Good questions from an atheist to a theist

[Free-Being]

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"
- Epicurus

[Ihateyoumike]

Thanks. This is now officially the most quoted quote on this forum now. Definitely needed it's own thread.

And what's with the ridiculous polls?

[The Magic Pudding]

And what's with the ridiculous polls?

I don't know.
And I don't know why more sensible questions aren't asked, like should a modern Epicurean trim the fat from his pork chop, or eat it and accept the consequences?

[xSilverPhinx]

Why don't you answer your own poll? This is the second time you've asked the same question unrelated to your Op's topic, and it's getting a bit annoying.

[The Magic Pudding]

Asmo seemed to be suggesting that it may be just a matter of clicking the wrong button, "Post new poll" instead of "New Topic"

[Asmodean]

Not everyone is quite as masterful at forum use as many here 

[Whitney]

free-being...please stop creating polls for no reason.  If you want to just start a new topic click on the appropriate button instead of the one that says poll

[Tank]

free-being...please stop creating polls for no reason.  If you want to just start a new topic click on the appropriate button instead of the one that says poll

And in the mean time a moderator can just remove the poll.

[Whitney]

free-being...please stop creating polls for no reason.  If you want to just start a new topic click on the appropriate button instead of the one that says poll

And in the mean time a moderator can just remove the poll.

Thanks...i couldn't find that button which is why I locked it.

[AnimatedDirt]

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"
- Epicurus

If good exists, then evil must exist to define what good is and is not.  To prevent one is to do away with the other and thus render one or the other nothing.  God is called God because it is He that defines good and therefore evil; being all powerful can turn evil to good ( have good come from evil in the sense of the biblical character of Joseph )

If God is God and God is Good, then evil cannot be destroyed/prevented.  To remove the ability for "evil" actions/thoughts is to remove freewill.  If God is God and we are in the middle of an "evil" portion of eternity, what is a few billion years in relation to eternity?

[Sandra Craft]

If good exists, then evil must exist to define what good is and is not.  To prevent one is to do away with the other and thus render one or the other nothing.  

This always confused me, since I'm not sure that taking away what's evil will destroy good rather than simply rename it.  For instance, if you have enough food and water, a safe, comfortable shelter, enjoyable work and someone to love, that's good.  If you eliminate thirst, starvation, danger, unemployment and loneliness, the good stuff still exists, its definition simply changes from "good" to "life".

[BullyforBronto]

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"
- Epicurus

If good exists, then evil must exist to define what good is and is not.  To prevent one is to do away with the other and thus render one or the other nothing.  God is called God because it is He that defines good and therefore evil; being all powerful can turn evil to good ( have good come from evil in the sense of the biblical character of Joseph )

If God is God and God is Good, then evil cannot be destroyed/prevented.  To remove the ability for "evil" actions/thoughts is to remove freewill.  If God is God and we are in the middle of an "evil" portion of eternity, what is a few billion years in relation to eternity?

Hi, AnimatedDirt.

From my perspective, good and evil are constructs whose definitions rely on some sort of  presupposition or a priori assumption. In your case, it seems that god is this presupposition, a "being" who, again in my view, is also a construction.
Good/evil, God/Satan are false binaries founded, in your case, on the prospect of the existence of an omnipotent and objective reality that you label "God."
Without the notion of god, this binary falls on itself. There is no true foundation to what constitutes good or evil, as their definitions always enter into the
realm of subjectivity.

Again, this is my perspective, a wholly subjective one also relying on its own set of assumptions.

[Sweetdeath]

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"
- Epicurus

Ok, I found something I am more sick of hearing than Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory." Good job. :/

[The Magic Pudding]

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"
- Epicurus

Ok, I found something I am more sick of hearing than Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory." Good job. :/

Maybe we should put that to a poll.

[Asmodean]

If good exists, then evil must exist to define what good is and is not.

Not really, unless you insist on making good and evil a dipole. Good and evil are conceptual and subjective. Objectively, it all amounts to shades of gray.

God is called God because it is He that defines good and therefore evil;

As do I. Why am I not called god?

being all powerful can turn evil to good ( have good come from evil in the sense of the biblical character of Joseph )

Turning good to evil and vice versa is not that hard, really, since one man's good is the other man's evil. Turn the tables, change some perspectives and you are there.

If God is God and God is Good, then evil cannot be destroyed/prevented.

And what if god is not god, good is not good and preventing evil is just another expression for standing in the way of that which you do not approve of?

To remove the ability for "evil" actions/thoughts is to remove freewill.

Not quite that simple.

If God is God and we are in the middle of an "evil" portion of eternity, what is a few billion years in relation to eternity?

What kind of time are we working with here? If linear as we use it, then a few billion years is quite a lot at the moment because the defineable frame of our linear time up to this point is no more than a few billion years.