How can a loving God allow suffering Michael Ramsden

@kellyjay said
Every example used for one thing doesn't always work elsewhere.

Are atheists evil Kelly? (Not asking if we are all sinners and fall short of God's standard). Are atheists as a group (to every last man and woman) evil due to the lack of God in their lives. Does the absence of ultimate good result in the presence of ultimate bad?

If your answer is 'no' then where does evil come from, if not from God?

Edit: if your answer is 'yes' then there simply isn't any talking to you and I wish you well.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Are atheists evil Kelly? (Not asking if we are all sinners and fall short of God's standard). Are atheists as a group (to every last man and woman) evil due to the lack of God in their lives. Does the absence of ultimate good result in the presence of ultimate bad?

If your answer is 'no' then where does evil come from, if not from God?

Edit: if your answer is 'yes' then there simply isn't any talking to you and I wish you well.

As a race we are evil do to the lack of love in our race, this in not a limitation for Atheist. I find you more caring than some I know who call themselves Christian.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Are atheists evil Kelly? (Not asking if we are all sinners and fall short of God's standard). Are atheists as a group (to every last man and woman) evil due to the lack of God in their lives. Does the absence of ultimate good result in the presence of ultimate bad?

If your answer is 'no' then where does evil come from, if not from God?

Edit: if your answer is 'yes' then there simply isn't any talking to you and I wish you well.

Yes/no, you don’t see the issues with the question you are offering? A version of this is, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”

@kellyjay said
As a race we are evil do to the lack of love in our race, this in not a limitation for Atheist. I find you more caring than some I know who call themselves Christian.

So all Christians are "evil"?

@fmf said
So all Christians are "evil"?

In our own righteousness yes, as we abide in Christ Jesus He forgives, He justifies.

@kellyjay said
In our own righteousness yes, as we abide in Christ Jesus He forgives, He justifies.

And do you believe you must spend your Christian life trying your absolute hardest to do as little "evil" as you possibly can in order to not fail at the time of judgement and thus proceed to an afterlife and not end up being tormented in flames for eternity?

@fmf said
And do you believe you must spend your Christian life trying your absolute hardest to do as little "evil" as you possibly can in order to not fail at the time of judgement and thus proceed to an afterlife and not end up being tormented in flames for eternity?

My goal is to love God, love others, and follow the Spirit and scripture. The struggle to be good enough was taken care of by Christ. If I feel the need to earn my salvation I am not treating the salvation God has given us with faith, I would not be trusting God at His Word.

@kellyjay said
As a race we are evil do to the lack of love in our race, this in not a limitation for Atheist. I find you more caring than some I know who call themselves Christian.

You are wrong about this Kelly. Human beings are not inherently evil, though certainly capable of evil acts as well as acts of kindness and love. (I reject the suggestion that there is a lack of love in our race).

Think of it more like the controls of a car. A lack of acceleration doesn't mean the car is sent into reverse. A lack of acceleration simply leaves the car in neutral.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
You are wrong about this Kelly. Human beings are not inherently evil, though certainly capable of evil acts as well as acts of kindness and love. (I reject the suggestion that there is a lack of love in our race).

Think of it more like the controls of a car. A lack of acceleration doesn't mean the car is sent into reverse. A lack of acceleration simply leaves the car in neutral.

Really you view evil as what, you view goodness as what? It isn’t that we are not capable of doing good or bad, but that we are willing to when we want to not act loving, to not seek what is best, and so on. You need to define terms here before truth statements don’t you think? If you are of the mind we each walk out our own lives making own minds up on good and evil, then are we not all evil in someone’s eyes somewhere in some societies else where?

If love is the true scale anyone not being loving is evil.

@kellyjay said
Really you view evil as what, you view goodness as what? It isn’t that we are not capable of doing good or bad, but that we are willing to when we want to not act loving, to not seek what is best, and so on. You need to define terms here before truth statements don’t you think? If you are of the mind we each walk out our own lives making own minds up on good and evil, then a ...[text shortened]... omewhere in some societies else where?

If love is the true scale anyone not being loving is evil.

'Evil' is an extreme, not a norm. As in my car analogy, most humans are at worst 'neutral.' - Is neutral evil?

In other words, you are applying black and white thinking on an issue that is mostly grey.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
'Evil' is an extreme, not a norm. As in my car analogy, most humans are at worst 'neutral.' - Is neutral evil?

In other words, you are applying black and white thinking on an issue that is mostly grey.

What makes you think evil has to be extreme? You think someone has to completely turned over to evil before we can call them evil? I don’t want to bring in extreme examples, but at what level does a behavior have to be, to be called evil? If evilness is the avoidance of being loving and that is the norm, why isn’t the norm evil?

@kellyjay said
What makes you think evil has to be extreme? You think someone has to completely turned over to evil before we can call them evil? I don’t want to bring in extreme examples, but at what level does a behavior have to be, to be called evil? If evilness is the avoidance of being loving and that is the norm, why isn’t the norm evil?

I'll go with 5 categories:

1. Angelic - Rare
2. Good
3. Ben Affleck (drab/neutral)
4. Bad
5. Evil - Rare

-Removed-

You are such a drama queen.