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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uokvax!emjej
From: emjej@uokvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Why is there evil?
Message-ID: <8300065@uokvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 25-Nov-84 19:21:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uokvax.8300065
Posted: Sun Nov 25 19:21:00 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 28-Nov-84 02:00:04 EST
References: <1001@umcp-cs.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:umcp-cs:-100100:uokvax:8300065:000:1485
Nf-From: uokvax!emjej    Nov 25 18:21:00 1984

/***** uokvax:net.religion / noscvax!walker /  1:18 am  Nov 20, 1984 */
In my opinion:  God gave us Free Will in this world.  That  means  we  have
the  ability,  responsibility,  freedom  to  make  choices.  If  we weren't
allowed to make 'bad' choices (i.e. those that hurt  ourselves  or  others)
then  we  wouldn't  really  have  free will, would we?  I also believe that
those who are innocently hurt by others' bad  choices  will  eventually  be
recompensed  far  beyond whatever they may have had to endure.  Also, if we
make a bad choice we will continue to  be  given  the  same  'test'  until,
hopefully, we get it right.
/* ---------- */

The notion of God executing	for x in `ls human` do
					(while ChooseEvil $x do
						GiveAnotherChance $x
					done) &
				done

is as hard to reconcile with the supposed goodness of God as the usual

	for x in `ls human` do
		(if ChooseEvil $x then
			Fry $x
		fi) &
	done

because arbitrary large finite quantities of suffering can still
occur.  It seems as though creating humans without free will so they
always do the "right thing" would be a lot shorter way to get to the
same postcondition. (I myself lean towards Smullyan's comparison of a
sentient being exercising free will with a rock in free fall.)

						James Jones

(While explaining things to my parents, I've said that there were those who
were convinced that the computers in heaven run Unix and that God is a C hacker,
but I still can't believe I did this... :-> )