***Would not evil be more or less defined as the absence of God?
No. The (chas veshalom!) “absence of G-d” would mean . . . nothing. Not empty space, but . . . nothing.
G-d and evil are rooted in G-d’s nature and decrees. There is no independent morality or ethics based on any other consideration. ***
Interesting. If satan is an angel in opposition to God, then is satan an agent of God according to your understanding?
***It is not Theists who have a “problem of evil” to solve (since G-d is absolutely necessary to objective evil to exist). It is atheists who insist that even in a self-existent universe devoid of all meaning, some things are still objectively “evil.”***
Can you expand upon this?
Absolutely. And he's only doing his job. You must remember that there is no evil fallen angel warring against G-d in Torah.
***It is not Theists who have a “problem of evil” to solve (since G-d is absolutely necessary to objective evil to exist). It is atheists who insist that even in a self-existent universe devoid of all meaning, some things are still objectively “evil.”***
Can you expand upon this?
Sure. The whole point of morality/ethics is subjection and obedience to the Divine Will. Without a Divine Will to submit to all you have are subjective "hang-ups." Plus obedience and disobedience of G-d unleash spiritual forces (food in the case of the former, bad in the latter). In other words, to put it vulgarly, "mojo." If there is no G-d and all "morality" or "ethics" is based on "being nice to other people" (nice defined by whom, btw?) then obviously no spiritual forces are involved at all. Human beings are just pulling the whole thing out of their rears.
Zionist Conspirator: Absolutely. And he's only doing his job. You must remember that there is no evil fallen angel warring against G-d in Torah.
Mark, the concept of an independent and rebellious evil and the "conflict" between good and evil is a post-Babylonian, Persian import which made its way into messianic Judaism, and represents corruption of traditional Judaism. Jews do not believe that an angel, being created an obligate servant, can rebel against God.
The add insult to injury the Church added to this sectarian Jewish cult pagan Greek (Platonic) philosophy and created a new religion. In Judaism, man is in no need for salvation and ha-satan is a loyal servant (and son of) God, as all his angels are.
Most Christians are not aware of how the Jews interpret their own scripture. Instead, Christians treat Judaism as an apostate "corruption," and offer the New Testament as a "correction." The Church even states clearly that we interpret everything, including the Old Testament, through the prism of the New Testament, and the New Testament through the prism of the Gospels.
In doing so, Christianity is to a Jew what Mormonism is to a Christian. When the Christians say they are the "extended" Israel" it is like the Mormons saying they are the "true Christians." When we offer the New Testament to a Jew as scripture, it is like LDS offering their Book of Mormon to a Christian.
When American evangelists speak of "Judeo-Christian" culture, it is as if we were speaking of a Mormon-Christian culture. It is an oxymoron. A Jew can even be an atheist and still be a Jew, and even acceptable to God, but he cannot be a Christian and still be considered a Jew. You cannot be Cathoic and a Mormon, but you can be a non-practicing Catholic if you have been properly baptized.
Most Christians do not realize the true width of the chasm that exists. Much of it has to do with the fact that Christians adopted Jewish scriptures and Christianized it, so we feel it's partial "ours." Trouble is, the way we read it and the way the Jews read it is like night and day.
If you want to imagine how a Jew feels in a Christian world, imagine a Catholic/Orthodox living in a Mormon world...
ZC, your thoughts?