Part 10 of 10: The Problem of Suffering: the 7 Supernatural Answers vs. the 1 Naturalistic

Overview of entire series:

Part 1: Overview of the supernatural vs. naturalistic explanations for the existence of suffering.

Part 2 discusses explanation #1--that suffering is punishment (from the Western angle that suffering is due to personal sin and/or "original sin").

Part 3 concludes the discussion of explanation #1--that suffering is punishment (from the Eastern angle that suffering is due to due to karma: sins in this life or a previous life).

Part 4 discusses explanation #2--that suffering benefits us--and explanation #3: that suffering must exist for the greater good of Free Will.

Part 5 discusses explanation #4--that the reason for suffering is beyond our finite understanding--and explanation #5: that the perceived world is just an illusion, hence suffering, too, is just an illusion.

Part 6 discusses explanation #6--that the Divine is not All-Powerful. This video focuses on the presentation of this argument as found in Harold S. Kushner's famous book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People."

Part 7 concludes the discussion of explanation #6 (that the Divine is not All-Powerful), and highlights the weaknesses and incoherencies in the philosophy found in "When Bad Things Happen to Good People."

Part 8 discusses explanation #7--that the Divine is not All-Good (includes the views of skeptics, such as Richard Dawkins, who see no trouble reconciling the existence suffering with the fictional character known as the "jealous God" of the Old Testament).

Part 9 concludes the discussion of explanation #7--that the Divine is not All-Good (includes perspective of dualistic and polytheistic religions).

Part 10 discusses explanation #8--that the natural world is indifferent to creature suffering (that it may be part of "nature" for individuals to minimize their own suffering, but there is no overarching supernatural force to either dole out pain or send protection from pain).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This series is a video adaptation of Endnote 32 from "Dialogue with a Christian Proselytizer" (a dialogue between a Christian proselytizer and a Socratic skeptic).

For free PDF sample chapters from "Dialogue with a Christian Proselytizer," see http://www.booklocker.com. (This link will bring you right to the page where you can find the PDF file--just scroll down to #5: http://search.booklocker.com/search-bl.cgi?q=dialogue+with+a+christian+prosel... )

For customer reviews, see http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1601450893/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?_enc...

The text of this video can be found on the blog site "Clashing Culture" - http://clashingculture.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/the-problem-of-suffering-the-...

My four YouTube channels:

- http://youtube.com/user/ToddGates - my musician channel

- http://youtube.com/user/ToddAllenGates - where I discuss the ideas in my book "Dialogue with a Christian Proselytizer" (a dialogue between a Christian proselytizer and a Socratic skeptic)

- http://youtube.com/user/ToddAllenGates2 - where I discuss the ideas in my book "Hunting, Gathering, & Videogames" (such as "Why do we have to work?" and "Why do we have to use money?" and "How should we define 'success'?")

- http://youtube.com/user/BlasphemyPiano - where I play the background piano accompaniment for songs in Nick Gisburne's book of lyrics "Blasphemy! Anthems for Atheists."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• theodicy
• Epicurean
• dilemma
• problem
• evil
• suffering
• God
• Omnipotent
• Omniscient
• Benign
• good
• indifferent
• nature
• atheism
• proselytizer
• atheist
• Creator
• supernatural
• Free
• Will
• Blind
• natural
• selection
• evolution
• disaster
• truth
• Adam
• Eve
• Zeus
• Prometheus
• karma
• fruit
• tree
• knowledge
• Job
• Rabbi
• Harold
• earthquake
• Kushner
• ToddAllenGates
• ToddAllenGates2
• ToddGates
• Todd
• Allen
• Gates
• Clashing
• Culture
• Richard
• Dawkins
• Theology
• Tsunami

[ceezmad1]

Natural world is indifferent?

What?

you are all wrong!

The world was created for me and only me!

my god is bigger than your good and he will reward me and punish you!

:)

[ToddAllenGates]

> my god is bigger than your god and he will reward me and punish you!

Unless we both happen to be worshipping the IPU (Invisible Pink Unicorn), in which case we are of the same united loving community ... but wait, you said "he" will punish you, so you couldn't be an IPU follower -- meet you on the battlefield you godless heathen!

[mecca777]

Once again, top notch commentary. I dont know about animals suffering at the hand of animals. They have to eat too. A cheeta cant go to the store and buy gazelle steaks.

[ToddAllenGates]

> A cheetah can't go to the store and buy gazelle steaks.

And if it could, it would probably soon get fat and lazy!

From the naturalistic viewpoint, there's nothing insidious about the way life preys on life: it's just how life evolved. But if Creationism is right, then creature suffering raises some questions about why God designed life the way it is.

(This is one of the themes of my latest video: "The problem of suffering - Stalemating with the "no cognitive dissonance" Epydemic2020.)

[thekykling]

Great series

[ToddAllenGates]

> Great series

Thanks -- if you made it through all 10 parts, I'm very flattered!

[JoeyMarvelous07]

T-foot once used the phrase "criminally undersubsribed" to describe AronRa...It applies to you too. Fine series, getting your book soon. 5*

[zebruh]

Very good, Todd. I greatly appreciate your level-headed tone, your patient delivery, and staggeringly-well-researched ideas.

[ananiasacts]

All you have to do is find a way to have a contest without any losers. Geometry seems to make that quite a challenge.

We like the idea of species, but don't like the cost individuals must pay to make them. It sort of explains our fiscal policies as well.

[ananiasacts]

What if a significant fraction of people really are little more then lazy, selfish, petty, cowardly, and stupid? Wouldn't any technology that induced mostly that type of person to spend most of their time exploring a fantasy in their own minds raise the applied level of intelligence and thus capability of their entire society? Religion could be a form of social antibody that encumbers the most inherently toxic minds in ways that tend to neutralize their deleterious impact on the rest of us.

[natewheatshelf]

Votebots are bad.

[RabidAp3]

comment