Why bad things happen to good people--Leibniz's Theodicy

[Roger Clough]

Why bad things happen to good people--Leibniz's Theodicy

.... As to tornadoes, there are various views, usually
part of "Theodicies". Here's the view I prefer, that of my
mentor, Leibniz, explained in his "Theodicy", which
Voltaire took up in his unfair and totally misinformed
criticism, the novel "Candide".

According to Leibniz, there are two forms of being, that
belonging to perfect, timeless, necessary reason, assigned to Heaven
or Platonia, and that of contingent, time-dependent and therefore
undependable reason and perfection (that down here, on earth).
Scientific theory deals with the former, where time is reversible,
and scientific experimentation, with the latter, done down here,
in the world, where time is not reversible.

Leibniz's view, in his theodicy , which I hold to also, is that
the world down here, that God created, is necessarily imperfect,
 so, as they say "crap happens". This is because things can't be good
everywhere at the same time. Thus evil and catastrophes are
probabilistic.

Leibniz's theodicy ior justification for God is that God, being good,
does the best that he can with the imperfect, partly evuil world
he has to work with. That is why pray for God to deliver us
from evil in the Lord's prayer. But we also say "thy will be done."


[Roger Clough], [rcl...@verizon.net]
1/2/2013
"Forever is a long time, especially near the end." - Woody Allen

[Craig Weinberg]

On Wednesday, January 2, 2013 8:13:20 AM UTC-5, rclough wrote:

Why bad things happen to good people--Leibniz's Theodicy

This is because things can't be good
everywhere at the same time. Thus evil and catastrophes are
probabilistic.

Why not? If evil and catastrophes are probabilistic, what it the point of God? I thought your view was that this probabilistic indifference of nature was countered by the presence of a divine referee?
 

Craig

[Roger Clough]

Hi Craig Weinberg

 

If you jump off of a building, gravity will kill you.

Is that God's fault ? IMHO since God created

nature, he also created the natural forces, which

cause tsunamis. God is lawful, so He follows his

own natural laws. Crap happens down here.

We aren't yet in Heaven.

 

 

[Roger Clough], [rcl...@verizon.net]

1/3/2013

"Forever is a long time, especially near the end." - Woody Allen

----- Receiving the following content -----

From: Craig Weinberg

Receiver: everything-list

Time: 2013-01-02, 17:31:16

Subject: Re: Why bad things happen to good people--Leibniz's Theodicy

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[Craig Weinberg]

On Thursday, January 3, 2013 6:14:41 AM UTC-5, rclough wrote:

Hi Craig Weinberg

 

If you jump off of a building, gravity will kill you.

Is that God's fault ? IMHO since God created

nature, he also created the natural forces, which

cause tsunamis. God is lawful, so He follows his

own natural laws. Crap happens down here.

We aren't yet in Heaven.

Maybe it makes more sense to wait until (just before) we get to Heaven to start believing in God...since he is of no help to us down here in the crap...(his crap?)

[Roger Clough]

Hi Craig Weinberg

 

According to my belief in orthodox Lutheranism (in contrast to

Billy Graham), we cannot decide for Christ, He decides for us.

 

 

[Roger Clough], [rcl...@verizon.net]

1/4/2013

"Forever is a long time, especially near the end." - Woody Allen

----- Receiving the following content -----

From: Craig Weinberg

Receiver: everything-list

Time: 2013-01-03, 12:07:38

Subject: Re: Re: Why bad things happen to good people--Leibniz's Theodicy

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/everything-list/-/k6Ym00qKQoIJ.