> From: Edmund Storms Hi Ed,
... > If you were God, would you have made such a > self-destructive creature? If you had, would > you give support to individuals who had these > obvious imperfections even if they attempted > to worship you? If I were God, I'd give my creations freedom of choice to make good and bad decisions - and more importantly: To learn from the consequences of my own actions. Personally, I wouldn't want to play in a sandbox where I wasn't allowed to occasionally make really stupid decisions. Yeah, I sympathize, we may end up blowing up a planet or two in the midst of learning our lessons, but eventually... May I suggest that that's precisely what the parable about eating forbidden fruit is all about. I suspect there are many who wish they didn't have this terrifying burden called "freedom of choice". Some wish a Higher Devine Intelligence was constantly calling the shots so that they didn't have to be saddled with the responsibility of having to personally experience the terrible consequences of occasionally making really stupid decisions. Some try to set up various forms of religious doctrine to mimic their desire to run away from making their own decisions. Make up rules and belief structures where God in the absolute sense makes all the decisions - not me! Follow them unquestioningly. Do I feel better now? Don't blame God for our inheritance. Wait a minute! I AM god. Oh dear! Fasten your seatbelts! I fear we're in for another bumpy ride! Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
