One question which inevitably comes up in a discussion of this nature is what is the origin of God? If God created matter/energy, and designed the systems that have propelled matter into its present arrangement, who or what accomplished that for God? Why is it any less reasonable to believe that God has always been than it is to say that matter has always been?
All scientific evidence supports the fact that there was a beginning, and that the beginning was caused. It seems logical to me that the initial cause of time, space, and energy has to be pre-existent....outside of time, space, and energy. Thus, the nature of the primordial cause cannot be in the three-dimensional physical world in which we live, but must be outside of it to have created it.
Every time there is a discussion on this topic, someone will inevitably say "Well, all right, perhaps there is some evidence for God's existence, but if there is a God, a loving and merciful God, how do you explain the problems of suffering and death and all the tragedies that happen to people? Why is it that these things occur?" These are reasonable questions for which there must be a reasonable answer, and an answer that is as consistent with God's existence as it is in opposition to God's existence.
There are some, for example, who suggest to us that pain is something that should not occur if there is a God. And yet, physical pain and other types of pain are absolutely necessary for our survival. Pain serves to protect us and helps enable us to survive in the environment in which we live.
The Scriptures say that when man was put upon the earth he was told to be fruitful, to replenish the earth, to subdue it. His primary responsibility upon the earth, however, was to take care of the earth, to make sure that the earth was properly nurtured and properly supervised. The essence of that command still exists, and some would say that much of the suffering and tragedy mankind experiences is because this responsibility has been increasingly ignored or abandoned. Collective human suffering is thereby generated when we fail to heed the warnings of nature, and thus reap the consequences.
This is witnessed in the widespread concern of people everywhere today regarding issues such as air and water pollution, the chemical toxicity of food additives and drugs, the potential negative impact of global warming, the rapid extinction of plant and animal species, the accelerating global devastation of natural resources, and so forth.
Additionally, the vast majority of human pain and suffering seems to be directly connected to personal perceptions of what constitutes pain and pleasure, and the resultant mental attachments to self-sabotaging thoughts, negative emotions, potentially self-destructive behavior patterns, poor dietary practices, chemical addictions, and a whole host of other negative lifestyle choices which are all too common among so many people today. These are all choices that are freely made by each individual, and cannot be blamed on anything or anyone else. "As a man thinks, so shall he be". "What you see (in your own mind) is what you get". "What goes around, comes around." Simply stated, these all come down to "You order...your choice, of course....and you pay." Cause and effect, or karma, is a bitch, isn't it?
While some examples of human pain and suffering are apparently inexplicable at present, logic would suggest these are the result of unknown causes which are yet to be understood, but eventually will be in the due course of time.
Doc
Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 6:04 am
