The argument hinges on the thought that we, as human, can think of God. Does this really make since. Can you really pour the infinite into such a feeble finite vessel as the human imagination? No. It is worse than trying to pour the world's oceans into a thimble. Not going to work.
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:6-11
Just how high are the heavens from the earth? Well the closest star - the sun - is ninety-three million miles from earth so God is saying through Isaiah that we can't possibly understand His thoughts or His ways. This take us back to the the second presupposition made by the strip - that a good God would never allow babies to drown in tsunami. If we can't possible understand God's thoughts or ways, why do you think that you could possible understand the grand plan God has in even the most tragic events that happen to us and those we love.
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. - Romans 8:28-29
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Actually, the argument the character in the suit gives is a real theistic argument, called the ontological argument. It really does state that because we can imagine a perfect God, he must exist, because a God who exists is more perfect than one who doesn't. It is that inane.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably the one argument for God's existence that believers are most embarrassed by, because it can be used to prove anything. I'm imagining a delicious, edible rock. It must exist, because if it didn't exist, it wouldn't be delicious.
The point you make — that in principle, we can't truly conceive of God anyway — is just another nail in its coffin.
If you tried to pour the ocean of water into a thimble you'd at least end up with a thimble of water. With claims about God it oddly seems like they claim it's an ocean but can't fill a thimble with evidence.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd that if I could I would stop a young girl from being raped and killed. But, God won't. Either this is because I am more powerful than God or more good. There's really no solution to such things. But, what's worse is that for the claims for ones religion are never better than the claims for false other religions. It isn't as if other religions ever have their gods step in an prevent bad things from happening either. And the same is true across the board. The Christian God never does anything that gives any distinction between the Christian God and a false God.
It seems like you are assuming that if a young girl is raped and murdered then God never intervenes in such situations. Does that make sense? I don't think it does. If you pick a case where such horrible things happened, you can't say that God doesn't ever stop such things only that he didn't in such the case you point out. What about all the other cases you can't point to because God did intervene? Does it make God evil because sometimes he intervenes and sometimes he does not not? No. We don't always understand why God does what he does, but we can know we can trust Him to bring out the most good some kind of way - that there is a purpose to the suffering we are allowed to go through.
ReplyDeleteYou can't possibly know what the best is for anyone or yourself so judging God is truly like trying to fill a thimble with the ocean. It's not going to fit.