Posted on 04/07/2019 3:39:40 AM PDT by Kaslin
What better time to criticize Christians’ notion of God than Lent?
Same ‘stuff’
Same season
Different year
But celebrate the diversity Islamic theocracy is bringing to the West...
2 Timothy 2:23
“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.”
Not to mention, why would God want to create a rock He couldn’t lift? Just to be tested by one of His smug creations?
Both the author of this piece and the philosopher he criticizes need a better understanding of what they mean by things like “create”, “nothing”, “existence”, “logic”. These words are empty of meaning without a concept of a world, i.e., a system limited by rules. It’s “self-evident” to me that it arises from Him, and, consequently, everything that is dependent on it. The alternative is to say that “the World just is because it is”, which not an explanation at all.
Iirc, Einstein has the rock, and everything in the universe moving all the time. The fool cannot and will not bend God’s will to his own for the sake his simpleminded stunt. His proof will come along at the proper time as God sees fit.
God is God. God does not have to be rational.
As a student of philosophy at Union college under professor Warren Steinkraus I dealt extensively with the problem of sin and the presence of evil in nature. Atterton should study classical philosophy. He has missed much.
If the rock was that big, what would he lift it *from*?
Let him philosophize his way out of that.
Man judging & defining God is the ultimate lunacy.
The very finite trying to describe and understand the infinite in his extremely finite terms and knowledge.
How much of the universe does any man understand? Not one millionth of one percent.
Yet, devoid of this knowledge, and so stupid he will not acknowledge his almost infinite ignorance, he comes to a conclusion.
Arrogance. Ultimate arrogance.
Saying that God has infinite knowledge implies that He has no Free Will since everything is already predetermined. When He walks through the Garden and asks “Where are you?”, theologians are reduced to implying that God was being disingenuous.
I tend to leave it at “God knows what He is doing”
‘God’s power is indeed unlimited...’
this in itself can’t be based on logical possibilities, as it is grounded purely in supposition and opinion...
‘The alternative is to say that “the World just is because it is”, which not an explanation at all.’
isn’t that the exact argument that theists use to explain a deity...?
‘The alternative is to say that “the World just is because it is”, which not an explanation at all.’
“isn’t that the exact argument that theists use to explain a deity...?”
That would depend on the theist, I suppose. They would need to go further, though, and explain why an explanation is needed at all.
After 30 years of argumentation,
the theist is reduced to answer unknown,
the atheist is reduced to answer unknown,
so why debate?
So that babblers can get grants and salaries paid for by the taxpayers.
this seems to be the most basic, elemental truth of all.
“why is an explaqnation needed at all?” indeed.
Man will always wonder and ask. An omnipotent, omniscient God will always continue being omnipotent and omniscient regardless of the feeble creations. Though on a relative scale, the created beings must necessarily follow the immutable rules which they must, the illusions under which they labor, and the thoughts/constructs of their own which they naturally offer as their whole truth...
along with inherent evil such as why the officiating crew in the Auburn-Virginia game chose their corrupt path relegating this years national championship to a permanent ASTERISK with what is likely the worst, most corrupt call in basketball history.
“why is an explanation needed at all?” indeed.
To me, the reason is that it is necessary to answer a question of more immediacy: “what should I being doing?”. It’s a relevant question for any creature with free will. The atheist and the theist will differ on who or what decides the “should”. If you claim not to have free will, then you have to pretend that you don’t care.
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