RE: appendix

Why not ask even the more basic question, why did God sacrifice His Son
on the cross? All human suffering pales in comparison to this.

Moorad

________________________________

From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of George Murphy
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 8:52 AM
To: wallyshoes
Cc: asa@calvin.edu; Steven M Smith
Subject: Re: appendix

What's going to be a helpful answer to a person who asks the question
"How could God let this happen?" depends a lot on that person's
situation - whether it's merely a theoretical question or one coming
from that person's own suffering, his/her religious beliefs, &c. But
one thing we need to get at when that question is raised is, what "God"
are we talking about. Is it the immutable, impassible God of
philosophical theism or the biblical God who is with his people in their
sufferings & whose fullest revelation is in the cross?

BTW, last night's CBS news had a short segment on this question with
soundbites from representative of several religions - Hindu, Jewish,
Muslim, Buddhist and, saving the dumbest for last, Christian. The
Christian representative was the Episcopal bishop of D.C. who opined
that the tsunami was just a matter of geology and that God didn't have
anything to do with it: Deism 101.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/

        ----- Original Message -----

        From: wallyshoes <mailto:wallyshoes@mindspring.com>

        To: George Murphy <mailto:gmurphy@raex.com>

        Cc: asa@calvin.edu ; Steven M Smith <mailto:smsmith@usgs.gov>

        Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 7:40 AM

        Subject: Re: appendix

        George Murphy wrote:

                     A more serious problem is that while Hart refers to
the Incarnation, he makes no reference to the cross as God's
participation in the suffering of the world. While that doesn't provide
a neat solution to the theodicy question, I'm convinced that anything
said about the problem of suffering that doesn't appeal to the cross is
worth little. Shalom
                George
                http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
                <http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/>

        
        Christian to Christian that can make sense. But what do we say
to non-believers who question the "goodness" of God? I have no good
answer; do you?
Received on Fri Jan 7 09:55:56 2005