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Philosophy/religion

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Original poster

Why bad things happen

96 replies

niminypiminy · 07/04/2015 11:59

Since a few posters have started doing this one again on a thread where someone was asking for advice about prayer, I though I'd start a thread and encourage people to come over here.

So, if you want to talk about why bad things happen to good people (and otherwise), determinism, free will, God's goodness or otherwise, the problem of suffering and/or evil, and whether God is a child-murderer, here's a good space to do it....

OP posts:
headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:19

or not - if they don't believe in Him

not sure what you mean?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:20

Is there any evidence for a spiritual level actually existing as a specific thing and not a colloquial construct

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:22

But western medicine is not usually considered supernatural

by western medicine you mean medicine no?

Who does consider western medicine supernatural? Why is western medicine better, effective when supernatural has no evidence?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:24

God still could be working through the doctors, could be prompting them to care practically for people

What grinds my gears about this is that before the relatively recent breakthroughs in medicine we had children dying in their droves. So god takes credit for the medicine, that he had nothing to do with the development? What about non religious Drs? How are they able to be as effective without god working in them?

capsium · 08/04/2015 17:28

You know evidence regarding the activity of anon physical entity (spirit) is by nature problematic.

There is no way of scientifically proving what is a human construct and what is created, regarding anything spiritual/psychological. Bit chicken and egg really.

Western medicine could only be considered supernatural in terms of God directing the doctor's actions.

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:31

Free will is usually meant in terms of choosing (to believe in) God or not

But people who believe in god do awful stuff, like priests and extremists. Then there are more mundane examples like Christians who are anti LGBT.

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:35

Western medicine could only be considered supernatural in terms of God directing the doctor's actions.

How is it morally logical for god to prompt a Dr to save a child by vaccinating them using a vaccination that humans had to spend thousands of years without, with millions upon millions of babies dying, before humans developed the skills to develop it?

capsium · 08/04/2015 17:36

I believe we were "fearfully and wonderfully made", head.

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:36

You know evidence regarding the activity of anon physical entity (spirit) is by nature problematic

why?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:37

even children who are born with conditions that kill them quickly?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:38

I think we evolved, that's incredible and fits the evidence.

capsium · 08/04/2015 17:39

We have flaws head. Ones which were not God's will for us to have. Our immune systems were designed to fight off disease. This is not always successfully managed. Vaccinations are a precaution and are designed to preactivate immunity at a manageable level for the body.

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:40

So you don't think that god drowning babies in the flood, or healing people without being asked amounts to acting against their free will? If so why can't he use the 'non free will affecting' actions to stop paedophiles?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:41

preactivate immunity at a manageable level for the body

Something that we had to develop ourselves and wait thousands of years for.

capsium · 08/04/2015 17:41

Why? Physical evidence of something existing that does not exist in the physical sense, as it is spiritual, do you consider this non problematic?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:41

Our immune systems were designed to fight off disease.

Why did he make the diseases?

capsium · 08/04/2015 17:47

Viruses and bacteria can also be beneficial and serve a purpose. Break down waste matter for example. Perhaps this is how they are meant to be, working in harmony with the rest of the world?

capsium · 08/04/2015 17:51

BUt I don't know everything head, there are lots of possibilities, which don't preclude God.

headinhands · 08/04/2015 17:56

but how could you possibly know it does exists then?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 18:03

which don't preclude God.

but it's about working out what is real, not what isn't precluded. I might as well say the same about purple magic kumquats that rule the universe?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 18:12

Viruses and bacteria can also be beneficial and serve a purpose

That's a straw man. I know they can, I'm talking about the people dying or being maimed, and how humans developing vaccines have eradicated the threat and the virus such as the Variola virus.

headinhands · 08/04/2015 18:13

I assume if your child was being killed by a virus you wouldn't sit back and glory in the natural process of it all?

headinhands · 08/04/2015 18:15

BUt I don't know everything head

But you are claiming to know way more than me. I don't know that there is a god who cares about me. Why don't you ask him to answer these questions if he wants me to comprehend him?

capsium · 08/04/2015 18:23

head I'm not claiming to know more than you, I'm just answering your questions, according to my beliefs. I can't answer all of them, as my beliefs don't cover all of them. There is some stuff I have no firm belief over. I don't know you or what you know.

capsium · 08/04/2015 18:29

Each person has to seek God individually head. There are better ways, I strongly suspect, than to seek Him than purely through me. I help where I can. I always ask for God's help regarding what I say, but in the heat of the moment I might also make mistakes.