Theodicy: solution lies in definition of God (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, October 14, 2021, 19:05 (1134 days ago) @ dhw
edited by David Turell, Thursday, October 14, 2021, 19:14

dhw: If your God tried but failed to stop errors, then of course he didn’t want a free-for-all. You are advocating an all-powerful God who simply lost control. Why does that make him less “humanized” than an all-powerful God who deliberately produces a free-for-all because that is what he wants?

DAVID: The bold is your error in viewing my thinking. God KNEW errors could happen because of the system He HAD/WAS REQUIRED to create. The editing systems are very good, just not perfect.

dhw: So he knew he couldn’t control the system he had created. He is supposed to be the first cause, so who or what made him create an imperfect system (“had to/was required to”)? Please answer my earlier question: how does his inability to create a perfect system make him less “humanized” than a God who deliberately chose to create a system that gave cells the freedom to do their own designing, complete with the capacity for making “errors”?

DAVID: Once again you are inventing a God who thinks in human terms. The bold is a total error of what I said about God's choice of living biochemistry for life. God knew the system with free-floating molecules that had to change shape automatically might make mistakes, but was the only system that would produce life alas with a very tiny degree of errors, for which He produced editing systems that are highly but no perfectly effective. Yet most life works perfectly well.

dhw: All of which amounts to saying that he knew he couldn’t control the system he had created, but did his imperfect best to do so! (It is the imperfections that create the problem of theodicy, so there’s no point in harping on about how almost perfect it is.) Once again, you refuse to answer my bolded question.

Again your twisted version of my theory: God knew the ONLY system that would work could produce molecular errors. So He had editor systems in place, that work largely perfectly. As for your mamby-pamby God in the bold, answered many times: my God knows what He wants and does it. That is why editing is in place. We differ completely in our different Gods' personality.

History reeks of purpose. He made a universe fine-tuned for life. He didn't have to. He designed an Earth with perfect conditions for life. He bothered only because He wanted life to survive. And as the only consciousness around He decided to add an organism with consciousness. The last step we debate as to His motives. Now we are at all guesswork, with all the possible motives previously listed, so take your pick. I'm content to accept God did what He wished.