Watching asteroids; possible damage (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, March 08, 2017, 15:07 (2818 days ago) @ dhw

TONY: By barking up the wrong tree, I simply meant that the existence of something dangerous did not imply limitations in power, in and of itself.

dhw: It is David’s hypothesis that his God might perhaps be limited in power (e.g. perhaps he had no choice but to use asteroids, and to design every life form, lifestyle and natural wonder in order to keep life going until he was able to produce homo sapiens). I don’t buy either of these particular limitations, but I don’t have a problem with the idea that God may have deliberately sacrificed control (at least temporarily), and may also have learned from his own experiments, as opposed to knowing everything in advance.

My proposal that God might have some limitations is only one interpretation I have offered it as an alternative for discussion. Is God all-everything or are there limits? Since He uses evolutionary processes He may have to work at sequential plans when He discovers limits at a given stage.

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TONY: When viewed through the lens of "God created the earth even to be inhabited", then it stands to reason that the overall design would reflect the requirements contained therein. You wouldn't design a car without tires. However, the R fact that cars exist implies the inherent dangers of accidents. He desined a universe, complete with s, planets, gravity, etc complete with the inherent possibility of them dying in their own time, with the accompanying cataclysilmic consequences.

dhw: Anyone who believes in God will accept that he designed the universe as it is. The fact that his design incorporates natural disasters and diseases that were in place long before humans came on the scene raises questions about his motivation and attitude towards his creations, and also about his own nature. All of us are familiar with these problems (which basically boil down to the origin of evil) and we have discussed them at length. That’s no reason why we shouldn’t discuss them again if you want to!

It has been noted that viruses are possibly used to further evolution itself. Yet viruses can cause disease. Plate tectonics are required for life on Earth. There are plusses and minuses that cannot be avoided. That is obvious, so the bad things are not necessarily intentional on God's part, which you imply. God created humans with free will, so some of them are evil. And you think that is God's intention?:

"natural disasters and diseases that were in place long before humans came on the scene raises questions about his motivation and attitude towards his creations, and also about his own nature."

I view that thought as very narrow reasoning.