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From: rf@wu1.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Even If I DID Believe ... (the difficulties of omnipotence)
Message-ID: <231@wu1.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Jan-84 12:43:28 EST
Article-I.D.: wu1.231
Posted: Thu Jan  5 12:43:28 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Jan-84 01:06:14 EST
References: <6483@unc.UUCP>
Organization: Western Union Telegraph, Mahwah, NJ
Lines: 46

Tim Maroney writes:

    What would you do if given omnipotence?  If your answer is
    anything other than "abolish world hunger", there's
    something more than a little skewed in your perception of
    mankind.

Yes, only HOW?

My first thought was that one could simply create food for the
hungry.  At first, this works.  But people keep having children.
What then?  Make the world bigger?  When do you stop?  Do you
keep going until the universe is full of human flesh and then
make the universe bigger?  Is there room for trees and stars?
I've another name for this solution: cancer!

So now one must control human population as well.  Ok, simply
ensure that no-one wants to have too many children.  This is
worldwide brainwashing, but . . . it's in a good cause.  Just
determine the optimal number of humans, persuade humans never to
have more children than will maintain the optimum.  This
requires a steady stream of small miracles, which seems
inelegant, but . . . it's in a good cause.  What's this?
They're working on methods of in vitro fertilization?  They want
more kids?  Quick!  Kill those scientists!

Maybe some really nasty plagues will solve the problem.

Oh, to Hell with all this!  They can feed all of their people;
they can see the need.  Why don't they?

Seriously: it is within the power of humankind to cure world
hunger; we lack only the will.  How can we accuse god for not
doing what we clearly don't want?  How can we accuse god because
we freely do evil when we have the power to do good?  The
ability to do good is the greatest gift a god could give his
children; how dare we curse god because we misuse his gift?

				Randolph Fritz

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"United Parcel.  Got a package here."
"Who's it from?"
"Asbestos Mailbox, Inc."
"Ah.  Put it down by the computer."