The Problem of Evil

[MattJack]

Originally Posted by kahljorn

What about animals who attack humans? Of course, it's not considered evil to kill animals because you can eat them. So what's so evil about killing for personal gain, then, since that's what happens in nature? Some animals even kill for fun. So that brings to the table, what's so evil about killing another person for personal gain? Isn't that a part of life, and a part of surviving?

Isn't it only deemed evil out of our own personal interests?

I think the reasons animals attack other creatures are far different than why humans attack other humans. I think most animals kill for survival, not really just to kill time.

What makes it evil to kill for personal gain is that it puts someone else at a rather ultimate loss. I think most of the time when people kill they kill because of some form of basic greed. Motivations vary, but normally when it comes to taking another person's life the motifs are irrational.

I can't really think of too many scenarios where one would have to kill another individual in order to survive.

Originally Posted by kahljorn

yea but a utopia? even in a utopia you're going to have to eat and drink, have rent or whatever a utopia needs to work. You'll be exposed to "suffering", regardless. Is suffering evil? If not, what about the acts that are performed through it's influence?
It almost sounds like a definition of heaven or the paradise in the bible before we "Fell".

I would think of it to be like a heaven or paradise how the bible presents it before man fell, yes. It is a perfect world, and suffering is completely gone.

This all brings me back to something rather simple I seem to be investing more into:
God cannot be both benevolent and omnipotent. I don't even want to really refer to him as God, but rather The Creator or something to that tune.

Originally Posted by Gabby GaGa

I think some people are designated, or predestined, to commit evil acts.
God's way of creating an equalibrium. So that the existing "good" is dependent on its evil counterpart.

I don't believe anybody is predestined or designated to be or do anything. I believe that one chooses their own path through the decisions they make in life based off their circumstances and morality. If we indeed are predestined to be anything we truly don't have freewill do we? No matter what one would do or say, that individual's outcome is already decided. Therefore, that individual is not responsible for their actions in my eyes.

Why would God need to even create some "equalibrium?" He's God, he doesn't need an excuse to why he has created good. He doesn't have to answer to anyone does he? Why a counterpart? We do not need to have an counterpart of everything to know two sides of something. Further, many things do not have any counterparts. What is the counterpart of chalk? We know perfectly what chalk is without knowing what its counterpart is.

So my rebuttal is a very simple, why did God make it that way? Can God not do everything and anything? If he can't he isn't omnipotent.

If He decided to do it just because, well, He is not benevolent.

[Preechr]

I got an e-mail today that explained all this.

It was a powerpoint slide presentation that had a succession of really dramatic nature pictures, and some with puppies, and the captions explained pretty well that evil is not a thing, just as darkness is not a thing, nor cold. These are just our words to describe the absence of their opposites, which, apparently, are things. It was all very satisfying, and I highly recommend both of you idiots receive similar e-mails. You too, fake-ass moron character.

[kahljorn]

lately ive been picturing preechr as an indignant kid waving his finger at people because his icecream spilled.

"Oh no people are discussing philosophy on a philosophy forum this should be about the middle east or economic problems cause that's all i know about"

[Preechr]

Originally Posted by kahljorn

lately ive been picturing preechr as an indignant kid waving his finger at people because his icecream spilled.

"Oh no people are discussing philosophy on a philosophy forum this should be about the middle east or economic problems cause that's all i know about"

EXCUSE ME FOR TRYING TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR INFANTILE CONVERSATION

[Preechr]

I MEAN YOUR ENTIRE DICSUCSION HERE WAS COMPLETELY COVERED IN AN E-MAIL I RECEIVED FROM MY STEP-MOM JESUS CHRIST

[Preechr]

To be fair, my last post was posted before I read your post, MattJack, so I will respond in a minute... :parlimentarianprocedure

[Preechr]

Nevermind. It's great that you've read something that I've written once, but I really can't respond as Preechr'04 right now. You seem to have skipped a bit ahead here, so I'm not going to try to catch you up.

BUT
Since Kahl, who's been here for a while and is getting to know me a bit, is sort of similarly unfamiliar with where I'm at right now, I'll try my best to post a bit more in here to get you both up to speed for a little while, on a conditional basis. First, stop being so damn retarded, and second, quit throwing your jewelry at the pigs, Ok?

[MattJack]

Oh Preechr you are so hilarious and clever! We really need more libertarians like you. By the way, how is your champion Badnarik doing these days on in the political world? Ron Paul was okay, but he's a Republican isn't he?

I know, I know, it's totally lame to exchange simple to grasp ideas on this forum. I mean, that stuff is so below a guy like you.

That's why we leave all that really cool dead horse stuff, like the middle east conflict, to cool dudes like you and ABCDEFGHIFJXXXX to measure dicks over. I mean, our simple brains can't really compete and put anything valid in, we know. Much less get you to change your allknowing mind.

I also think it's so cute when you act like you are a cool Philo Forum Elite now. After you finally got some acceptance by other elites, you simply took charge! Oh have mercy allknowing one! The condescending tone really does put you in a better position anyway, doesn't it? I'll try it sometime!

I'm going to keep posting in this forum just so a few cool dudes like yourself keep getting butthurt over and over. I know, what was I thinking? I totally forgot how serious and cool this part of the board is!

Wait, I almost forgot! Your comic genius! BEHOLD UNWORTHY ONES!

Originally Posted by Preechr

I got an e-mail today that explained all this.

It was a powerpoint slide presentation that had a succession of really dramatic nature pictures, and some with puppies, and the captions explained pretty well that evil is not a thing, just as darkness is not a thing, nor cold. These are just our words to describe the absence of their opposites, which, apparently, are things. It was all very satisfying, and I highly recommend both of you idiots receive similar e-mails. You too, fake-ass moron character.

LYKE A SPAM E-MAIL?! LYKE AN EMAIL THAT EVERYONE GETZ N STUFF AND IT IS COMPLETELY MINDLESS?! Ho Ho Ho! Quite clever Preechr. Only you and well, every jock I had in my old high school, can show such a sarcasm! Why not just add "nerds" and throw a carton of milk at me too?

Please can I learn from your ways?