Traditional Christian theologies rest on the assertion that God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent.
Despite this, the same theologies also posit free will and absolve God from the presence of evil in Creation.
The contradiction inherent between these two poles of belief is readily apparent and difficult to ignore. Christian theologians understood that providing some semblance of coherence to the blatant contradiction was of utmost importance.
They also knew that placing freedom and evil beyond the purview of God was the only logical way of reconciling evil/freedom and omnigod; however, this recognition also provided a daunting challenge. How do you place freedom/evil beyond the purview of God who is asserted to be Absolute, Ultimate, and omni-everything?
When crafting their solutions to this dilemma, theologians prioritized God's omni-status over the reality of freedom and evil. Although the answers such theologies put forward cohere to a certain extent, the rabid defence of God’s ultimate status failed to provide the room needed to explain freedom and evil meaningfully. As a result, we have what I regard as largely nebulous half-answers and non-answers.
And I suppose that marks the point at which all my scant theological explorations and scribblings embark from.
The early theologians were right — if freedom and evil are to make any sense at all, they must be placed beyond the purview of God. The biggest issue I have with early theologians is their inability to place freedom and evil “far enough” beyond God.
If freedom and evil are “really” real, as I believe that they are, then they must be entirely beyond or very close to entirely beyond the purview of God.
Early traditional theologians and Christian thinkers were loath to take that step because it entailed encroaching upon a non-negotiable — God’s power.
The true nature of freedom and evil could not be satisfactorily explained without degrading and diminishing God’s omni-status, which had to be preserved at all costs, freedom and evil be damned.
Although I understand the impetus that drives such thinking, it ultimately paints itself into a corner. The obsession with divine power hinders fully coherent explanations of freedom and evil. It also sidesteps questions related to God’s motives for Creation and ultimately takes refuge in the fortress of mystery, miracle, and authority.
I believe that any valid understanding of freedom and evil must entail a reduced focus on the abstract unreality of God’s power and instead encompass the concrete reality of God’s love.
Despite this, the same theologies also posit free will and absolve God from the presence of evil in Creation.
The contradiction inherent between these two poles of belief is readily apparent and difficult to ignore. Christian theologians understood that providing some semblance of coherence to the blatant contradiction was of utmost importance.
They also knew that placing freedom and evil beyond the purview of God was the only logical way of reconciling evil/freedom and omnigod; however, this recognition also provided a daunting challenge. How do you place freedom/evil beyond the purview of God who is asserted to be Absolute, Ultimate, and omni-everything?
When crafting their solutions to this dilemma, theologians prioritized God's omni-status over the reality of freedom and evil. Although the answers such theologies put forward cohere to a certain extent, the rabid defence of God’s ultimate status failed to provide the room needed to explain freedom and evil meaningfully. As a result, we have what I regard as largely nebulous half-answers and non-answers.
And I suppose that marks the point at which all my scant theological explorations and scribblings embark from.
The early theologians were right — if freedom and evil are to make any sense at all, they must be placed beyond the purview of God. The biggest issue I have with early theologians is their inability to place freedom and evil “far enough” beyond God.
If freedom and evil are “really” real, as I believe that they are, then they must be entirely beyond or very close to entirely beyond the purview of God.
Early traditional theologians and Christian thinkers were loath to take that step because it entailed encroaching upon a non-negotiable — God’s power.
The true nature of freedom and evil could not be satisfactorily explained without degrading and diminishing God’s omni-status, which had to be preserved at all costs, freedom and evil be damned.
Although I understand the impetus that drives such thinking, it ultimately paints itself into a corner. The obsession with divine power hinders fully coherent explanations of freedom and evil. It also sidesteps questions related to God’s motives for Creation and ultimately takes refuge in the fortress of mystery, miracle, and authority.
I believe that any valid understanding of freedom and evil must entail a reduced focus on the abstract unreality of God’s power and instead encompass the concrete reality of God’s love.
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