Isaiah 45:7 - God creates Evil

I don't think it's a good analogy because humans are definitely sentient whereas ants are not definitely sentient.

It did make me wonder about a Type III civilization* viewing humans as ants and squashing us as they make their way to another galaxy. Also, made me wonder what a Type III would view as evil.

Hate is an emotion which can be experienced; that's what proves it exists.

Evil is defined to exist. Hitler is defined to be evil. Genocide is defined to be evil. The definition is arbitrary.

Correct me if I'm wrong.


*http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/t-5570

Well the concept here is put yourself in the ants place. Obviously the ants most likely don't care. There is nothing wrong with the analogy, simply try utilizing your imagination a tad and you'll get the obvious point.

Even with genocide there are ways in which it could be seen as neither good nor evil. Say a neighboring tribe of cannibals exists that does nothing but kill and eat anyone they can find. Wiping them out would protect your tribe, so you in fact have a purpose in it. Does that then make it evil?

"Obviously the ants most likely don't care." And I'm putting myself in the ant's place. So I wouldn't care if I get stomped on? That's far from obvious. In fact, it's false.

However one defines evil is probably not as central to the problem as the fact that people who guess there is a God...and that the God essentially is the author of everything...including the "free will" humans have to do things that offend it...

...are then stuck with trying to explain everything...including "God created evil" in a way that does not reflect badly on the God.

I actually agree with that in principle.

If there is a God...it seems inconceivable that anything the God did or does...could be considered negatively by mere humans.

In fact...I could go further than that.

If there is a God...a "Creator" God...and if the God is a personal God as Christians suppose...it most assuredly should be considered a kind, good, helpful, understanding, tolerant, humanity loving kind of entity...and more than likely it would be that.

That is one of the reasons I guess the god of the Bible not to be the God that exists...should one exist.

The god of the Bible is reprehensible...and adoration and worship of it causes theists who "believe" it to be God...to spend way too much time torturing logic to invent rationalizations for its conduct...and its teachings.

If there is a God...of course the God created evil...in every manifestation of its definitions. It created the notion of free-will...and it created situations and temptations so that humans could do things which offend It...

...BUT ONLY IF ONE WANTS TO SUPPOSE THE GOD gets offended by ANYTHING a human does...even the excesses of scum like Caligula, Adolph Hitler... Ted Bundy...or Charles Manson.

But enough from this agnostic. Let the rationalizations continue.

Here's the rub with that one Frank. If you look at the bible you'll actually discover that there are two personalities of god. The OT god, which was fire, brimstone, the god of genocide and the god to be feared. Then you have the NT version of the lovable, huggable, giving, "forgive all who belive" god. This dichotomy of the character of god is perhaps the most confusing for me.

All that is to say, this is yet another example of how the bible gives them an "out". You say 'God did all of these terrible things!' they say "That was the old god, under the old covenant. The new god is cherry blossoms and snow cones and blah blah . . . .". You get the idea.

Let the rationalizations continue.

Frank Apisa wrote:

Let the rationalizations continue.

I'm curious about this remark. Who is rationalizing what in this thread?