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Old 11-03-2005, 03:51 PM
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Default Re: The idea of God being omnicient / omnipotent confuses me

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Three-toed sloth: "But if God is both omnipotent and good, then why does God allow innocent people to suffer?"
I think Bertrand Russell (and many others) have used a similar argument. But if I (for example) kill, rape or steal, is that God's fault?
The greatest charge that can be laid against God is that He gave the creation free will, and He has taken responsibility for that by Himself dying for free will that has been abused.

Would you prefer a world where an omnipotent being makes all of your decisions for you? You want to play Poker today, but the omnipotent being wants you to spend the afternoon nursing the elderly, which includes cleaning the slime from their bed sheets.... (an exasperatingly dumb example, I know, but I think you see my point :-)

With my freedom to choose, I can work unselfishly for the betterment of others, or choose to further my own path at others' expense, covered in the security that God will continue to love me, no matter what I do.

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And I agree, you can CHOOSE to use your freedom for the betterment of others just as easily as a sadistic mom can choose to drown her children. Maybe our ideas of omnipotence are contradicting. What i was saying is that why would a God that is both omnipotent and wholly good allow such a thing? It doesnt make any sense to me. Freewill almost seems like a limitation of God.

"Our ideas only reach as far as our experiences..We have no experiences of divine attributes or operations"
-David Hume
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