Re: [asa] Theodicy continued

On Wed, 20 Feb 2008, Don Nield wrote:

> I am in the process of reading Keith Ward's book "Divine Action: Examining
> God's Role in an Open and Emerging Universe'' -- in fact I am reviewing it
> for PSCF -- the book was originally published in 1990 but has now been
> republished --with a new preface -- by the Templeton Foundation Press
> (2007). A sample quotation (p. 67):
> "Plantinga's suggestion that Satan causes natural evil seems to me most
> implausible (Plantinga ["God, Freedom and Evil"]1977: 58) for suffering is
> involved in the whole course of the evolution of life, from the preying of
> one fish on another to the development of cancer cells in the body. Though
> some prophets have thought that lions might lie down with lambs, that would
> involve a great change in their digestive systems. And I cannot think that
> fallen angels changed the digestive systems of dinosaurs long before the
> first human being existed. Nor is it quite convincing to be told that one is
> free to choose between good and evil; for what is the point of such a choice,
> and why is it so important as to justify a world of immense suffering?
> Perhaps one would rather not be free under those conditions. In view of those
> problems, I have sought to put a great deal of emphasis on the necessities
> inherent in the Divine nature. ....."
> Don

My comment is not relevant to the point being made above, but I find in
this quote from Ward an illustration of how if we hear something repeated
enough times, we think it is a biblical quote and don't bother to check it
out. Ward's mention of some prophets thinking that lions might lie down
with lambs may be the most common example of a misquote of Scripture. This
is apparently a badly mangled version of Isaiah 11:6,7 or possibly Isaiah
65:25.

Gordon Brown (ASA member)

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Received on Thu Feb 21 15:42:50 2008