what do you think?

[Levite]

But how does any of this really answer the point I raised? "Free will" only speaks to half of the problem. A person's free will can only ever allow them to choose between the options they want to do. Protecting free will only enables evil if people had evil desires in the first place. As you pointed out, these desires can be traced back to things beyond our control. How can God not be ultimately responsible for them?

We can consider God ultimately responsible for the existence of evil, since He created us with free will, and created a universe that functions in part through chaos, entropy, natural selection, and evolutionary competition, which all stimulate selfish and self-gratifying drives-- which, left uncontrolled or exacerbated by environmental factors so as to overpower the potential for self-control and stimulation of positive drives, turn into negative actions.

But that's different than proposing that God deliberately and specifically creates some individuals to inevitably be evil, and some to inevitably be good.

Everyone has chances, opportunities to determine what they believe and what kind of actions they choose to take. Occasionally, those choices and opportunities can be overwhelmed by mental illness. But otherwise, they are there. Even people who suffer terrible environmental factors during hellish upbringings can either be broken by their experiences and turn to negative behavior in reaction, or can reject what was done to them and turn to positive behavior in reaction. So much the more so for those without significant or extraordinary trauma in their background.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I think you are only looking at half the equation. The evil desires that a person has also comes with a set of tools to overcome them. That's the "free will" part of "free will." Without that, I would agree with you.

And in many people, those tools come with a desire not to use them. The problem remains.

 

[Tumah]

And in many people, those tools come with a desire not to use them. The problem remains.

And in many of those people, tools to overcome the desire not to use other tools are also present!

On a more serious note. Here is a rather long but quite insightful video based on Orthodox Jewish sources.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWjCdc9dUz4

 

[FranklinMichaelV.3]

And in many of those people, tools to overcome the desire not to use other tools are also present!

Inception!!

 

[ChristineES]

why does God allow the strong to oppress the weak?

Certain strong people oppress the weak do it on their own, not with God's help.

 

[natasha levchenko]

it is impolite for my part not to answer ...since the situation in my country has been terrible so far.

 

[natasha levchenko]

there are many examples of oppression of the weak by the strong in the Bible.
the first human death ,when Cain murdered his brother Abel, came about because of an act of oppression.
1) in the very beginning, God warned mankind that rebellion against him would end in failure
2)But God has given us the capacity to choose to obey him because we love him or to disobey.Do we wish it were otherwise? If we are parents, which makes us happier—when our children obey us because they love us or when we make them do it? Should God have forced Adam to be obedient? Would we really be happier if we lived in a world where we were forced to obey God?
3)it is easy -if we do not obey the result is suffering.if we are given free will(choice) this means we have to chose between bad and good. otherwise we were to have been robots. i think we are ready to blame God for wickedness because we are convinced we are unable to be loyal to him and have lack of love and respect.
4) remember, that Satan claims that people serve God only for selfish reasons. if God protected all his servants from all forms of domination,would that not tend to prove Satan's claims? under such protection,many might assume that humans can rule themselves successfully without God.But God promises to undo wickedness...

 

[Smart_Guy]

Life is not as simple as this.

I'm strong but I don't oppress the weak, yet the weak destroy and steal my property. Just couple of days ago someone broke my car's emblem and the other day some broke the window to steal the head unit

I think it is a give and take, and those willing to do whatever, should control themselves and live their lives in a good way.

 

[chinu]

why does God allow the strong to oppress the weak?

Just because God want to explain that this earth can never be permanent peaceful place to reside on. So, just forget about this place and think of heaven.

If still you don't understand, than just keep wondering on this planet until you understand all this on your own.

 

[mystic64]

Free will - Doesn't care - Sadistic - nonexistence - ?



Take your pick.




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it sure does seem that way sometimes. Yes it does.

 

[Ingledsva]

it sure does seem that way sometimes. Yes it does.

Indeed it does.



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[mystic64]

Actually he allows either to oppress the other.
But the weak are such slackers at it that we just don't see much of it.

! If the weak are not kept in their place, then they become the oppressive strong. So why bother? When it comes to humankind, if one assumes that God does exist , that there is no way that He could win. Maybe Earth is a prison that is the most humane way to keep humankind contained? It is not about protecting us, it is about protecting the others. I think that if God did create mankind that His intentions were good, but that for some reason everything went terribly wrong.

 

[Willamena]

why does God allow the strong to oppress the weak?

Because allowing and disallowing are fallacious discrimination.

 

[Muffled]

The same reasons why He "allows" anything else that appears evil to us.

I believe God has acted on behalf of those who were in right relationship to Him in the past. Those who are evil have made themselves weak and excluded the aid of God.

 

[jtartar]

why does God allow the strong to oppress the weak?

Natasha levenchenko,
When Adam and Eve decided to follow Satan instead of obeying The Almighty Creator, God has given humankind a period of time to prove one way or the other as to whether man can rule successfully on earth and bring about good conditions for mankind. That time is almost over, and we can easily see that man's and Satan's rule have been a disaster, for men and the earth.
There is a word to think about, Pansatanism, which means that the world is a manifestation of the personality of it's ruler. Well Satan IS the ruler of this world, 2Cor 4:3,4, John 12:31, 14:3, 16:11, 1John 5:19, Rev 12:9.
If we know God very well we know this is NOT the way He will rule, for God's purpose is to make this earth a paradise, exactly as He originally purposed, Gen 1:26-28, Job 33:25, Isa 65:17-25, Rev 21:3-5.
Consider James 2:5, 1Cor 26-29, Ecc 9:11.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

why does God allow the strong to oppress the weak?

Because strength and weakness are intrinsic parts of the natural order which God ordain. Just as suffering and satisfaction are intrinsic to this order. If we had none of these things we probably would never evolved into homo sapiens.

Suffering is no accident, it is a necessary part of the universe just has entropy and order are necessary parts. It is part of it's design.

God doesn't allow suffering, God is the means by which these things exist. God doesn't allow suffering, God is suffering, God is satisfaction. God is the scheme of things. God is that by which we live, move and have our being

Just has death implies life and darkness implies light so does oppression implies liberty. You just can't have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin.

 

[Ingledsva]

Natasha levenchenko,
When Adam and Eve decided to follow Satan instead of obeying The Almighty Creator, God has given humankind a period of time to prove one way or the other as to whether man can rule successfully on earth and bring about good conditions for mankind. That time is almost over, and we can easily see that man's and Satan's rule have been a disaster, for men and the earth.
There is a word to think about, Pansatanism, which means that the world is a manifestation of the personality of it's ruler. Well Satan IS the ruler of this world, 2Cor 4:3,4, John 12:31, 14:3, 16:11, 1John 5:19, Rev 12:9.
If we know God very well we know this is NOT the way He will rule, for God's purpose is to make this earth a paradise, exactly as He originally purposed, Gen 1:26-28, Job 33:25, Isa 65:17-25, Rev 21:3-5.
Consider James 2:5, 1Cor 26-29, Ecc 9:11.

Nowhere in Tanakh is the serpent associated with Satan.


That is a far later Christian addition, - as is the idea of Satan being an independent evil being out to get us, for pure evil's sake.



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[CynthiaCypher]

But that's different than proposing that God deliberately and specifically creates some individuals to inevitably be evil, and some to inevitably be good.

And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

 

[Ingledsva]

And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

Yep. Then it says YHVH murdered the innocent firstborn, because of that hardening, that YHVH caused to be.




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[Quagmire]

The strong don't oppress the weak, the weak oppress whoever they can, and some of the people they oppress become legitimately strong.

Every hero humankind has ever seen either came from an oppressed people, or decided to take up their cause at some point.