Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!wuarchive!mailrus!iuvax!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bgsuvax!kutz@cis.ohio-state.edu (Kenneth J. Kutz) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Random thoughts on free will, etc. Message-ID: Date: 17 Dec 89 07:09:39 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Bowling Green State University B.G., Oh. Lines: 42 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , joefritz@pawl.rpi.edu (Jochen M. Fritz) writes: > In article arm@neon.stanford.edu (Alexander d Macalalad) writes: > >Even if that question is resolved, the problem of evil still remains; > >namely, how can evil exist in the world if God intends every action? > >How can God judge us if he intends all of our actions? > Simple. What you are missing can be said in one word: the devil. > All evil comes from him, and man must choose to follow God or Satan. James, writing to the twelve Jewish tribes scattered abroad, writes about the nature of evil and sin. James was concerned due to reports he must have heard considering the fighting and warring that was going on amongst these professing Christians (James 4:1). Much of what James writes has the ring of Paul's statement "Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith". One of the things James points out to his readers is that they have no one to blame for their sin but themselves. "Let no one who is tempted say, 'I am tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own desire. Then when the desire has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it reaches maturity, produces death." (James 1:13-15) The above passage I believe teaches us two things pertinent to recent discussions in this group. The first is that we alone are responsible for our sins, and secondly God can never be responsible for sin. Incidentally, the birth metaphor is very pratical teaching, one that has helped me obstain from many sins. I believe, when applied in our lives, this means we should stop sin where it starts -- in our thoughts. What we fill our minds with will dictate whether a sinful thought has anything to mate with. -- Kenneth J. Kutz Internet kutz@andy.bgsu.edu Systems Programmer BITNET KUTZ@BGSUOPIE University Computer Services UUCP ...!osu-cis!bgsuvax!kutz Bowling Green State Univ. US Mail 238 Math Science, BG OH 43403