What is the ultimate cause of everything? Discussing this issue intrigued me. From an ethics class during high school, I was taught that the "big cause" of everything was God. Although during the discussion in class, I learned otherwise. It confused me and made me wonder if what I thought was wrong or not. By discussing this with my friends who are outside of MCLA, I realized that my opinion has not changed. Through discussing the main cause of everything, it helped me realize how important religion is to philosophy. Religion divides the road of philosophy. It either leads you to the more "Godly" side (ethic and moral standards, God being the main cause) or it leads you the "atheistic" side ( God is not the main cause). Similarly, God had a major factor in the discussion of evil.
Why does evil occur? When Professor Johnson mentioned this question, my mind went back to the beginning of my junior year in high school--when Hurricane Katrina occurred. I remember discussing this question and asking myself why an omniscient and omnipotent God would allow such a thing to occur. Hannah brought up a good point by saying that a "perfect" human being cannot create another "perfect" human being. This question still puzzles my mind. Does evil occur to teach us a lesson. Does it occur because there is no God? In my mind, this is a never ending question.
The discussion today opened my mind to views I hadn't thought of before. It shows me that there is always something new to learn from another point of view.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I think the question of "why" would, in a theistic sense, reside solely in faith, for to know why would be to read the mind of god or the gods.
However, if god or the gods do not engage in micromanagement of the Earth, and merely watch, then the universe with or without them would be relatively the same--things that we consider to be cruel or horrible, such as Hurricane Katrina, are natural occurences, not intended to teach or punish anything, but are instead only inscribed the answers of "why did this happen?" that we give them.
We are the only observable beings on this planet (though a case can be made for some mammals) that can discern right and wrong, and as such, we (incorrectly) ascribe our beliefs of justice and benevolence on natural forces which would otherwise be neutral to our plight.
In short, if God's intervening, his plan must be trusted on faith. If he's just watching, then it's somewhat the same as interacting with a universe without him--cruelty and love are our perceptions alone, projected.
I would simply point out that the so-called "problem of evil" is a problem only for the believer. For the atheist, "evil" is shorthand for events that are particularly unwelcome.
Post a Comment