A theodicy

[whooper]

This entry is a personal response to the question of suffering in the world. It is in response to an earlier thread on a different journal. Feel free to read if you want to; comments / questions welcomed.

Ultimately, I have had to confront some kinds of human suffering where my intellect failed me. Painful and slowly lethal birth defects are a

Comments

[caligogreywings]

Just simply addressing the smaller question of "Why does God let things like genetic diseases happen?" I believe God gave us direct free will. This means that we are free to breed as we will, and that has directly led to genetic diseases and defects-- since we seem to have lost what the animals have in the way of genetic control.

[grosely_clerx]

This is an interesting post. However, since a theodicy is an explanation that reconciles an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God with the extent of suffering in the world, I don't think this is really a theodicy.

I think any supposed dismissiveness of suffering you're guilty of is secondary to the fact that you aren't really explaining anything, you're just making a statement of faith. Which, while touching, doesn't really touch the problem of evil.

Time for another PBR.

Clarification

[whooper]

Per our earlier discussion, allow me to expand on and clarify several points.

My admission of faith in the face of not knowing isn't intended to say that there is no answer. There is simply no complete answer I can give, in my current state (finite, human, all that.) I suspect that the full and complete answer may contain some elements of the following:

- We're allowed to hurt others and ourselves as part of free will. Our capacity for love is the same as our capacity to freely exert our own will, so if we are to love (self, others, God) in any meaningful way, it necessarily entails the ability to exert our will in a negative fashion.

- Any attempt at reconciliation of the three O's with each other is hampered by a lack of human understanding of what any of those terms mean.

Re: Clarification

[mackatlaw]

Personally, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with a God that didn't allow free will to choose the right path. Convenient, isn't it, that much about being human involves choices?

[mackatlaw]

Have you read _When Bad Things Happen to Good People_ by Harold S. Kushner? It's by a Jewish rabbi, but comes to much the same position that you have. I also happen to agree with him and you, with the caveat that at times I'm not sure if I think God is all benovelent. It depends on what portion of theology I'm being asked to believe. Original sin, for instance, gets under my craw. But usually I think God is good.

I had one of my characters in _False Gods_ debate the matter, when they were being tricked with the almost impossible question of "Why does God tolerate evil?" and I used much the same response that you and Kusher do.