No I have never had a Jesuit education Kamil, and yes I was raised by Christian parents Ilya. But of course, this is not the reason I believe the Bible. They certainly introduced me to Christianity, but if I did not genuinly believe it and find it to be true in my own life, I would have broken my Christian ties long ago. And yes, I do agree that suffering tests faith. This is evident in the account of Job if you are familiar. C.S. Lewis once said, "God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains, it is his megaphone to a deaf world".
Now Mr Bennett...
I agree that you can't prove the existence of God any more than you can disprove His existence. Thats why there is such a thing as faith. In the books of Hebrews and Romans faith is described as, "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see... For in hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is not hope at all, for who hopes for what he already has". This means that no matter what your world view is , whether it be Christianity, Buddhism, or E, it still takes a certain amount of faith for you to believe it because you can't prove it. So the fact that Christianity relies on a "leap of faith"doesn't discredit it as a legitimate world view because all world views require faith.
You are also incorrect in stating that Evil is a problem with monotheistic belief systems. This is a common misconception and often the first response I get when I defend Christianity. But evil doesn't contradict the view of an all powerful, all loving, and perfect God. On the contrary, it actually enhances it. Let me explain.
As humans, we CAN NOT fully understand evil or God because the concepts are simply to much for us to wrap our minds around. I think we can all agree on that. So, knowing this, how can we expect to understand God's motives and the purpose he has for putting evil in the world. God often uses evil for a greater good. For example, Jesus was unfairly mocked, lashed, tortured, and killed for crimes he did not commit. The disciples watched his painful death in horror and unbelief. They wondered if God had abandoned them or even if there was a God at all. But God used one of the evilest, most unfair, and excruciating deaths in history, to give the gift of salvation for those who believed (the ultimate greater good). We are much like the disciples, as we watch the terrible evil in our world unfolding right in front of our eyes and even in our own lives. But we must remember that we are nothing compared to God and can't always fully understand his motives. Who are we to say what the God of the universe can and cannot create and do? When we ask God to end all evil and suffering in the world we are calling for him to put an end to us. We all have evil in us, so in order for God to take away all evil he would have to destroy man kind. Because of this, God is actually showing us mercy by not putting an end to evil. This is why the dilemma of evil is certainly much more of a dilemma for an atheist to grapple with than a monotheist.
You do an excellent job of explaining Catholic theology. In fact, it brought me right back to the happy days of my youth when I was educated in this, and so much else, by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. You might be interested to know that my high school education was handled by the Jesuit fathers, and, while they echoed the outlines of the doctrine enunciated by the sisters, they were intellectually honest enough to recognize the problems inherent in their own theology, problems that they, themselves averred could only be resolved by faith. Among those problems was the creation of evil by a perfectly good Deity. That it presents no problem for you compels me to conclude one of two possibilities, either the Jesuit fathers and I have erred, or you have not experienced suffering powerful enough to make you question your firmly held convictions.
ReplyDeleteHowever, since you have implicitly requested it, I shall prove the existence of God in class on Friday. Please remind me if I forget about Him.
Vic , " When we ask God to end all evil and suffering in the world we are calling for him to put an end to us. We all have evil in us, so in order for God to take away all evil he would have to destroy man kind. Because of this, God is actually showing us mercy by not putting an end to evil." - That is fascinating! I haven't thought of that. We need to finish that discussion.
ReplyDeleteI didn't address that specific part of Victor's quote. You're right, Katherine, it is fascinating. But, like all theological constructions, it is not convincing to the unconvinced.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Victor's nemeses, Kamil and Ilya would like to skewer him with the rapier of their logic. Of course, should such occur, Victor will not recognize his mortal wounding and will reply with renewed vigor. Gentlemen, start your engines.
Okay, so I understand most of Christian theology(having gone to a Catholic school for 9 years), but could you maybe explain why Jesus' death "saved all of humanity"? Because as many times as I've heard that mantra over and over I never hear how "God letting Jesus die brought us salvation." And, since this is one of your key examples in proving why there is evil in the world, it could only strengthen or weaken your case by explaining.
ReplyDelete