Theodicy (Introduction)

by David Turell @, Tuesday, November 24, 2020, 14:19 (1211 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: It’s not surprising that we have so many disagreements about what is or is not logical. Here is part of a dictionary definition of the word: “…the patterns of reasoning by which a conclusion is properly drawn from a set of premises.” In the context of theodicy, you offer us one premise: God deliberately designed the bad bugs. In the context of evolution, you offer the premises that your God directly designed every life form and natural wonder in life’s history, 99% of which had no connection with H. sapiens, although they were all part of his goal to directly design H. sapiens. Your “logical conclusion” in both cases is we don’t know why he designed the bugs or designed the life forms that had no connection with his goal! If you can’t explain your own theories, how can you call them logical?

I have made the point that I arrived at accepting God as the Creator from a long and serious view of the evidence presented. My logic follows from that initial conclusion when I attempt to explain what is going on. On that basis there are some deeds by God that I simply accept. One of them is He chose to evolve humans. The problem is the two of us cannot resolve our underlying differences as we view God from very different viewpoints.

DAVID: You cannot assume that as God is a PERSON LIKE NO OTHER PERSON.

dhw: The word “person” means a human being. Nobody in his right mind would tell you that a human being can create a universe, or that human beings created life. So if he is a person, it can only mean that he has certain human attributes, as you so clearly indicate with statements such as “He and we probably have similar thought patterns and emotions beyond just simple logical thought”, and God “very well could think like us”, and “his logic is like ours.” It therefore remains totally absurd to reject a theory on the grounds that it endows your God with similar thought patterns etc. to our own.

We have no way of knowing that God has any human attributes!!! Your statements about him and mine are all guesswork!!! The only thing that is safe is the assumption that He is logical in what He chooses to do. I assume He is serious about it, but it could all be just be for fun! A a believer that is far as I am willing to go. My past quotes were suggestive responses to your pointed questions about His personality, about which we strongly disagree.


DAVID: Consider the logical thought God might be simply a creator without any self-interest! Just as possible as religions' loving God. That is Adler's indefensible 50/50.

dhw: We don’t need references to religion or Adler. The subject of this thread is “theodicy”. You raised it and are therefore looking for an explanation of evil. I have offered you one which, at the same time, explains the whole of the evolutionary bush (which you can’t explain either – see under “errors”). I’m not telling you this is the objective truth. I’m asking you to find flaws in its logic. So far...not one. Just the dead duck of humanization and now the “logical” thought that it might not be true.

DAVID: I have explained God's use of evolution to my satisfaction. Not knowing God's reasoning to use that method doesn't invalidate the logical thought that it simply was His choice.

dhw: I have asked you to point out the logical flaws in MY theory, and all you can do is tell me that your theory was God’s choice!

There are no illogical statements you make from your primary view of God as part human.


Complete thread:

 RSS Feed of thread

powered by my little forum