If Christianity is true, why is there so much evil in the world?

[Damocles]

Allowing something to happen that results in suffering is allowing suffering. It makes more sense within the narrative to believe Yahweh is a sadist.

Again, you simply refuse to comprehend what was stated. It isn't allowed, it is directly caused. Much like grounding a child for a very long time... The suffering, our punishment for those deeds, ends when the God returns to bring the believers to paradise and not sooner.

 

[Damocles]

it is not a carnal paradise. it is eternal . children of light. it is not adherence to some useless religious habit.

Way outside the premise, considering the premise "Christianity is true" I will then not be blessed by entry to this paradise because I do not believe.

 

[Damocles]

do you believe that Jesus is alive ? seriously.

You must be very new here. I am not a Christian, I do not believe that Jesus is alive. I don't even believe that God exists.

 

[USFREEDOM911]

Well, the rule in the book tells me I would have to believe for that to happen. So, if this premise is true, there will be no paradise for me.

Just curious; but as a Buddhist, aren't you already following most of the tenants that the Bible preaches??

Do you covet??
Do you steal??
Do you bear false witness??
Do you commit murder??
Do you commit adultery??
Do you honor your parents??
Do you keep your faith??
Do you condemn your beliefs??
Do you deny your beliefs??
Do you adhere to a belief of something better??

<yeah - yeah, I know it's not what's written; but this is me trying to understand and have a discussion with someone who has said he's a Buddhist.>

 

[Damocles]

Just curious; but as a Buddhist, aren't you already following most of the tenants that the Bible preaches??

Do you covet??
Do you steal??
Do you bear false witness??
Do you commit murder??
Do you commit adultery??
Do you honor your parents??
Do you keep your faith??
Do you condemn your beliefs??
Do you deny your beliefs??
Do you adhere to a belief of something better??

<yeah - yeah, I know it's not what's written; but this is me trying to understand and have a discussion with someone who has said he's a Buddhist.>

How would that change under the original premise? In that premise God himself told us that there is no path to paradise except through him. This God told us directly that it is not through works (like not bearing false witness, et al) that we get there, but through belief. Whoever believes in this God gets the ticket, nobody else.

 

[USFREEDOM911]

How would that change under the original premise? In that premise God himself told us that there is no path to paradise except through him. This God told us directly that it is not through works (like not bearing false witness, et al) that we get there, but through belief. Whoever believes in this God gets the ticket, nobody else.

I'm not a believer in there being only a Christian God and I'm of the belief that God manifests himself in various and numerous "forms"; because the tenants of Christianity seem to take similar form in different religions.

It's not so much of the Religious belief; but instead is adhering to the Belief.


If you, a Buddhist, adhere to your teachings and do no harm to others; then it is my belief that you are being faithful to the underlying premise.

 

[PostmodernProphet]

I disagree, but that's a different discussion.
Why can't this god remove disease and hunger from existence?

because people keep choosing to put it back in..........

 

[PostmodernProphet]

Well there is no free will, so that's a fallacious question.

it is incredibly sad that some people are stupid enough to choose to believe that......

 

[PostmodernProphet]

But you do "believe" in a god. So you can't accept that a good god wouldn't let suffering occur.
Saying he's going to do it at some point does not explain why he's allowing suffering now.

he already has, and its been explained to you.......you simply have chosen to reject it......

 

[PostmodernProphet]

You could also make the assumption that Yahweh is evil, and that's why he allows suffering.

that would be a choice.....

 

[PostmodernProphet]

Why is that?

because he too has made a choice.....

 

[PostmodernProphet]

I pick Cthulhu.

lol.....because he would never allow suffering.......

 

[PostmodernProphet]

Just curious; but as a Buddhist, aren't you already following most of the tenants that the Bible preaches??

Do you covet??
Do you steal??
Do you bear false witness??
Do you commit murder??
Do you commit adultery??
Do you honor your parents??
Do you keep your faith??
Do you condemn your beliefs??
Do you deny your beliefs??
Do you adhere to a belief of something better??

<yeah - yeah, I know it's not what's written; but this is me trying to understand and have a discussion with someone who has said he's a Buddhist.>

those are not requirements for salvation.....as Jesus pointed out in the sermon on the Mount, if that is your standard, everyone is screwed.........John 3 makes it clear........it is simply a choice to believe or not believe........

 

[PostmodernProphet]

I'm not a believer in there being only a Christian God and I'm of the belief that God manifests himself in various and numerous "forms";

that's fine....but obviously you will have to plan on being in some other form of paradise with some other form of god.....

 

[Ross Dolan]

I do not. I work within the premise of the conversation. I do not understand your insistence that my adherence to the topic at hand where we make a first assumption, "If Christianity is true, ..." means that I believe this stuff. I am solely speaking of a hypothetical situation wherein Christianity is true.

As for your, "he doesn't explain", your are wrong, he does explain and I told you when, what was said, and why we suffer. When God removed the creation from the garden he flat told them why, what would happen, clothed them, told them of a future where grace will be restored, and then fulfilled what he said he would do at that time. In the future, assuming the original premise, your world with no suffering will exist for those who kept faith with this God.

Damocles, you insist you are working within the premise of the OP...and I will take you at your word. But I cannot even understand the supposed premise that you seem to find so essential.

What does "If Christianity is true" mean?

"Christianity" obviously is "true" if the phrase means "exists." Christianity "exists." There is no "if" involved.

If the phrase means "what the the Christians churches teach"...we have a long haul before the question can be tackled, because various elements of Christianity teach remarkably different things. Fact is, Paul seems to teach something quite different from what Jesus seems to teach. Catholic teaching is markedly different from American Baptist teachings...as is Presbyterian from Methodist. There is no agreement on what Christianity is all about.

So I don't see how this "conversation" has gone on with over 200 comments without that being sorted out.

I brought that up in the other thread. You never commented.

How are you interpreting "if Christianity is true?"

 

[iolo]

I think the real difficulty here is that no-one defines 'Christianity', and they mostly seem to assume it means the most benighted American fundamentalist codswallop. There is evil in the world for all sorts of reasons, at the moment mainly because of capitalism, though, again, it very much depends upon one's definition of 'evil'..

 

[Ross Dolan]

I think the real difficulty here is that no-one defines 'Christianity', and they mostly seem to assume it means the most benighted American fundamentalist codswallop. There is evil in the world for all sorts of reasons, at the moment mainly because of capitalism, though, again, it very much depends upon one's definition of 'evil'..

Indeed. In fact, a case can be made that there is no such thing as "evil"...except what we humans decide among ourselves to be evil. And it appears we humans will never fully agree on anything.

 

[iolo]

Indeed. In fact, a case can be made that there is no such thing as "evil"...except what we humans decide among ourselves to be evil. And it appears we humans will never fully agree on anything.

Agreed. It's like the idea that death is evil. You and I will, I don't doubt, have mixed feelings on the matter, but without it, it is going to get a bit crowded around here! We'd have to be in the position of an all-knowing god to begin to see what was 'evil' - and then we'd probably be a bit biased!

 

[Ross Dolan]

Agreed. It's like the idea that death is evil. You and I will, I don't doubt, have mixed feelings on the matter, but without it, it is going to get a bit crowded around here! We'd have to be in the position of an all-knowing god to begin to see what was 'evil' - and then we'd probably be a bit biased!

Yup.

And with the "Christian" god...that gets rather dicey.

There are many things most of us consider evil that the Christian god does not consider evil at all...in fact, the Christian god often dictates that they be done. Killing others in the name of religion; visiting the sins of fathers (and mothers) on sons (and daughters); dealing in and owning slaves...come immediately to mind.

And there are things the Christian god considers evil that we humans do not. Spanking the monkey; getting laid while not married; worshiping whatever gods we want...or worshiping no gods; making idols if we choose; eating whatever foods we want on whatever days we want...are a few.

 

[iolo]

Yup.

And with the "Christian" god...that gets rather dicey.

There are many things most of us consider evil that the Christian god does not consider evil at all...in fact, the Christian god often dictates that they be done. Killing others in the name of religion; visiting the sins of fathers (and mothers) on sons (and daughters); dealing in and owning slaves...come immediately to mind.

And there are things the Christian god considers evil that we humans do not. Spanking the monkey; getting laid while not married; worshiping whatever gods we want...or worshiping no gods; making idols if we choose; eating whatever foods we want on whatever days we want...are a few.

I don't think, fair play, we'd find many of those in the recorded sayings of Jesus.