan where everything will be set right at the end during the final judgment.
There are so many problems with this. First of all the idea that this is a test is insane. The tests range in difficulty and duration for each individual where some are extremely easy and others are impossibly difficult or are affected by things like mental illnesses. Also what's even the point of this test/plan? God already knows what will happen and he knows the moral content of each person, and yet he needs to test anyways? This is malevolence by any sensible definition. Also, since God knew what was going to happen before we were created, then his plan is predetermined and thus the test is rigged. Its a game of entrapment where the crimes and sins we commit have to happen in order to fit God's plan. This means that the subtle way God designed us and designed the world determines our actions, and so in conclusion, if this was a plan and God is omnipotent and omniscient, then basically he designing certain people to go to hell and others to
We also hear that disbelief results in a judgment too--our gullibility and ability to believe something based on extremely limited evidence determines the outcome. its ridiculous especially since God designed us with doubt and skepticism in the first place and he allowed for a number of false religious to lead us to the wrong direction. On top of that ignorant peasants like doubting Thomas received evidence and yet 21st century scientists have to take it on faith? This connects back to the unreasonable and unfair test. if a test is going to be any good at all it needs to be the same for all people. Nothing about this criticism is logical and sensible at all. You're still left with malevolence or he just doesn't care about the pettiness of human sin.