Re: Dembski theodicy

Here's a brief comment offered in the confidence that it will be
entirely ignored, (ignored in the name of job security for pedagogues).
It crosses my mind that the fuss over the origins of evil is the luxury
of a society who isn't busy about daily survival – a society sold on the
notion that pain doesn't have to be a part of this world, courtesies of
pharmaceuticals, new technology, etc. This includes many of us in the
first world nations, and probably the wealthy kings and philosophers of
previous ages. I'm certainly not saying such things weren't debated long
ago. The psalmists and Job fussed quite a bit over such problems as well.

Paul asks in I Cor. 1:20 "Where is the wise man? …" Later commenting
that God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise; and
so on. Maybe it is only the 'wise' that get tied in knots over where
evil came from. Not to belittle the anguished wails of the suffering in
the world. But I'll bet we'd be surprised how many of them would give an
incredulous look at any of us who suggested to them that they let their
circumstances remodel their theology. Theirs would not be the look of
ignorance, but of amazement that someone could so obviously get the cart
before the horse.

But enough of this interlude. Back to our philosophical navel gazing. It
surely is productive in its own way.

--merv
Received on Thu May 11 22:40:19 2006