I agree with Khayyam’s view of such a manipulating creator, assuming that a Creator of any kind really does exist. In a world full of so much innocent human suffering (for references see the Conflict in Darfur, the refugees from the recent earthquake in China and the people starving in Myanmar because their government won’t allow for foreign aid after the tidal wave there), it is hard to believe in the supposed benevolence of any sort of God. For example, the belief that the bad things that happen to the world are actually trials testing our faith in the Christian God simply don’t account for the sheer amount of violence, suffering and death throughout the Christian and non-Christian world alike.
However, the part of Khayyam’s vision that I disagree with is the random nature in which the creator moves the pawns across his chessboard. Something that I have learned in my nineteen plus years on this earth is the overwhelming power of karma. Everything happens for a reason, and if you harm another in any way, you will eventually receive your comeuppance. Accordingly, I do not believe that the creator always randomly chooses a few pawns to pick on; clearly some of those involved are deserving of the injustices presented to them.
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2 comments:
I enjoyed reading your post. I'm a friend of Ms. Coleman's and she invited me to comment on her blog. Do you think that the concept of karma implies a benevolent god? "What goes around, comes around" to me implies a certain justice and logic, probably based on universal humanist values; if we're able to arrive at such values and they're not completely random (which I don't believe they are -- I think they're a part of our nature, something we all -- or at least most of us! -- have in common), wouldn't that indicate a form of benevolence? You also bring up the idea of those who "deserve" injustice (or maybe not so much injustice as just plain bad things happening). This is one good explanation for a lot of evil in the world (Christian doctrine explains that God gives people free will to choose good or evil). It still doesn't explain natural disasters. For that, I think we need to go to Eastern philosophies which view death as a natural part of life (at least more so than the Judeo Christian tradition which posits death as a punishment for evil). What do you think of the Christian idea that the creator allows us to choose good/evil? Do you think that's true or are you more inclined to believe things happen randomly?
I don't think that any God that so many to believe to be good would lead us astray. Maybe I'm naive or just following the crowd, but I don't think God is random or manipulative. At the same time, I don't think he (or she or it, but "he," to keep it short) necessarily takes care of those who are faithful to him in life any better than those who don't believe in him. Faithfulness to God is rewarded (or punished) upon death. The monotheistic God most believe in now is not like the Greek and Roman gods who came down and played with the mortals. I like to think God just watches us, lets us control our lives, but provides some guidance as to how to live in books like the Bible, Torah, Qur'an, etc. So if God is just an observer in life and judge in the end, I can't help but think that luck and choice are the main things controlling humans in life. Examples:
1) Recently, I found myself needing to fill up my gas tank, so I naturally went to QT. QT just changed their policy and makes you pre-pay for your gas. This irritated me. A lot. (I like filling up, I don't like guessing, etc.) I guessed $35 and paid with my debit card. Later in the week, I went to check my balance on my account. Had QT let me spend 2 more cents on gas, I would have overcharged my card. Lucky. Lucky I went to QT, lucky I only got $35, lucky they forced me to pre-pay. I don't believe God had any hand in this. Though when I found out, I couldn't help but say, "Thank God," under my breath.
2) Martitr brought up the idea of good vs. evil essentially being a choice. And as a fan of Harry Potter, I have to agree. For those of you who read the books (I know you haven't, Mrs. Coleman. Just roll with this.) there are similarities between Harry and Voldemort that are undeniable. (Mothers from non-wizarding families, orphan childhood, even their appearance, to name a few.) But how is it that these qualities are found in both the most feared wizard of all time, and but also the [spoiler alert] one who defeated him? Simple: choice. Tom Riddle chose the path of evil, and Harry chose good. I'm not one to believe in fate. Free will. God gives us free will. He lets us follow him, or ignore him. He doesn't punish us either way while we're alive, because he knows that he'll get the final say when we're dead.
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