Betty, as you said regarding "randomness", I say, "suffering" compared to what? As far as the atheist goes, by what standard does one who says the material universe is all there is judge that the materialist universe is not as it ought to be? What foundation does the atheist have for this notion that the universe is not as it ought to be? None. Atheism renders evil and suffering as meaningless and unintelligible.
Regarding someone's allegation that the Calvinist is put into the position of having to blame God directly for all the suffering in the world — which is to conceive of God as a monster.., it shoud be noted that the judgment of God by His putative critic, who presumes to make the finite human mind the ultimate criterion of truth, is self-vitiating in a way similar to that of the atheist. By what moral or epistemological standard does the finite, subjective man judge the infinite God? God's standard? As the Scripture says concerning such arrogant foolishnes of man presuming to have the abilities of God in order to blame God in some fashion:
You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
Cordially,
Not to mention "sin" — as r9etb has pointed out.
...it should be noted that the judgment of God by His putative critic, who presumes to make the finite human mind the ultimate criterion of truth, is self-vitiating in a way similar to that of the atheist. By what moral or epistemological standard does the finite, subjective man judge the infinite God? God's standard?
Oh, so beautifully said, dear Diamond! How can we humans possibly conceive of "God's standard?" Plus it seems to me we never can step outside of it....
Thank you ever so much for your outstanding essay/post!