tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post7813457649425550601..comments2024-03-28T14:16:42.371+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Why we cannot know why others suffer (Theodicy is the answer to an ill-formed question)Bruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-66842653331437781722019-02-25T06:14:38.956+00:002019-02-25T06:14:38.956+00:00@E - Yes, once it is realised that God does not wa...@E - Yes, once it is realised that God does not want a 'clone army', then all sorts of implications begin to dawn; and that process continues. I realise how deeply we have absorbed the expectation of a single pattern (or just a few archetypes) for the Good Christian. <br /><br />For me, the key insight was in recognising that we did not just become different, but began different: we have never been identical, we never shall be identical. This clarified that individuality is a part of the material of creation. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-45954884863256808192019-02-24T23:02:07.752+00:002019-02-24T23:02:07.752+00:00This is similar to John Hick's "soul-maki...This is similar to John Hick's "soul-making" theodicy, except for your emphasis on perfected individuality. So much of Christian thinking seems to imply that God wants a sort of saccharine, perfect, and obedient clone army.<br /><br />I suppose this tendency reflects the bureaucratic undercurrent of organized religion.Epimetheusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-17158493219653584422019-02-24T22:07:34.298+00:002019-02-24T22:07:34.298+00:00@William - I agree with your second and third para...@William - I agree with your second and third para. <br /><br />It is a metaphysically radical answer, which is why few Christians can accept it. <br /><br />Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-4382344440214408722019-02-24T20:53:14.603+00:002019-02-24T20:53:14.603+00:00It seems to me that you are in fact proposing a ge...It seems to me that you are in fact proposing a general answer to the question of why people suffer: that they do so in order to learn from the experience.<br /><br />This is a common assertion in theodicy, and is refuted thus: If God is omnipotent, he could cause us to learn all necessary lessons without suffering, or he could simply have created us already-perfect, making learning unnecessary.<br /><br />The only possible solution is the Mormon one: the recognition that God is not omnipotent and did not create us. In other words, atheists are absolutely right that the existence of evil disproves classical theism.Wm Jas Tychonievichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07446790072877463982noreply@blogger.com