I am starting to regret my last post—luckily, if I never mention this blog to anyone, no one will read it. It was a stressful time for everyone. lol. Sorry Katrina if you ever read this. Please forgive me.
So I'm married to Kim now. That is pretty awesome.
Funny Story: I lost my keys the day before I got married and haven't found them yet. That means my car is still at Gil and Jenna's.
For this class called God and Evil, I am working on a theodicy: modifying others that I have read is probably more accurate. I can't find anyone else who has suggested this idea, but that is pretty much meaningless based on the archaic and incomplete nature of our databases at school--seriously, like three quarters of the results that I get when I search stuff are a link to this “find it” page which invariably tells me that it is in another database that our school isn't subscribed to (that statement is not quite accurate: I think once or twice in my academic career it has been on a database we subscribe to, but you get the point).
Anyway, the theodicy goes something like this:
The only evil experiences that we truly have access to are those that we personally experience or experience through empathy for others (but the important part is not including the supposed sufferings of another person into this). Now, whether or not that evil can be seen as the workings of a good God needs to be decided by each individual based on his/her own suffering.
This may sound like a terribly cold-hearted theodicy, but I think when one considers the religious stats in places that are full of the things that we would call evil, he/she will see that the people who are experiencing this suffering have a belief in God that they can maintain through this adversity. Also, consider that the number of atheists has increased along side of improving conditions in the world rather than vice versa.
I think the main reason that we have had an increase in the number of atheists over the last couple of centuries is that some people no longer need the idea of God in everyday life. As life gets more controlled, reliance on the supernatural decreases: belief in a good stable God might help people stay sane and see a purpose in their crisis and suffering.
That is way too brief for an essay, but that is all that I want to say.
Will Out
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