because all important problems are insoluble: that is why they are important. The good comes from the continuing struggle to try and solve them, not from the vain hope of their solution.On Friday, in a comment on the problem of evil, I myself wrote about one important problem:
I meant to contrast my "wide-eyed sobriety" with a person's typical wistfulness when it comes to God (and to most everything else important); that is, we typically believe what we want to believe.Do we tend to believe what we want to believe when it comes to such problems just in order to avoid that "continuing struggle to try and solve them"? The continuing struggle in my case seems to have resulted in my somber disillusionment, to quote my friend Tom Sheepandgoats's comment on the "problem of evil" post.
Tom offers me a way to get around the impasse of this particular one of Schlesinger's insoluble important problems—the problem whether God (if God exists) is both good and evil. He suggests that I assent to the Jehovah's Witnesses' contention that the Bible shows that we humans (and other animals? I asked Tom) were intended to live forever, which I take it the Jehovah's Witnesses interpret as meaning that we, in fact, do live forever—that is, that we will be miraculously resurrected and find that our suffering and death here on earth were illusions and we didn't suffer that much, really, however many times we may have been raped and stabbed or whatever, and that God really was totally good after all.
I am skeptical that Tom and the Jehovah's Witnesses have found by their Biblical interpretation a reliable way to avoid Schlesinger's vain hope. Of course they have found a way to avoid it, but you've probably already guessed that I can't share their solace, for I doubt that their interpretation is reliable.
I can already hear Tom ask, "Well, would you like to remove your doubt by studying the text and our interpretation of it?" In asking that, he would be challenging me to put up or admit that I don't so much doubt the interpretation as assume that it's wishful thinking and inherently unreliable.
Am I putting too much faith in Schlesinger's contention (by implication) that this problem is and must remain insoluble? Is this skeptic's faith any better than the faith of the believer that "whatever the Bible [or the Quran or the Book of Mormon or some other book held to be 'God's word'] says is so must therefore be so"?
hi,
ReplyDeletei agree with you that try to force evidence to agree with what they believe. i think many people refuse to believe in god not because of the evidence, but because they don't want to be accountable to a higher powers set of standards of morals, as well, as i'm sure, of other reasons.
but also i think people don't want an answer to life's many 'big questions' because then they would be forced to act. however if allow themselves to be stuck in a state of 'analysis paralysis' then they can continue on with their life. people in general resist change. so its no wonder that people ignore or disbelieve things that cause or would force change.
and regarding your earlier post asserting that if god exist then he must be evil. why must god be evil? the bible says that MAN has dominated man to his injury. (ecclesiastes 8:9)
also if you remember the account of job it was satan not got who did those evil things to job. also note what james 1:13: "When under trial, let no one say: 'I am being tried by God.' For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone."
a better question i think might be is why does god permit evil, whether it be satan or wicket people?
and the answer is that he will not let it continue indefinitely.
10 And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more;
And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be.
11 But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth,
And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. (psalms 37:10-11)
the reason he is allowing it now is that man can try to rule himself. remember that in the garden of eden man and satan challenged god's right to rule as well as whether man can or should rule themselves. so he is permitting it so that that issue will be settled once and for all. would it be just for god just to kill adam and eve and start over? wouldn't god look like a tyrant then? remember that there were angels watching this, and doing so would have just given satan's claims weight.
what do you think about all this?
oh and i found ur blog via a blog search. :) i'm a jw too.
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