this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2025
872 points (96.9% liked)

Memes

48606 readers
2192 users here now

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 hours ago

I'm also sick of hearing people say, "God never gives you more than you can handle."

I know people who have been driven batshit insane by what God has given them.

[–] fne8w2ah@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Cults and organised religion - name a surprisingly compatible combo.

[–] Dropper_Post@lemm.ee 4 points 5 hours ago

That is exactly true. Life is only about 3 things: food, reproduction and dealing with boredom. Humans add so many colours to that, that it looks like we do more than those 3 things so that's where you might see free will.

[–] amadeus84@lemm.ee 4 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I like to think of why people suffer or God allows it like this. Even if you don’t think there is a plan, 70 years on earth vs an infinity of bliss is a good deal.

[–] interested_party@lemmy.org 1 points 4 hours ago

I think of this too, and then I think God gave humans a brain to figure out what to do.

[–] Zacryon@feddit.org 46 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Reminds me of the Epicurean Paradox:

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

You could replace "God" with "Parents" to the same effect.

But arguing that a parent is evil because they see a child committing an error, know it is an error, and decline to intercede doesn't rationally follow. If you helicopter over your kids and intercede every time they make mistakes, they never develop into independent and mature adults. You also induce a lot of anxiety, as you're constantly interposing yourself between the child's desires and actions without the ability to convey the wisdom of your decisions. So the kid sees you as the harmful force, rather than the thing you're seeking to avert.

So what's a Parent/God to do? Do you puppet your child, never letting them stray farther than the length of a string? Do you lock your child in a padded ceil and hand-feed them every day? Do you hardwire their programming, so they can't deviate from your design, acting exclusively on a divine instinct?

Is that really what we consider "Goodness"?

There is also the Calculation Problem to consider. A God-like intelligence might be able to observe far more than a human without being perfectly omniscient. Similarly, they might be able to calculate probabilities more quickly and accurately without being perfectly prescient. If a Parent/God knows most of the things but is not omniscient, does that mean they are unworthy of your attention or the reception of wisdom? At the same time, is it the duty of a Parent/God to restrict the actions of the others in their domain to the things they can calculate in advance? This brings us back to the idea of the Child Prisoner or Brainwashed Child. You're safe at the expense of any kind of growth or personal liberty. God treats you like a farmer treats a veal calf - perfectly unspoiled through inaction.

And finally, there is the problem of Entropy. A God who can foresee everything and recognizes that Evil is inevitable. Is such a God responsible for this Evil simply because it can perceive it? Is such a God responsible for this Evil simply because it cannot prevent it? Is this flaw in God's power a reason to reject it as a source of virtue?

Consider Odin hanging from Yggdrasil, his eye plucked out in pursuit of a way to prevent Ragnorak. He is not all-powerful. He is not-all knowing. He is routinely makes mistakes and even acts out of anger, lust, or petty vengeance. He is fundamentally flawed as dieties come. And yet his primary goal and function - to prevent the end of the world - seems noble enough to justifiably cultivate a religious following.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 2 points 41 minutes ago

Parents cannot prevent evil and are not all powerful.

[–] bufalo1973@lemm.ee 4 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Parents aren't all powerful. But the Abrahamic god is (according to their faith) all powerful. So it could stop any war, any disease, any pain, ... but does not. Either it's not all powerful or not good. Choose. Or, as I think, doesn't exist.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 11 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

Church dilemma - knowing the will of God vs affirming that God's ways are inscrutable, According to convenience

[–] Doctor_Satan@lemmy.world 34 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

If you read the Bible with a purely objective mind and come away thinking God is the good guy in the story, I have some serious questions about your morality and ethics.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 9 points 8 hours ago

Username checks out?

load more comments
view more: next ›