So, Why Does God Permit Wickedness?

by minimus 93 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  seeitallclearlynow

  : But why little kiddies etc. - because that's what it takes for some people to see the truth about themself - and even then it doesn't do it
  

  :People get on forums and blame God, when there's actually plenty for all - been to Africa with your spare coat lately ? And there's plenty of adventurous space to become a hero - willingly stuck your neck out for anyone suffering lately ?

  :The tax-collectors and prostitutes enter before you

  A Paduan, who are you addressing here? And who do you think you are?
• 

  nilfun

  The question answers itself.
• 

  JamesThomas

  Why would God and wickedness be a conceptualized idea but 'truth untouched by suffering' not?

  Excellent question HS. Because Truth, the ultimate Truth which is the same to all, is not a thing as a thought or concept is a thing. It is our actual and real identity. The ultimate subject, I AM. It is what we really are. The only undeniable truth we have this moment is: there is conscious awareness. To argue it, is to prove it. All the rest may be a dream. So, those who feel a desire to really discover ultimate Truth, need only investigate deeper into the pool of truth right here, right now: consciousness. Truth is discovered in truth; the most intimate and closest sense of being and existence. Who woulda thought? Step back and it can be clearly seen how words like "God" and "wickedness" are mental creations and ideas which we can see as thoughts, as separate things or objects from the consciousness which is looking. What is this that is seeing? Go deeper here. Investigate and see first hand: who am I really? What is true? Am I the parent whose child was just raped? Am I this broken entity separate from everything else? Was I born? Will I die? The mind will come up with answers and judgments, but these are concepts not the Truth which is sought. Be still. Go deeper silently in sincere and earnest investigation. Don't accept a thought as an answer. We're after Truth/Reality/Actuality here. Truth, is not an idea or concept. It is what we truly are. But as soon as it is put into words, it's a concept. It has to be consciously seen and experienced. Not talked about or believed in. I hope this makes some sense, and it answered you to some degree. But you see, I can not answer you in words. You have to see. j
• 

  bebu

  One may as well ask what lies outside the universe, because this question refers to a realm beyond answering here. We can only speculate.
  

  Everyone feels that it would be better if we had been made like simple dogs if our freedom came at the cost of acutely suffering children. A fine sentiment, but what does anyone here sacrifice in reality to prove this as a serious request??--that is, what do we do in the realm where we can choose?

  If we find ourselves unable to give up all our guilty pleasures as well as every last one of all our legitimate pleasures, for the sake of alleviating any small amount of suffering in the world, why could it be believed that we really would give up something as precious as our freedom? It is easy to be heroically gallant in a hypothetical situation, but we are obviously self-centered in reality. (If anyone here is the exception, I do apologize.)

  I think we are far too congratulatory of ourselves; we are not as charitable as we think ourselves. Imho, of course.

  bebu
• 

  Steve Lowry

  There?s a Greek term (which I cannot currently remember) that is used for cases when two truths don?t reconcile. I believe God exists, but I don?t understand why He allows wickedness to exist. I don?t get it. But like have said for years, on God?s desk is a little sign that say?s to the visitor, " Welcome to the Universe. I?m God and you?re not."

  Steve
• 

  SixofNine

  But like have said for years, on God?s desk is a little sign that say?s to the visitor, " Welcome to the Universe. I?m God and you?re not."

  Really? How do you know? That kind of paints god as an asshole doesn't it?
• 

  seeitallclearlynow

  Where is Farkel when you need him??
• 

  Steve Lowry

  "Really? How do you know? That kind of paints god as an asshole doesn't it?"

  I guess if you see it that way, then that?s the way you decide to see it. But to me it means that God has the right to run the Universe He created, without a suggestion box. And how do I know about the little sign on His desk? I made it for Him.
• 

  Panda

  Well, if you want to ask this question of why the bad stuff permit exists? then you need to know who got to legislate that permit, which means who is god, anyway? I mean if he exists he's got to be somehow evident in order to enforce this permit which he devised. And does everyone get this permit? How does one qualify? Is there a test? A study guide like The SAT study guide for the divine wickedness permit

  In Daoist thought there must always be the dark and the light, male and female, good and bad. None of these exist w/o the other (and consider god w/o satan they need each other). So a super evil guy like Hitler, Stalin, SH, Ted Bundy, Andrew Jackson, Arrafat... they lacked balance of the light and dark. We always need both. That's how we make intelligent decisions. Atom bombs and global pollution will kill the planet which we depend on for life--- but guess what kiddies--- that's a choice we make.

  When we recognise our own position in the wicked permitting business heck we won't need a non-entity. That's a much cleaner realistic view of the original question.Panda

  ed to spell planet and not plant

  edited to add 's to that so it's that's
• 

  Gadget

  I believe that god is inside each of us, and the way we express our spirituality is what makes 'God' in the way most people think of her exist, but she's only there because of peoples faith in her nad her power is only the power of the mind of those believing in her. Belief in a god is a tool for people to make things happen using the power they already hold in themselves, and as such there is no 'supreme god' who can take action and destroy wickedness.

  But then, what is wickedness?

  In Daoist thought there must always be the dark and the light, male and female, good and bad. None of these exist w/o the other (and consider god w/o satan they need each other). So a super evil guy like Hitler, Stalin, SH, Ted Bundy, Andrew Jackson, Arrafat... they lacked balance of the light and dark. We always need both. That's how we make intelligent decisions.

  I thin Panda hit it on the head here, wickedness and good cannot exist without each other, and are relative to each other. The same actions in different circumstances might in one hand be described very good one hand, but totally evil in another, its all relative. So even if there was a divine all powerful being, they couldn't destroy wickedness because you can't destroy a concept.