David Wood's New Blog on the Problem of Evil

I want to welcome David Wood of Answering Infidels, to the world of Blogging (now everyone's doing it). He just started a new Blog titled The Problem of Evil. Since he and I have debated this topic and he's doing his Ph.D. work at Fordham University on it, it should prove interesting. You may want to see his arguments develop and check out my separate blog on this same topic here. I sent him the chapter from my book on this problem, so he knows all of my arguments! And he still disagrees? How could he? However, when he's done examining this issue in the depth he plans to do, then I expect him to join us at DC someday! Join the dark side, David! ;-)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

John,

You seem to forget that I've been to the Dark Side, and that I'd rather not return. You might as well say to me, "David, you had a taste of government cheese when you were growing up in the trailer park, and later you had a chance to taste steak in a New York apartment. Now, David, I expect you to return to the trailer park and spend the rest of your life eating cheese."

Actually, that's not a good example. I like government cheese much better than I like the Dark side. A better one would start like this: "David, on a bet, you once ate a dog biscuit that had been sitting under a desk for three years. Soon you will return to eating three-year-old dog bisquits." Darn it! Come to think of it, I like old dog bisquits better than I like the Dark Side. Oh, if only the english language weren't so limited! If only there were words that could express my dislike of my former way of life!

Anonymous said...

David, you said "If only there were words that could express my dislike of my former way of life!" Be assured I am not asking for that. You had a dramatic conversion to Christianity--from sinner to saint, correct? Well I had one too. But I didn't return to my former lifestyle, if that's what you mean. I mean, come on, many young people go through a rebellious stage in their life. My life has not changed much at all since rejecting your faith. I am an adult now, and I am still the same person. I am still good to people. I have many friends. My thinking just changed, that's all. For me it's something like rooting for the Colts rather than the Steelers. I am a huge Colts fan--GO COLTS! But which team I root for doesn't change my lifestyle much at all.

I figure you will come up with some really good answers to the problem of evil, which the Christian community will be grateful to you for (and to me for challenging you!), or your faith will take a hit. Be assured I will do my best to challenge you. If you can answer my questions then you are either smarter than I am, or you place too much weight in answering this problem on the Bayesian backgrounds factors supporting your faith. From what I'm seeing so far, you're placing too much weight on those background factors for your belief and not actually sufficiently answering the specific questions I'm posing. Your mission, should you choose it, is to try to sufficiently explain why there is so much intense suffering in this world, if a good, omnipotent God exists. Is this the world you would expect prior to experiencing it, if that kind of God existed? Can you do it? That's what I'm waiting to see.

Anonymous said...

I'll address your question (in bold) in my next post. Maybe tomorrow afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Okay, in the meantime for a little humor check this out!

Anonymous said...

I mean, come on, many young people go through a rebellious stage in their life. My life has not changed much at all since rejecting your faith.

According to whose standards? It also depends from what denomination you converted. If you came from one that merely had a cloke of Christianity but whose lifestyle must not much different then of those outside its walls then I would expect no change after your rejection of Christianity.

Anonymous said...

Out of all due respect fellows, if one is going to answer the problem of evil from God's perspective, then I think it would be reasonable to explain it in his terms (the Bible)rather than David Wood's. Any other perspective will inevitably have gaping holes.

Steven Carr said...

I wonder if David Wood can prove the proposition 'No all-good Steven Carr' exists, if I am allowed to use the defenses against the Problem of Evil that he puts forward himself as valid defensese.

Anonymous said...

See John? You were never a TRUE XIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bwwaahaahaaha!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm curious about people who say they were atheists and then converted to Xianity. I've heard this come up a few times and it seems so darned unlikely.

Are they TRUE atheists? meaning, have they researched the question and come to a conclusion on the subject? Or are they just kind of non-theists, basically never having given it much thought one way or another as to whether a supernatural being is running the show?