Quote from: Miniar on June 06, 2010, 08:32:07 AM
Either way, if there's an all powerful, all knowing, omnipresent god, who is the one and only creator of "all" things in existence... well.. then that god created not just the good and the bad, but he also created what lead to the bad.
I mean..
If god creates every tiny aspect of a being, including all it's instincts and all, as well as every tiny aspect of the being's surroundings, does the being have "free" will?
Does it have "any" chance of overcoming the influences of it's own nature, it's surroundings and.. well.. "everything"?
Yes.
And this raises the question about the nature of right and wrong.
Our point of view is heavly based upon punishment for wrong.
If hell doesn't exist, then the notion of punishment suffers. Which in turn, calls into question, the notion of right and wrong.
Now if we accept the perpetual existance of the soul, then its destiny, after being freed from material existance needs to be considered.
Most, in our tradition, see the soul as an individual entity, endowed with self awareness and integrated into relationships with each other and our environment. That when we die, our individual memories and exeperiences will continue with each of us.
Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, don't believe in traditional hell. They claim that, those who have lived according to God's commandments, which they have chosen to expand, to encompas the whole Bible, will dwell near God, while those who have chosen not to, will dwell furthest. They claim this is the predicted anguish.
The Hindus on the other hand view God as a single, all encompasing entity. That each of us is part of that entity, but for various reasons, we have broken away. Such is the pain we individually feel that we have created the illusion of materialism. We are continually reborn into material existance because we have lost the awareness of the Godhead. Only by becoming aware, once again, of the Godhead and our part of it, can we die. Once we rejoin the Godhead, we will cease to exist as individuals.
Most Anglicans, certainly high church, take a perspective similar to the Hindu, while maintainting the individuality of the soul. Namely, that we will rejoin with the Godhead. Anglican notions of hell are somewhat moot.
But, from our perspective, it does raise the issue of morality. Are moral precepts handed down by a god?
The pure Christian notion, based upon the teachings of Jesus, is that we are each individually responsible for our own souls. We are commanded to abide by the Commandments, which are 10 basic rules, few could argue with. But none has the authority to judge anyone else.
One the other extreme, again within the same tradition, is Islam with its extensive body of immutable laws, all of which are imposed by and judged by those appointed by acclimation.
In between we have the politico-christians, such as the SBU. Though, for many, these are more political movements, much like the cult of personality practiced in N Korea.
There are also the Roman Catholics and perhaps, Mormons, with their ambitions of political influence.
It is however, interesting that those that preach the notion of hell and judgement are those thst seek to assume authority and benefit materially from it.
