Subj : Knowledge..... To : Lee Lofaso From : Kevin Gibson Date : Sun Jul 22 2001 10:53 pm - Hello Lee, This is the last in a string of replies. It was interesting to think about these things again. I'm comfortable with my general perception of good and evil even if the logic puzzles remain a challenge. LL> By making a premise that God is the source of all good, then what LL> is the origin of evil? KG> Is God the author of all things? LL> Could be. LL> Can good come from evil? KG> Yes. But did you mean can evil come from good? LL> Either man was created good and is tempted by evil, or man was LL> created evil but capable of doing good. LL> If one takes the former view, then good cannot come of evil, being LL> that our Creator is all-good and all-powerful. But you just said that God could be the author of all things. Wouldn't that mean both good and evil issue from the same source? We identify something as evil because it represents something bad, inferior, offensive, disagreeable, etc. We've not distinguished between naturally-occurring evil and man-made evil in this thread. In the much bigger picture about which we can only speculate, natural evil serves as a catalyst, among other things, and man-made evil is something we strive to eliminate. LL> But if one takes the latter view, being that man is evil but capable LL> of doing good, well, even Hitler did *some* good things. Certainly LL> the Devil is capable of doing good works, if only to deceive. Consider the Book of Job. God uses Satan as a prosecutor. Consider 1 Chronicles 21:1 and 2 Samuel 24:1 God moves David to sin. Satan provokes David to sin. Then David is punished. Why? Feel free to present your conclusions. LL> If so, that would seem to contradict the original premise that God LL> is the source of all good. But yet, we know that evil exists. KG> You've lost me. LL> What is the origin of evil? Did God create evil? Or is the origin LL> of evil to be found elsewhere? If God created evil, then that would LL> imply that God is not all-good and all-powerful. No, it doesn't. Not in my book. LL> And if God is not all-good and all-powerful, then God is not God. God is God. KG> you'd be welcome as a member of the "Dead Philosophers Society." LL> Would that be an "honorary" member, or a full-fledged member? The question hasn't come up before now. You'll have to see the Chairman. :-) - -+- QuikEdit 2.41R+ --- Maximus 3.01 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS-New Orleans 1-504-897-6006 USR33k6 (1:396/45) .