Zone1 Why is evil allowed in the world?

[BULLDOG]

Our destiny is heaven....But no one will be frog-marched into the presence of God. We all have a choice.

Agreed, but it's cruel to not inform the chooser of the results of that choice. Christianity is commonplace in the US, but that is not the case of countless people throughout history who haven't been born into an area with current Christian beliefs? According to current Christian belief, all those people were born to go to hell. Does that sound like a loving god?

 

[BULLDOG]

Or, a typically unsophisticated concept of what anything nearly like a "creator of all and everything" would actually have to be like. This is the problem, as well, with every religion. They are at best very poor indicators toward something they know they don't understand and at worst straight up blasphemy.

Omnipotent or not. It's not that complicated.

 

[GMCGeneral]

Interesting. Considering the commonly accept purpose God created us for, what happed to make man so deceitful? Was someone so powerful as to overpower Gods design, or was God just so incompetent in creating such a flawed man? Why would God include deceitfulness as a characteristic in someone he created for his own fellowship?

No. It is simply we were created with free will. To choose to either walk with G-d in obedience or not. Unfortunately, mankind chose to disobey Him and sin and death came as a result.

 

[hadit]

Ok. Let's put this in realistic terms. All parents want their children to obey them of their own free will. He sees his kid playing in the street. Does that loving parent get the kid out of the street, or does he just stand back and watch a car run over his child? Do parents love their kids more than God loves us?

To be more accurate, an adult friend of yours continually drinks to excess. Can you ultimately force him to stop drinking, or do you have to allow him to suffer the consequences of his actions?
Another adult friend never puts on his seat belt. Can you force him to buckle up or do you have to allow him to suffer the consequences of his actions?
Another friend chooses to cruise bars, gets drunk and goes home every weekend with a different guy, protection nowhere in sight. Can you force her to stop going home with random guys and having unprotected sex or do you have to allow her to suffer the consequences of her actions?

The bottom line is, as adults we are expected to make choices and deal with the consequences on those choices. Sin has consequences, and if God simply removed them, we would not have true freedom of choice. When we have children, those children are our responsibilities, and if we choose to neglect them, we and they suffer the consequences. That's the true danger of sin, in that it always impacts more than just the person doing it.

 

[hadit]

Agreed, but it's cruel to not inform the chooser of the results of that choice. Christianity is commonplace in the US, but that is not the case of countless people throughout history who haven't been born into an area with current Christian beliefs? According to current Christian belief, all those people were born to go to hell. Does that sound like a loving god?

No, according to Scripture, we are judged by what we know, and none of us has an excuse.

 

[BULLDOG]

No, according to Scripture, we are judged by what we know, and none of us has an excuse.

So, hell has been mostly empty until fairly recently?

 

[hadit]

So, hell has been mostly empty until fairly recently?

Unlikely, but it's not my call, or yours. Human nature has not changed in a very long time. Man has always rebelled against God, and reaps the consequences.

 

[Meriweather]

A work in progress? You have no idea how many times I've heard trite "memorized" remarks like that in my search for evidence of God. How many babies do you think have been born since Cain was born? Each and every one of those babies was a chance to correct the flaw that could destine them to eternal damnation.

Catholicism teaches we don't know who--if anyone--is in hell.

 

[Meriweather]

Agreed, but it's cruel to not inform the chooser of the results of that choice. Christianity is commonplace in the US, but that is not the case of countless people throughout history who haven't been born into an area with current Christian beliefs? According to current Christian belief, all those people were born to go to hell. Does that sound like a loving god?

That has not been Catholic or Orthodox belief. Perhaps some need to read Paul's letter (I believe to the Romans). He mentions those who hold no belief in God are judged by their own hearts. It is noted that God has written what is right or wrong on the hearts of all.

 

[ding]

" Consequences "

* Do Good Things And Improve The Odds Of Good Things Happening *

Yearn question is poorly formed , as a successful behavior would necessarily lead to success , else the behavior could not be referred to as successful .

Consider claims about those avoiding a deleterious fate - that they were saved by a miracle , and consider claims that those not avoiding a deleterious fate have suffered a tragedy rather than them not being saved by a miracle .

Why would those being saved be a miracle while those not being saved also be a miracle ?

Why would those being saved and those not being saved not both be a consequence of a miracle that determined their fate ?

Most miracles are small and go unnoticed by most people.

Not all behaviors lead to equal outcomes. Even successful ones. It’s statistical in nature.