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Topic: Evil and God  (Read 2385 times)

shernajwine

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Evil and God
« on: August 05, 2010, 03:44:29 pm »
The Professor Teaches About Evil and Christianity

The Professor Teaches...

     "LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with Jesus Christ." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. "You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"
     "Yes, sir."
     "So you believe in God?"
     "Absolutely."
     "Is God good?"
     "Sure! God's good."
     "Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"
     "Yes."
     "Are you good or evil?"
     "The Bible says I'm evil."
     The professor grins knowingly. "Ahh! THE BIBLE!" He considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? Would you try?"
     "Yes sir, I would."
     "So you're good...!"
     "I wouldn't say that."
     "Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed person if you could...in fact most of us would if we could....God doesn't."
    [No answer]
     "He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"
    [No answer]
     The elderly man is sympathetic. "No, you can't, can you?" He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. "In philosophy, you have to go easy with the new ones. Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"
     "Er... Yes."
     "Is Satan good?"
     "No."
     "Where does Satan come from?"
     The student falters. "From... God..."
     "That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?" The elderly man runs his bony fingers through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking student audience. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun this semester, ladies and gentlemen." He turns back to the Christian. "Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"
     "Yes, sir."
     "Evil's everywhere, isn't it? Did God make everything?"
     "Yes."
     "Who created evil?"
    [No answer]
     "Is there sickness in this world? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness. All the terrible things - do they exist in this world? "
     The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."
     "Who created them?"
     [No answer]
     The professor suddenly shouts at his student, "WHO CREATED THEM? TELL ME, PLEASE!" The professor closes in for the kill and climbs into the Christian's face. In a still small voice, he asked, "God created all evil, didn't He, son?"
     [No answer]
     The student tries to hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like an aging panther. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he continues, "How is it that this God is good if He created all evil throughout all time?" The professor swishes his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the world. "All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the death and ugliness and all the suffering created by this good God is all over the world, isn't it, young man?"
    [No answer]
     "Don't you see it all over the place? Huh?" Pause. "Don't you?" The professor leans into the student's face again and
     whispers, "Is God good?"
    [No answer]
     "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"
     The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor. I do."
     The old man shakes his head sadly. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"
     "No, sir. I've never seen Him."
     "Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"
     "No, sir. I have not."
     "Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus... in fact, do you have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?"
    [No answer]
     "Answer me, please."
     "No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
     "You're AFRAID... you haven't?"
     "No, sir."
     "Yet you still believe in him?"
     "...yes..."
     "That takes FAITH!" The professor smiles sagely at the underling. "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God now?"
    [The student doesn't answer]
     "Sit down, please."
     The first Christian sits...defeated.
     Another Christian raises his hand. "Professor, may I address the class?"
     The professor turns and smiles. "Ah, yet another Christian in the vanguard! Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering."
     The Christian looks around the room. "Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I've got a question for you. Is there such thing as heat?"
     "Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."
     "Is there such a thing as cold?"
     "Yes, son, there's cold too."
     "No, sir, there isn't."
     The professor's grin freezes. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The second Christian continues.
     "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 273 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than -273°C. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."
     Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom.
     "Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?"
     "That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are you getting at...?"
     "So you say there is such a thing as darkness?"
     "Yes..."
     "You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light... but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you... give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?"
     Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him. This will indeed be a good semester. "Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?"
     "Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error...."
     The professor goes toxic. "Flawed...? How dare you...!"
     "Sir, may I explain what I mean?"
     The class is all ears.
     "Explain... ohhhhh, explain..." The professor makes an admirable effort to regain control. Suddenly he is affability himself. He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue.
     "You are working on the premise of duality," the Christian explains. "That for example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it." The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbor who has been reading it. "Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as immorality?"
     "Of course there is, now look..."
     "Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?" The Christian pauses. "Isn't evil the absence of good?"
     The professor's face has turned an alarming color. He is so angry he is temporarily speechless.
     The Christian continues, "If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if He exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil.1 What is that work God is accomplishing? The Bible tells us it is to see if each one of us will, of our own free will, choose good over evil."2
     The professor bridles. "As a philosophical scientist, I don't view this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable."
     The Christian replies, "I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going, Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"
     "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."
     "Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"
     The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a silent, stony stare.
     "Professor. Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"
     "I'll overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?" the professor hisses.
     "So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?"
     "I believe in what is - that's science!"
     "Ahh! SCIENCE!" the student's face splits into a grin. "Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed..."
     "SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?" the professor splutters.
     The class is in uproar. The Christian remains standing until the commotion has subsided. "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I give you an example of what I mean?"
     The professor wisely keeps silent.
     The Christian looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's mind?" The class breaks out into laughter. The Christian points towards his elderly, crumbling tutor. "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's mind... felt the professor's mind, touched or smelt the professor's mind? No one appears to have done so." The Christian shakes his head sadly. "It appears no one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's mind whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no mind."
     The class is in chaos.
     The Christian sits.

If you didn't get it, here is a brief synopsis. The atheist argument is that since God created everything, He is responsible for the creation of evil. However, "evil" is a word that we use to describe certain things that happen to us (most of which are caused by other people). In reality, it is not a physically created thing at all and, therefore, does not fall within the realm of something created by God. So, the argument is fundamentally flawed. As stated on this site, evil is allowed by God so that free will beings can choose between good (i.e., God) or evil (absence of God). Without evil, it is not possible to choose between good and evil, and the universe would have no ultimate purpose.

For more humor with a lesson and other information and answers to questions about God visithttp://godandscience.org/


TVALLO

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2010, 05:10:17 pm »
Absolutely fantastic!!!!  i would love to barrow this for a similar discussion I am having with a friend of mine if you dont mind.

shernajwine

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2010, 06:59:08 pm »
it doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the owner of the site i linked to. lol but i say, go ahead and use it!  :)


eSineM

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2010, 07:35:13 pm »
Great article, thanks for posting  :o and the source :D

amyrouse

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2010, 07:46:44 pm »
Quote
As stated on this site, evil is allowed by God so that free will beings can choose between good (i.e., God) or evil (absence of God). Without evil, it is not possible to choose between good and evil, and the universe would have no ultimate purpose.

I'm not going to debate you, I promise, since I found this post to be entertaining.  I do want to point out something, though.  In your explanation (the part I quoted above), you equate evil with the absence of God.  You will most likely be hearing from others on this point.  I hope that this was unintentional, because not all who have an "absence of God" in their lives are evil.  Perhaps your wording could have been a little clearer on this point?   :dontknow:



mommagoes

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2010, 07:50:13 pm »
i learned awhile back not to get wrapped up in religious debates on here (beware the zealots!  :D) but i appreciated the original post. it was entertaining and thought-provoking.

shernajwine

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2010, 09:44:19 pm »
Quote
As stated on this site, evil is allowed by God so that free will beings can choose between good (i.e., God) or evil (absence of God). Without evil, it is not possible to choose between good and evil, and the universe would have no ultimate purpose.

I'm not going to debate you, I promise, since I found this post to be entertaining.  I do want to point out something, though.  In your explanation (the part I quoted above), you equate evil with the absence of God.  You will most likely be hearing from others on this point.  I hope that this was unintentional, because not all who have an "absence of God" in their lives are evil.  Perhaps your wording could have been a little clearer on this point?   :dontknow:

I copied this from the website godandscience.org. There is a whole section on that website dealing with questions about God and evil and also a whole section on natural evil (natural disasters and diseases). That's why I posted the link to the site. Others probably will pick through the scenario and that's okay. It's meant to be evaluated and meditated on. I'm not interested in debating it at this point however...so anyone who has questions can get more from the website.  :)

I found it entertaining myself and thought others might find it interesting as well.  :thumbsup:


shernajwine

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2010, 03:39:45 pm »
amy, I was thinking last night and I thought I should clarify something for people who don't visit the source of information for more details. Now, I'm not the author of the little skit but from what I can understand of the authors point and way of thinking on the matter is this....

I am flesh and my flesh is evil, however I am also spirit and that is the image of God in which I was created...my spirit is good and it is the way I communicate and have a relationship with God. So everyone has a spirit (whether they believe it or not) and is therefore capable of having a relationship with God. However, since we all are evil in the sense that we all have flesh....it's our rejection of God that is evil and that rejection is what is judged by God. People who reject God are not inherently evil, however, their act of rejecting God is evil and because God is absent in their life, they can do good things and be basically good people but until they accept God then they are without grace. Since no one is perfect, we all need grace.

I don't want to live thinking I have to be perfect or go to hell, that's where grace comes in...that's the act of Christ on the cross. Now I can refuse the cross, and deny grace but then God is judging is me without grace and no one can be good enough to earn heaven.

Evil in the world, is a free will choice that people make...when they choose evil, they reject God because God is not evil. When I choose evil, I am rejecting God. It's not just about a belief in God because He is there whether people believe or not. Christians reject God all the time....it's a daily choice to reject Him or not. It's a daily choice to choose between good and bad. It applies to everyone, regardless of religion race or status.....the problem is that when you don't believe in God to start with....you are continuing to reject Him as a whole and you're good decisions and charitable givings, and helping hands are done for your own glory and self satisfaction and so you're actions are considered evil because you basically hold your own self above God and that is idolatry.

As for natural evil, as I said before there is more on the website. But I thought I would give a little more here based on my own interpretation. So, do I think non-believers are evil? Not in the sense that they are bad people....but evil in the sense that their rejection of God has made them evil by the definition explained in the skit. Evil is the absence of God.


girlswin2

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2010, 07:03:23 pm »
Absolutely a good one!!  I read something similar to this a long time ago but this one is better.   :cat: :thumbsup:

jcribb16

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Re: Evil and God
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2010, 07:21:44 pm »
 :cat: This was very interesting and appealing. Thanks for sharing with us.   

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