Why call him god epicurus

Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? After successfully leading crusades for the Gospel, his struggle to answer this question led to him ultimately abandoning his faith. This article is meant to take examine the dilemma that Epicurus and many of us face today. To quickly address 3, a natural life completely exempt from evil, mishap, or tragedy is not part of any religious or non-religious belief system.

So, to attribute this somehow disqualifies the belief in the existence of a Deity is not intellectually honest as it is not a representative of any claim in theism belief in one God or polytheism belief in multiple gods. It is, however, often used as a convenient assumption against the existence of God. But, are these really the only 3 options to the Epicurus God paradox?

Epicurus was right about one thing. If God was somehow unable to stop evil, that would certainly mean that he is not omnipotent all-powerful. In fact, I would contend that he would not be at powerful at all. By that definition, evil is everything from the atrocities of the holocaust to the lie you tell your boss to get out of a day of work. Where should God start systematically removing evil?

Perhaps stealing something should be the threshold? If evil is a deviation from good, then we must acknowledge an existing absolute standard of good. You may think Hitler was a murderous monster but his mother may find him to be a fine German gentleman who wants to cleanse the world and usher in a perfect way of living. Can we just go by opinions? So if there is a God who created the universe and all the precision of natural law, then with that wisdom and strength, it is most probable that He could stop evil.

The Epicurus God paradox does not define the point where evil becomes intolerable and demands the Intelligent Designer step in. The second observation of Epicurus is that if God can stop evil, but He is unwilling, then He Himself is malevolent evil-intended. I would first suggest considering our previous point. At what level of evil should He begin to intervene? Surely you would gasp at the nature of God if the little girl who stole a lollipop was met with swift intervention.

But also consider, what if God controlled the mind of the little girl, the man stealing food for his family, or Hitler in a way that made it impossible to make an evil decision? What about you?

Are you willing to sign up for God controlling every word, move, decision, and step? Would you even be truly living an independent life at that point? To be honest, that very question is entrenched in a mindset of arrogance that says we, humanity, somehow have an absolute standard of good that the Creator of the universe is not fulfilling. Even those who argue relevant truth exists would have to throw it out the window. So consider these in light of the Epicurus God paradox….

Sorry, Epicurus, but there is another option to consider in the dilemma of God, good, and evil. What if God created an enclosed system within which we could freely operate?

He gave us an intelligent mind capable of making our own decisions. That gift is called free will. With free will, we are able to choose our words and actions. Those words and actions have consequences or as commonly know, the law of cause and effect. Cause and effect is a theory philosophy and theology can agree on.

We have the ability to seek truth and knowledge. Doing so leads to progress. Imagine if we stopped looking for deeper truth. With no effort or efforts that deviate from the set standards, intentional or not, the consequences would be moving in a negative direction.

Leave something by itself or do something to harm it and it will decay, immediately or over time. However, through an intelligent mind, proactive efforts can be deployed to restore or prolonge the life of that very thing. Think about the paint on your car. With careful detail and attention, 25 years later it looks almost brand new. Therein lies your free will. Why would God create a system with free will in it? It is because in this system we have the freedom to choose, and with that gift, we can be most in like Him.

Without free will, we are puppets incapable of true feelings, personal achievements, and most importantly… love. With free will, we can live an independent life where we collectively and individually can grow and yes, truly love God and other people.

The only way that you can have a real, genuine, relationship with the Creator is if you have the freedom to decide to participate. Spencers65 books view quotes. Oct 08, AM. Marci 5, books view quotes. Oct 05, AM. Alexandra books view quotes. Oct 03, AM. Bonie 12 books view quotes. Sep 28, AM. Shubham books view quotes.

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