Re: [asa] The Fall (humanity source of suffering)

I don't know how God could have put a whistle on a volcano, so I'm going
to use the example of physical pain. There are numerous individuals who
argue that a good God would not allow pain. However, I note that pain is
often a warning that something is wrong. A broken bone hurts. It tells us
that the injured member should be rested. So pain is not all bad. Then
the argument may become that pain beyond the warning is something a good
God would not allow. So all we need is a mechanism to turn off pain as
soon as the message is received. But I think of a person with a broken
arm who didn't hurt enough to get medical attention until too late for a
simple casting. The ER put on a splint and gave orders that the
orthopedist be visited in the morning. Additionally, how does one
construct such a mechanism? It would be easier, I think, either to make
the body so strong that it could not be damaged or to heal any damage
miraculously as soon as it occurred. A consequence of either of these
would surely be that the creature would not die. Either their number
would increase to the "standing room only" state, or there could not be
procreation. It seems that there are no end of problems with what can be
so easily stated.

I note that whatever is disliked is labeled bad, something that a good
God would never allow. It's a silly extension of selfcenteredness.
However, the proponents are certain that they are right, so any doubt
must be wrong.
Dave (ASA)

On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:18:46 -0600 "Bethany Sollereder"
<bsollereder@gmail.com> writes:
David,

You asked why God didn't reveal to humanity the technology needed to give
aid earlier. You also speculate about whether God would have revealed
advanced technology to people if they had not been tainted by sin.

Two things: We should ask not only why God didn't reveal technology
earlier, but why he didn't put more warning signs into nature. He could
have devised a system where a loud whistle emits out of an
about-to-explode volcano three days early, infallibly, to warn people to
clear out. He could have done many things to reduce the "evil" effects
of nature, but he didn't.

Second, speculating about whether a sinless humanity would have been
shown how to build technology that saves lives is certainly beyond the
scope of the Bible. Also, the one sinless human being to walk this earth
did nothing of the sort. You don't see Jesus pulling penicillin out of
moldy bread, or developing defibrillators, nor even teaching basic
anatomy to help with surgeries, or any of the things you could expect.
Certainly one who was not only human, but God himself, would have done
those things if that was the way that he worked in the world. But it
seems it isn't.

Bethany
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Received on Wed Jun 18 17:27:38 2008