thoughtfulLet me start by saying that it's impossible to prove or disprove the existence of an ultimate, intelligent creator of the universe. Even if a being of awesome power were to show up today, and declare that they were such, one would necessarily have to take on faith that they were the creator - especially since one should expect beings much more powerful than us in a universe this vast. Conversely, the present lack of positive evidence for one is no indication that there is no God, just that there is no overtly involved God.
And before I get a response on that, yes, there is no positive, credible evidence for the existence of a god. "I feel a presence when I pray" means nothing at all, especially since you're expecting a presence in the first place. If a scientific study of the power of prayer showed an effect, that would be something, but the only study I've heard of showed no effect whatsoever. And I'm sorry, the evidence surrounding the life of Jesus is sketchy, at best.
But back on my main point, which is that, ultimate creator or not, a God such as has been generally described to me is completely incompatible with observable reality. God is supposedly:
- Omniscient
- Omnipotent
- Ultimately benevolent
An omniscient, omnipotent being would have the capability to build a world, and creatures in it, that were completely devoid of flaws, innately possessed of wisdom, and certainly not in need of "testing." If such a god exists, and has done so, it's only because they are not benevolent.
Similarly, a benevolent, omnipotent, but not omniscient god would be capable of creating a flawed universe, and might be spending a great deal of effort trying to "fix things up," and a benevolent, omniscient, but not omnipotent god might be forced to use "unpleasant" steps to reach a desired goal.
I'm interested in any and all comments on this, with the following limitations:
- Theodicy sounds much like idiocy for a reason. Please don't waste my time with it.
- Attempting to build your own parables by obscurely referring to various pieces of pop culture is cute (and even fun), but all the ones I've gotten so far have instilled me with a profound sense of "How is this relevant?"
