From: Chuck Roghair (ctr@pacificpartssales.com)
Date: Thu Aug 19 2004 - 19:46:35 BST
Mel, All:
Consider a baby born in the 19th century with Down Syndrome. Babies with
Down Syndrome are sometimes born with intestinal blockages. Said blockages
are easily cleared today via a simple operation.
In the 19th century, the Down syndrome baby dies an excruciating death over
a period of several days from dehydration and infection.
What perfect creator creates this? For what purpose?
Back to the Down Syndrome baby with intestinal blockage: her birthday is
today. There is a surgeon nearby with the aptitude and facilities to ease
the baby's suffering and allow her a long-term relatively happy life.
Imagine he refuses to operate for no apparent reason. He simply isn't in
the mood. Virtually everyone would agree he's a cretin, morally
reprehensible. He could easily save the baby's life with little effort at
little cost to anyone, he simply doesn't feel like it.
That's God.
Best regards,
Chuck
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good
artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants.
-Lao Zi
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk [mailto:owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk]
On Behalf Of ml
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 8:59 AM
To: moq_discuss@moq.org
Subject: Re: MD MOQ and The Problem Of Evil
MSH and Johnny:
(interleaved)
msh:
> It's not death that is the problem. It's suffering. A benevolent,
> omnipotent, omniscient god could keep the laws of gravity in place,
> let the rock fall and the child die swiftly and painlessly.
mel:
Why do you assume that a swift painless death is a superior one?
We may fear pain, but can you be sure there is no possibility of
something to be gained from the experience of it?
msh:
> The POE occurs when the rock falls and crushes the child's
> legs and spine, so that she lies there in agony for hours till
> comes the wolf to finish her off.
mel:
Severe traumatic injury typically involves little actual pain, but
rather an intriguing wierdness or inappropriateness, it is the
recovery from injury that is painful. My own shoulder dislocations,
broken bones, snapped tendons and ligaments, when I actually
"reached into" the experience and FELT what was there were
both odd and interesting. It was the mind's insistence on what
my body SHOULD be that was the cause of any horror or pain.
I cause my perception of suffering, my nervous system simply
relayed the sensation. The sensations were not pleasant,
compared to eating chocolate or having sex, but the aespect
called suffering came from the mind, before I realized I could
reach past that 'illusion' in that experience,
(those experiences).
Upon reflection, the POE is our attempt to project upon the
infinite our preferences for how things from our limited capacity
ought to be. That is simple absurdity, regardless of the
rigorousness of formulation or the structure of the argument.
(Deciding that the world was flat is the same type of projection,
except in West Texas - where it REALLY is.)
As for the wolf, it is grateful to eat.
msh:
> Trust me. It's the knock-out punch.
mel:
Since we are only shadow boxing, there is no knock-out punch
beyond the fantasy of our own ego.
thanks--mel
>
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