Funny,they always sneer at the words”” free will””...I have never heard one ever say, yeah,I want to be forced into doing the right thing....ALL THE TIME...
I suspect how man and God view both power and goodness differ immensely. Not to mention man doesn’t have God’s context or perspective. Are you really trying to box God in with that question? Talk about hubris.
Plantinga and Craig have clearer and better responses to this question.
Allowing free-choice evil is God’s way of sorting out who gets to share eternity with Him.
Because he gives man free will and they screw it up
Next question
As Moses lead Israel out of Egypt so the Son of Man,First Born of the Dead and
The Holy One Israel leads His Children out of Bondage to sin to Paradise.
I have gone rounds with some of them (as here) in comments, by the grace of God, but usually they are so recalcitrant that further extended debate is not warranted.
Thank you dnniel.
I look forward to trying POE
Two words, free will.
What was predestined was the plan of Salvation.
God knew man kind would fall, causing Him to send His only Begotten Son to be a sacrifice for sin.
Through the fall, sin entered.
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the LORD, and a thousand years is like a day. The LORD isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think.
No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the LORD will come as unexpectedly as a thief.
Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. (2 Peter 3:8-10)
“Let me give you a little inside information about God. God likes to watch. He’s a prankster. Think about it. He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It’s the goof of all time. Look but don’t touch. Touch, but don’t taste. Taste, don’t swallow. Ahaha. And while you’re jumpin’ from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He’s laughin’ His sick, f***n’ ass off! He’s a tight-ass! He’s a SADIST! He’s an absentee landlord! Worship that? NEVER!”
“I’m here on the ground with my nose in it since the whole thing began. I’ve nurtured every sensation man’s been inspired to have. I cared about what he wanted and I never judged him. Why? Because I never rejected him. In spite of all his imperfections, I’m a fan of man!”
Sold!
Anything to avoid evil, misery, and suffering!
Regards,
Evil is a product of man’s rebellion...
It separated us from God, for pure righteousness cannot coexist with evil...
This damned man to be apart from His creator... until Christ blood was shed to cleanse us from such... Forgiveness requires a blood sacrifice... Christ being the eternal High Priest and innocent lamb paid the price for eternity...
All He asks is for your acceptance of such and asking for His forgiveness...
If truly pursued He will live in you as you live in Him... His Father than sees His Son and not a sinner deserving condemnation... We than can be one with the Father again.
God is patient, He could come now and end all of the evil in this world... but He wants all that can be saved, to be saved...
We live in a time of grace... although forgiveness and salvation is a available it will present in a world where evil, trials and tribulations will occur...
But like a thief in the night He will return one day... and that will be a day of judgement...
Time is running out...
Thank you Jesus for providing us with a gift that is underserved... and showing us mercy...
Bkmk
God gave US the authority over the devil. It is up to US to stop him
Cf. Batsell Baxters "Have Atheists Proved There Is No God."
The same reason the machines bailed on creating utopia for us in the Matrix...
I think we can agree that WWII was evil. If we hadn’t come together to fight it, which in itself may have been a “good” that overwrote any bad, think of how things would be different. The British Empire might still control half the world, probably bad. The population explosion of which I was a fragment, might not have happened. (I’ll call that really bad.) All the advances like antibacterials, radar, safer and faster transportaion, countless advances in medicine and technology, all good, would be very late in coming. The space race, which gave us artificial hearts and microcircuits, would probably not have happened. The super safe consumerist world that we’ve all profited by since 1945 would probably be later in coming or not at all. (The whole reason it happened was the American navy was the only one to survive the war.) I could go on and on, but the point is by allowing that one evil so much good resulted that I wouldn’t undo the war if I could. (Certainly, if I’d lost my whole family my view might be different.)
I face a third order vibration of this issue daily. My sister is in a declining mental state. If I help her in anything, I own that thing for the rest of eternity, and she loses the ability to do that thing. If I help her up from a seated position, she lost the opportunity for that tiny bit of exercise that she desperately needs. It irritates her mightily that I take this view, but the more I do for her the worse she gets. I can see where God might take the same view.
I always like to answer this one with another question...
If God were to eliminate all evil from the earth at 3pm Central time today, would you still be here at 3:01pm CST?
Then begin the conversation.
Would heaven be enjoyable if a lot of people were there who preferred to be somewhere else?