[Buddha-l] Natural Evil

[SJZiobro at cs.com]

Bob,

I find questions of theodicy occasionally interesting and tend these days to categorize them as types of the argument: "Daddy, Why Are You So Mean?"  Your claim is too strong that a Christian *must* find earthquakes and other natural events indicative of some moral evil.  To my mind this is tantamoun to asserting that all Buddhists *must* find earthquakes etc. evil.  Second, questions of theodicy are coherent and have degrees of positive persuasion only to the extend one denies free will, which denial itself opens to other questions.  Third, I note that neither you nor Richard have addressed the designation of any sort of evil as the lack of a due good.  This definition holds whether the evil if moral in nature or non-moral (or "natural").  When applied to a non-moral natural evil (this is not a categorical misnomer or incoherent) such as an earthquake, flood, etc. there is no question of intentionality involved, so if one denies the distinction between non-moral and moral evils and holds to a claim that the only evil in the world is moral evil, then one does not have to call earthquakes, etc. evil.  Here, though, the notion is counterintuitive for most people who haven't studied various philosophies.  Finally, you give me too much credit for being original in claiming that God creates out of goodness and wisdom.  As an aside, I wonder, why is it that some become quite vociferous in denying the existence of God only when pointing to evils, yet do not reallly question it when considering the various types of beauty, goodness, and charity one comes across in one's daily life?

Stan

Bob Zeuschner <rbzeuschner at adelphia.net> wrote:

>Although I personally do not find earthquakes etc. to be evil (sharing a 
>Buddhist/Taoist perspective), I do believe that a Christian must find 
>them evil.
>Here is why.
>God created this universe, and could foresee (omniscience) all the 
>possible consequences to all possible designs. God had unlimited ability 
>to make any universe she wanted (omnipotence), one without any flaws 
>(nothing to cause undeserved suffering), or one with flaws.
>God is the architect of the universe, the contractor, and supplied the 
>building materials ("Fiat Lux!").
>If a building collapses and hurts people, we sue the architect, we sue 
>the contractor (shoddy design, shoddy construction) or we sue the 
>supplier of the building materials (poor quality).
>God designed and built a universe FOR human beings, out of LOVE for 
>human beings (according to Stan).
>If God designed a defective universe which falls on people, then God 
>cannot be all good. This undeserved death and suffering is evil and is 
>preventable, and thus is genuinely natural evil. God could have made a 
>universe without flaws, but chose not to. God chose to cause unnecessary 
>and undeserved death and suffering to humans (Christmas tsunami two 
>years ago) and animals.
>This suffering is undeserved and preventable.
>Thus "Natural Evil."