Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | why does God allow evil to exsit | Bible general Archive 2 | Parable | 138911 | ||
According to Dr. Gregory Boyd, in his book, "Satan and the problem of evil", evil is a necessary possibility in a world in which the following realities make love possible: 1. Love entails freedom. (freedom to choose otherwise is what makes choosing love so special) 2. Freedom entails risk. (the risk is that someone may actually choose not to love) 3. Risk entails moral responsibility. (people are responsible for their choices because of the consequences they bring. Sometimes those consequences are evil) 4. Moral responsibility is proportionate to the power to influence others. (if you are powerful, you have more responsibility that someone who is inconsequential. Satan was the most powerful, so he carries the most responsibility for rebelling against God) 5. The power to influence is irrevocable. (God's gifts are genuine, not taken back if abused.) 6. The power to influence is finite. (God has established boundaries within which we operate, so the consequences of our poor decisions are not infinitely bad for everyone everywhere.) If you experience evil, it is because someone, including possibly yourself, chose to follow something other than God, and that choice was close enough to you that the consequences were within your sphere of influence. Boyd derives his point from scripture. A good summary of his ideas are available in "God of the Possible" and at his website www.gregboyd.org/gbfront/ |
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2 | why does God allow evil to exsit | Bible general Archive 2 | Shankara | 138944 | ||
The good Dr. Boyd has, by strictly verbal means, removed some of the venal venom that always seems to be dripping from real evil's mouth when you are face to face with it. I'm sorry but Dr. Boyd's reply, while erudite, still leaves me shuddering at the prospect of meeting something someday (as many of us who have directly encountered "evil" have before) that doesn't quite fit his noble explanation. There is just simply not enough teeth in this explanation to bite into and hold tight onto evil's tail when we encounter the real and terrible thing it can be. | ||||||
3 | why does God allow evil to exsit | Bible general Archive 2 | Parable | 138989 | ||
My summary of his conclusions does not do justice to his derivation from scripture and his application to real world evil. For example, one of his most compelling examples is the case of Nazi concentration camp guards who gang rape a young girl, then gouge out her eyes. Hardly "strictly verbal means". Boyd's ideas speak directly to the unlimited depravity that evil can manifest. His explanation is gut-wrenching, not noble, and accounts for all manner of real evil, not the abstract concept some people have who have not seen it personally. As for meeting evil, no explanation or system of thought is adequate, rather the only defense is Jesus Christ, his love and goodness. We are called to overcome evil with His goodness. Peace |
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