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This week: Epicurus' Riddle Edited by: NaNoKit  
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God is good and God is omnipotent. Why, then, asked Epicurus, is there the problem of evil?
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about good, evil, and the question of what is God.
kittiara |
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A few days ago, I sat my philosophy exam. Three essays in three hours. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, but I guess that it's one of those things that has to be done.
One of the topics I tackled in my exam was "Theists could solve the problem of evil by dropping the claim that God is omnipotent, but a non-omnipotent God is not a God at all. Discuss.” This, of course, comes down to Epicurus' Riddle.
For those unfamiliar with Epicurus' Riddle, it addresses the problem of evil. God is generally seen as omnipotent and good, yet evil exists. Epicurus argues as follows:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?
It is an interesting argument. Personally, I would have added “all-knowing” to the mix, but as it stands, the riddle is tricky enough to answer.
What comes to mind, naturally, is that we first should define what is evil. Natural disasters, for example, are not evil. They just are. The state of nature, which can be seen as harsh, as one species will target the other for survival, is not evil, but arguably could have been designed in a nicer fashion. True evil, however, tends to be human, because humans know the difference between right and wrong. Humans have free will and can use this free will to make good and bad choices. Some of these bad choices are evil ones.
Is free will the answer, then? This is where I would have used the “all-knowing” factor. If God knew evil would sprout from free will, could humans have been designed with a lesser capacity for evil, or, at least, a greater tendency towards good? Perhaps, perhaps not. It is possible that evil is, well, a necessary evil.
Yet if we are to believe religious texts, there are times when God intervened when evil was abound. Why, then, does He not stop all evil from occurring? Why is there so much suffering in the world?
Some people think that all this suffering has a greater purpose. Others feel that it is possible that there are some things God cannot change. Could God make 2 + 2 = 5?
I personally think that Epicurus' Riddle depends on our personal definition of God. People's perceptions of what is God have changed over time. There used to be a belief in many Gods and Goddesses, each with their own specific tasks. For some, God is nature. There are those who believe in a non-interventionist God, a God who kick-started everything and then sat back, whilst others believe in a God who is intimately involved in our everyday lives.
As writers we create characters. As people we create Gods, at least in a sense. Those who believe in a higher power often shape this higher power to be what sits right with them, and what makes sense to them.
This God does not have to be all good. If one believes in hell, for example, would a truly good God really condemn a person to eternal suffering, even if that person had been bad?
God, and God's ways, are open to interpretation. I do not always side with David Hume, but I do agree with him that when we are dealing with such matters as omnipotence, the origins of the universe, and so on, we are dealing with matters that we have no experience of, and there comes a point when we have to confess that these matters might be beyond our human comprehension.
There is no shame in this. If someone born without sight were asked to picture a gold mountain, this person will likely be able to picture a mountain, but could he truly know what gold is like without ever having seen gold? Could a person who has never heard music imagine a piece by Beethoven?
We have never witnessed a universe being created. We have never met God, let alone sat down with Him and had a thorough discussion about His motives and capabilities. All we can do is speculate, and use what limited scientific knowledge we have to try unravel the remaining mysteries of the natural world.
It is possible that we will never know all the answers. Maybe God isn't omnipotent. Maybe He is, but evil has to exist for reasons we are unaware of. Maybe God is malevolent, at least as we understand it. Whatever the case, Epicurus was working with one version of God - within the limitations of the God character he had created.
What is God and what isn't, is not for us to define. If God exists - and I believe He does - He simply is, and we won't know His reality until we come face to face with Him. By which time we cannot share this knowledge with others, so the mystery continues.
kittiara
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
rani  - what i like about ur newsletter the most is your saying that we all are different and we must learn from each other. you are telling the reality that what actually is the mindset of people. and it is somewhat motivational also which i like the most.
Thank you very much! I am glad that you enjoyed it .
~~~
Jeff  - Great message this week, Kittiara! While I think labels can sometimes be useful for classifying things, I find that when they're applied to groups of people, it can be divisive as often as it can be clarifying. A lot of people have an "with us or against us" mentality that can be really destructive and get in the way of valuable relationships with some really amazing people who just happen to have a different set of beliefs than we do.
Thank you {:smile}. I agree. Some labels are necessary, especially when it comes to items. When it comes to people, and especially groups of people, they can be unhelpful and, indeed, unfair and divisive. "With us or against us" is never going to work, and may alienate those who could enrich our life experience.
~~~
Quick-Quill  - I understand where you're coming from. I have to take issue with your "do not judge"sermon. I feel what God wanted us to not do is Judge as to condemn. When you go to the store and buy tomatoes, you judge their color, (don't pinch), you thump the cantaloupe an water melons to see if they are good enough to buy.You are condemning them to your cart. If you were hiring a babysitter you question and JUDGE. You aren't condemning, you are "qualifying." Here is where the word intolerance, judging and "love everyone" is misdirected. When those of different faith, culture or social structure threaten the laws of the land, they must be JUDGED. I listened to a lawyer talk through a lawyer/interpreter tell an Hmoung man he was going to jail for beating is wife. He wanted to know why?
"You can't do that in the USA. Its against our law."
"She's just a woman and didn't have dinner when I came home."
The woman lawyer heated, I could see her burn.
"You are going to jail."
"I have to work. I can't go to jail, I'll lose my job."
"I'm sorry, but you broke the law and you're going to jail."
"I have to work. My wife will go to the jail for me."
"No, she will NOT! You will go to the jail."
At that point we were called in to he court room. I didn't hear the rest. But the law of the land supersedes the culture and religious laws as they pertain to people. If you want your own law go back to where you came from. People everywhere are being forced to accept ideals different than their own or be called racist or intolerant. I have a moral standard. I don't have to bend it or change it because someone calls me names. I love everyone's soul and I want them to make it to heaven. If they chose to commit acts or actions that go against my beliefs I have every right to ignore them or defend myself. They do not have the right to force me to ACCEPT their ideal as mine. I am intolerant of those who break God's law and man's.
All I said, really, was to not judge people on their background and the fact that they may follow a different spiritual path. Of course, one has to judge whether or not tomatoes are ripe or whether or not someone is experienced and trustworthy enough to babysit one's children.
In the example you used, that man was a nasty person who also should have done some research on the country he was moving to. Therefore, he can be judged as an individual. The problem comes when groups of people are judged by the actions of the few, which is what I highlighted in my newsletter. The majority of migrants obey the law, regardless of their faith or cultural background. They do not attempt or even wish to force anyone to accept different ideals. They move to another country, pay their taxes, make friends, and just get on with their lives. Yet they still get lumped in with those who stand out.
~~~
Chasing Worms  - I love your column and it seems so appropriate for what is going on around the world. I watch the fear and anger, which is generated from so much "unknown" and the media has done nothing to quell it, because it "sells." There are a lot of bad things going on everywhere, but there is still more good that out weighs it. We don't have to look far to see the good around us. I think about all religions; the very simple basis on which they were all founded is based on love. If we could all do one think that God commanded, "Love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12, the fear, anger and bigotry would fall away. You can't hold those negative thoughts if you spend time loving others. I do agree with you, we all need more love. I am the proverbial optimist and choose to believe that we will eventually get there. This was very thought provoking today. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you . I do agree with you, especially that you can't hold those negative thoughts if you spend time loving others. You are so right, and I love your optimism!
~~~
Joy  - Thanks for an eye-opening NL. Kittiara.
I didn't know this was going on in UK, as I had a very positive view of the British from my travels there, way back when life was easier for most people on earth. Prejudice of any kind for any reason tears up a country and brings down the humanity of its peoples. So sad!
It is sad. That party did get a majority in the elections. Thankfully, it wasn't a general election, and I hope that when we have a general election next year, good sense will prevail and the figures will be different. Not that the main parties bring light and joy to the country, let alone positive change... I hope that things are better where you are!
~~~
Elfin Dragon-finally published  - I want to thank you for sharing this particular difficult political struggle going on where you live. And I also want you to know you are not alone. Here in the U.S., particularly in the Southwestern States, there is a growing political surge in regards to immigration reform. Things like the "Dream Act", in which children of Mexican migrants who were either born here or brought here as children, are being considered so they can be automatically considered Americans. But it doesn't mean their parents can stay. The majority of American, that 30% or more, are inching towards sending Mexican-Americans who have no green cards or proof of citizenship home. More laws are being passed so any business hiring illegal immigrants will be heavily fined. And those who do have green cards and are working towards their citizenship, it's becoming increasingly more difficult for them to do so.
If any country should have more love for diversity and not care about the color of skin, religion, or race; it should be America. And yet there are more and more laws being created, considered, and passed now to halt that diversity. I too pray for that peace and love we so desperately need.
It's very sad to hear. The fear of the "other" seems to be spreading. France, the UK, my country of birth as well. Politics are getting more extreme, and the media help stir up division. We are all people. Skin colour should not matter, nor where someone comes from. What matters is what kind of person someone is.
Families shouldn't be torn apart. Here in the UK, there are cases of married couples being kept separate because of a new law that says the British partner must earn over a certain amount before the other partner can live and stay with them. This amount is more than many people earn when working full-time. And recently a girl got deported who had lived in the UK for most of her life. She'd turned 18, her case was handled separately from that of her mother and siblings, and she got sent away to a country she was unfamiliar with, on her own, right before she could finish her high school education. Where is the sense in that? Where is the humanity?
~~~
katesthename - The days here on earth are coming to an end. That's why there's so much evil, and God Is Lifting His Hand from off of the world, because He's The Perfect Gentleman Who Doesn't Force Himself On others. However, He Will Never Remove His Hand From His Bride...Hallelujah!
Your words tie in nicely with the topic of this week's newsletter . I do hope that humanity has a while to go still, though, and that there will be a change in a positive direction.
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Spiritual Newsletter Team
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Spiritual: June 18, 2014 Issue [#6386]
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