Philosophy
When presented with the problem of evil (the logical inconsistency between an omnipotent and benevolent god and the existence of needless suffering), religious believers usually argue that human suffering is a necessary cost we pay for the greater benefit of having free will (I know.... justify one imaginary concept with another).
Even if the free will defense were capable of explaining some of the evil in the world, however, it still doesn't explain the indiscriminate suffering caused by natural disasters, nor does it even remotely touch on the sheer cruelty found in the animal world.
Consider parasites, or the predator-prey dichotomy. What kind of benevolent God would create beings whose survival depends upon the violent and gruesome destruction of others? Why not make everyone herbivores? Why would a kind and intelligent designer design parasitic worms whose ideal environment is the eyes of children consigned to blindness as a result? And what kind of loving God would create a creature like the golden eagle, who so viciously preys upon Bambi's family?
And if you need further proof these birds are not fucking around, here is what happened to one cameraman:
Check out a recent NYT article on the problem of evil in terms of animal suffering, and the ethics of driving meat-eating animals to extinction.
.
- The Problems Of Evil And Free Will
Guest-post today from Todd Furman at McNeese State: A plausible theodicy must accomplish at least two tasks. First, it must clear God of bringing evil into the universe; and two it must absolve God from being culpable for any existent evils. The Fall,...
- The Problem Of Non-evil
Is the standard notion of heaven self-consistent? Can you have both the necessary freedom from suffering and freedom of the will for those in heaven? If you say that there is no suffering in heaven because the only people allowed in are those who would...
- Comedism And Evil
Brothers , Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere: For those who are new to the Playground, weekends are for the weekly Comedist sermons. For an introduction to Comedism, the new religion; passages from The Comedist Manifesto, our holy book;...
- A) Explain The Theodicy Of Irenaeus (25).
This essay has been written because I feel that some text books lack a coherent account of what Irenaeus actually said. Please feel free to comment on any aspects of my work. Again, as always, everything written on here has be completed under timed conditions...
- God Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder
Philosophers have been pondering the problem of evil for over two thousand years. This refers to the apparent inconsistency between the existence of evil (roughly defined as unnecessary suffering) and the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent deity....
Philosophy
The Golden Eagle, Bird of Evil
When presented with the problem of evil (the logical inconsistency between an omnipotent and benevolent god and the existence of needless suffering), religious believers usually argue that human suffering is a necessary cost we pay for the greater benefit of having free will (I know.... justify one imaginary concept with another).Even if the free will defense were capable of explaining some of the evil in the world, however, it still doesn't explain the indiscriminate suffering caused by natural disasters, nor does it even remotely touch on the sheer cruelty found in the animal world.
Consider parasites, or the predator-prey dichotomy. What kind of benevolent God would create beings whose survival depends upon the violent and gruesome destruction of others? Why not make everyone herbivores? Why would a kind and intelligent designer design parasitic worms whose ideal environment is the eyes of children consigned to blindness as a result? And what kind of loving God would create a creature like the golden eagle, who so viciously preys upon Bambi's family?
And if you need further proof these birds are not fucking around, here is what happened to one cameraman:
Check out a recent NYT article on the problem of evil in terms of animal suffering, and the ethics of driving meat-eating animals to extinction.
.
- The Problems Of Evil And Free Will
Guest-post today from Todd Furman at McNeese State: A plausible theodicy must accomplish at least two tasks. First, it must clear God of bringing evil into the universe; and two it must absolve God from being culpable for any existent evils. The Fall,...
- The Problem Of Non-evil
Is the standard notion of heaven self-consistent? Can you have both the necessary freedom from suffering and freedom of the will for those in heaven? If you say that there is no suffering in heaven because the only people allowed in are those who would...
- Comedism And Evil
Brothers , Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere: For those who are new to the Playground, weekends are for the weekly Comedist sermons. For an introduction to Comedism, the new religion; passages from The Comedist Manifesto, our holy book;...
- A) Explain The Theodicy Of Irenaeus (25).
This essay has been written because I feel that some text books lack a coherent account of what Irenaeus actually said. Please feel free to comment on any aspects of my work. Again, as always, everything written on here has be completed under timed conditions...
- God Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder
Philosophers have been pondering the problem of evil for over two thousand years. This refers to the apparent inconsistency between the existence of evil (roughly defined as unnecessary suffering) and the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent deity....