Litkicks Message Board Archive

even with

this erroneous teaching of hellfire damnation removed, don't we still need some sort of salvation? i mean we still get sick, grow old (if we're lucky) and die. we still need a way out, right?

as far as the problem of evil is concerned, there is a difference between 'causing' it and 'allowing' it, right? i don't believe god caused evil or suffering, but i do believe he allows it. perhaps because when evil was introduced it raised universal issues that needed to be cleared up. issues that you yourself have brought up - good over evil; man's obedience/dependance or disobedience/independance to/of god; the rightfulness of god's rule as creator.
such tremendously far reaching issues can't be resolved overnight or even in a few years, so in the meantime we go thru the ill-effects brought on by our independance from god and suffer because of it. the defect is ours, not god's.

i look at god's permission of evil as kind of like if a parent allowed their child to suffer through a very painful and life-threatening operation, knowing full well that in the end it would lead to recuperation and health.

as far as relying on our own innate kindness, haven't we done that for so long and look where it's gotten us? the world seems to me to keep getting worse and worse, not better. to think that people will convert to kindness and lay down their deep-seated prejudices (and corresponding weapons) is downright silly.

i'm just trying to look at this whole thing logically, 'cause i actually feel the same way as you do about bloodthirsty, hypocritical, nominal christianity, but i still believe in god. and i do believe he has a purpose to right all the wrongs.