lame cartoon.

So suffering is the reason to call theology stupid...

This is the problem, people who put too much emphasis on suffering being pure evil. If it brings one closer to truth, it is not evil. An example is the banishing from the garden of Eden. True God cursed the humans, but that was for their good, ultimately. It was their punishment so they could repent and find forgiveness. It is a polariser as the evil hearts harden against him, and the good hearts cling back to him.

At the same time God made us, so is it our fault? Well, ultimately, if our heart is not for him, and given the will to choose, then yeah punishment is our destiny. We would be the dark result of a creation based on the freedom to choose.

Another problem with that charicature is that much suffering is made not for punishment but for evil, and that's the suffering made by the Ennemy. So, to lay that suffering on the hands of the almighty is silly, because Evil is a requirement in a world based on free will. It doesn't make God evil, it makes him real. He wants something real, it's his pre-rogative. Yes, some innocent will get scathed in the process, but if their heart is pure they will see it as a battlescar towards a higher calling. If their heart is evil, they will see it as a crime against them.

So ultimately, it's all part of a plan for God to sort the hearts of his creation and enjoy eternity with those that were always bound to him in the first place.

Omnibenevolence is the leg that gets shortened most often, that god intends for evil and suffering as part of some grand plan, although this falls short of our understanding of benevolence.

lame cartoon.

So suffering is the reason to call theology stupid...

This is the problem, people who put too much emphasis on suffering being pure evil. If it brings one closer to truth, it is not evil. An example is the banishing from the garden of Eden. True God cursed the humans, but that was for their good, ultimately. It was their punishment so they could repent and find forgiveness. It is a polariser as the evil hearts harden against him, and the good hearts cling back to him.

At the same time God made us, so is it our fault? Well, ultimately, if our heart is not for him, and given the will to choose, then yeah punishment is our destiny. We would be the dark result of a creation based on the freedom to choose.

Another problem with that charicature is that much suffering is made not for punishment but for evil, and that's the suffering made by the Ennemy. So, to lay that suffering on the hands of the almighty is silly, because Evil is a requirement in a world based on free will. It doesn't make God evil, it makes him real. He wants something real, it's his pre-rogative. Yes, some innocent will get scathed in the process, but if their heart is pure they will see it as a battlescar towards a higher calling. If their heart is evil, they will see it as a crime against them.

So ultimately, it's all part of a plan for God to sort the hearts of his creation and enjoy eternity with those that were always bound to him in the first place.

So is God omniscient, or do humans have free will? Can't have both.

It's both. He knows everything that will happen, and also gave us the will to choose. To me it's possible to have both since here we are. Free to choose our own destinies, and he knows it all from the very beginning. He made us, without using his omniscience, he just made us.

It is my belief that God can temporarily shut off any of his powers at will. On creation, it was his omniscience. To me that's part of him being all-powerful.

Omnibenevolence is the leg that gets shortened most often, that god intends for evil and suffering as part of some grand plan, although this falls short of our understanding of benevolence.

You cannot have both. Those are direct contradictions. Choose one.

Example:

There are 3 Doors, "A", "B", "C" - you see choice. God knows the outcome already, thus nullifying choice. You can't choose anything else as it's already been determined which choice you will make. You cannot deviate from this path because it is already known.

The fact that it's already determined doesn't change the fact that it's a choice.

Steps

0) God turns off omniscience.

1) God makes me.

2) God turns on omniscience.

Me can chooose, God can know. Problem solved.