[Vision2020] Re: Religious Diversity Education

[Ted Moffett]

Luke et.al.

A quick reply on one point:  the "Problem of Evil" is well known and studied 
and the solutions you offer are a bit glib.  God allowed man to sin so that 
he could glorify himself and make man more glorious?  What am I missing 
here?  If he allows man to sin, and could stop this sin, is not God partly 
responsible for the sin, and therefore no longer all Good?  Like if I knew 
some terrorists were going to blow up a building, I heard them plan it and 
saw them load explosives, but I did nothing to stop them, people would hold 
me responsible for not taking action.

And further, if God is all powerful, why not just make man as glorious as 
possible from the start and skip the existence of evil in any form?

If God is all powerful and all good and he could stop evil why would he 
allow it?

Your answer to the "Problem of Evil" suggests you have not really thought it 
through.

Though considering my blunders lately I too show evidence of this syndrome.

Ted


>From: "Luke" <lukenieuwsma@softhome.net>
>To: "Ted Moffett" <ted_moffett@hotmail.com>
>CC: "vision2020" <vision2020@moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Re: Religious Diversity Education
>Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2003 21:50:50 -0700
>
>Hello, Mr. Moffet:
>
> > The words "under God" I believe were added to the pledge of allegiance 
>in
> > 1954, I'm pretty sure.  Check on this!
>
>
>Well, that simply goes to show my point even more. Those words were added 
>rather recently, and they can be taken right out again easily.
>
>
>   Why do you say it does not matter?  Even assuming your claim that
> > the science classes teach there is no God, I think it reasonable to 
>assume
> > that many sincere students and teachers of many faiths regard the 
>reference
> > to "under God" in the pledge to be of great significance for their 
>faith,
> > and the overall moral and spiritual orientation of the public schools as
> > they serve society.
>
>     Maybe so for a few, but not the majority of the students. The reason I 
>say it doesn't matter is that the philosophical implications of 
>neo-Darwinism reduce us to mere organisms striving to survive, intaking 
>energy, placed on earth by mere chance. Just like all the other creatures. 
>In fact, since we're just more fully evolved animals, the logical 
>conclusion from this is that we live like animals.
>     When is the last time you saw a squirrel give a skunk, or a cat, or 
>another squirrel some nuts out of kindness? The ramifications of evolution 
>are self-centered lifestyles. That is why I say it does not matter whether 
>some highschool kid, taught that he's the new and improved ape, says "one 
>nation under God" once, or twice, or 5 times a week.
>
>
>To attempt an answer to your "God and evil" dilemma:
>God has the power to do anything, but another attribute of God is His 
>perfect righteousness. Therefore, He never sins, yet is capable of all 
>things. He allowed man to sin so that He could glorify Himself and make man 
>more glorious than he already was. It's like allowing a silver vase to get 
>dirty so you can clean it and put on polish, and make it far more shiny and 
>beautiful than before.
>
>God did not create evil, He created man as capable of evil. Evil exists as 
>the opposite of God. You cannot have light without darkness, which is 
>simply the absence of light; the same thing applies to God's goodness.
>
>For every single question that man can make, there is a true answer. And 
>everyone cannot be right. On a trigonometry test, there can be a hard 
>question with only one correct answer. Many students may come up with the 
>wrong answer, and have their own proofs etc to back it up too yet; however, 
>there is still only one answer. And when you know you have the right 
>answer, you don't have to try to solve the problem any longer or consider 
>other solutions.
>
>
>
>Best,
>Luke Nieuwsma

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