So Ghost argues that the existence of great tragedies of apparently undeserved misfortune and suffering is evidence that God does not exist.
Two questions I would ask Ghost.
1.) Is there absolutely no one in your life who has ever suffered unduly because of actions that YOU ...Ghost-of-a-Duke took ?
2.) If within the next hour God were to balance perfectly the scales of justice upon every wrong doing that caused an innocent person to suffer unduly, would you, Ghost-of-Duke be punished for the suffering you caused someone?
Or would you just be there congratulating God for FINALLY dealing with everyone ELSE as justice demands. But YOU would be just an exempt condoning bystander telling God that it is about time He made it all right ?
@philokalia saidDon't like the suffering of children as a reason for disbelief in the Christian God? How about the suffering of animals?
Um, sure, I guess there is a point at which it is more responsible to use a lot of pain killers on your child or -- the worst thing ever -- there have been circumstances where a child has needed to be put out of their misery due to the intense suffering that they had and the inability to do any else.
And that is an extremely morbid topic. But we are adults here ...[text shortened]... ying to disprove the validity of God by looking for extreme outlier scenarios of children suffering.
'The sufferings of millions of the lower animals throughout almost endless time' are apparently irreconcilable with the existence of a creator of 'unbounded' goodness. (Charles Darwin).
This is perhaps better explained by Michael Almeida:
1. God is omnipotent, omniscient and wholly good.
2. The evil of extensive animal suffering exists.
3. Necessarily, God can actualize an evolutionary perfect world.
4. Necessarily, God can actualize an evolutionary perfect world only if God does actualize an evolutionary perfect world.
5. Necessarily, God actualized an evolutionary perfect world.
If #1 is true then either #2 or #5 is true, but not both. This is a contradiction, so #1 is not true.
@dj2becker saidIf anyone answers 'no' to this, seek help.
Does the suffering of children in any way cause you to doubt the existence of God?
@sonship saidI am not a child suffering from a terminal illness nor have I caused a child to suffer from a terminal illness. Feel free to contribute something relevant to the thread.
So Ghost argues that the existence of great tragedies of apparently undeserved misfortune and suffering is evidence that God does not exist.
Two questions I would ask Ghost.
1.) Is there absolutely no one in your life who has ever suffered unduly because of actions that YOU ...Ghost-of-a-Duke took ?
2.) If within the next hour God were to balance ...[text shortened]... would be just an exempt condoning bystander telling God that it is about time He made it all right ?
When becker previously (and repeatedly) used the analogy of 'torturing babies for fun' in relation to moral absolutes, you defended him doing so by saying it was understandable that he would use extreme examples to get his point across. - Well, here I am using an extreme example to get 'my' point across. Yes, it is an uncomfortable one, and I can understand why you would prefer to deflect away from it or personalize it.