dfnj
Well-Known Member
I think you are committing an error of category. Your analogy of parents and children does not seem to stand up.
Parents are not creating children in the same manner as the supposed god created the universe or humans. Parents do not possess omnipotence nor omniscience. If the parents created the child with foreknowledge of everything the child would become and do, and could control everything the child could become or do, then yes, they should be held accountable for everything the child becomes or does.
I appreciate your thoughtful response. But, human beings were not created perfect, whole, and complete. We have desires. We have needs. And we were created with imperfections. Since our needs and desires are source of all that is evil in the World then to stop evil God would have to eliminate all our needs and desires. The only way to address all our deficiencies, needs, and desires, would have been to create everyone with omnipotent powers.
Now of course an omnipotent God could create omnipotent beings because being omnipotent means not having any limitations. But God did not create clones of Himself. God created imperfect human beings. I'm not sure it is reasonable to expect God to create everyone with omnipotent powers in order to prevent evil. Anything less than having full omnipotent powers is suffering on some level. If there's a reason to hate or blame God then people will choose it!
There is a very good argument God did not create us on purpose. Since God is perfect, whole, complete without any needs or desires the Universe was not created out of some need or desire. The Universe was not created by some purpose driven by some need or some desire. The Universe was created from an overflowing abundance of energy emanating from God. And this is why our Universe is full of imperfections. Our Universe is not whole and complete like God. Our Universe is not a clone God but a reflection of God with many imperfections and limitations.
Yes, of course, if God created everyone as being perfect, whole, and complete without any needs or desires then, and only then, there would be no evil in the World.
I think this idea God had foreknowledge and therefore God is evil is misplaced blame. God is responsible for creating us with imperfections. Our imperfections are the cause of evil. This to me is the same thing as blaming a parent, that is the creator of the child, for a child committing murder, rape, or some other human atrocity. The parent obviously did a bad job parenting for someone to grow up and become a mass murderer. At some point in time humanity has to become responsible for all its own evil.
The idea God is responsible because He is omnipotent and omniscient is just people blaming God for creating people with imperfections. People who blame God are just refusing to accept full responsibility for their own limitations. Or, they blame God for other people's limitations and imperfections. People love to hate God because we all hate having imperfections. There are many people who hate their parents as well for the same reasons. It's only when we stop hating God, which really means stop hating ourselves and our imperfections, that we are capable of appreciating God.
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