Did God create the universe? Did he know evil and suffering would occur before he created the universe? Could he have created the universe another way?
If the answer to all 3 is yes, everything must be according to his plan. If the answer to any is no, you have to get rid of either all-knowing or all-powerful.
I guess my next question would be why would it be impossible? I’ll accept that he can’t do logically impossible things, like make a square circle, but the idea that he could have made changes to nature is not logically impossible.
His wish is for the creation to be free of suffering. If he forced that, there wouldn’t be freedom. And by freedom I’m not speaking abot human agency, but the metaphysical capacity of the cosmos to be something God doesn’t want.
Did God create the universe? Did he know evil and suffering would occur before he created the universe? Could he have created the universe another way?
If the answer to all 3 is yes, everything must be according to his plan. If the answer to any is no, you have to get rid of either all-knowing or all-powerful.
I say no to the last one. But that doesn’t mean he’s not all-powerful in the proper sense of the word, because he can’t do impossible things.
I guess my next question would be why would it be impossible? I’ll accept that he can’t do logically impossible things, like make a square circle, but the idea that he could have made changes to nature is not logically impossible.
He can change nature. But not in a way that would preserve freedom and make nature obey all his wishes at the same time. That is the squared circle.
I’m not talking about obeying his wishes, I’m talking about unnecessary suffering. Could he make a world with free will and no baby cancer?
His wish is for the creation to be free of suffering. If he forced that, there wouldn’t be freedom. And by freedom I’m not speaking abot human agency, but the metaphysical capacity of the cosmos to be something God doesn’t want.
Either God created that capacity (literally nothing can exist if he does not will it), or there are higher metaphysical concepts than God.
I wouldn’t call logic a metaphysical concept. But yes, God can’t go against it.
I mean that. So God is constrained by something other than logic.