Those who desire to be kind must be kind (if they are trying to satisfy that desire). All societies, for example, have prohibitions of murder, as inherently wrong. The intrinsic presence of suffering is the most obvious feature that determines the character of existence throughout, but gives at the same time origin to the most important blessings that make life worth living. My older words, cited from the above paper, will be in green. Of course, it is Catholic (and to a large extent, larger Christian) binding moral teaching on just war that provides that rationale. the problem of good by yellow_dog on December 22nd, 2009, 2:33 am Many people who dig into faith find themselves repulsed from it eventually because of the so-called problem of evil. An essay or paper on Mencius: The Problem of Good and Evil. The word good means different things to different people. DA says that 1 and 3 basically claim “atheists cannot have objective morality”. There is relativism in what we enjoy. The theist must rise to the challenge, to be sure. Yes, I fully agree (with the second sentence)! If Christianity is true, why do many people seem to live moral, fulfilling lives outside the gospel? (But it is!) And we probably would throw unkind atheists (like rapists) in jail. The Problem of Good. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Otherwise, there could be no laws at all, and “everything would be permitted” (legal and moral anarchy). This is a belief, but it isn’t knowledge: it’s not shown to be probable. . DA thinks that something here “rules out these non-theistic ethics in one fell swoop” [that was my opponent’s words], but I see no evidence of this. DA is right about one thing: “morality” is relative in one sense: people exist, and they often desire/prefer/like/want different things. An ethical system of moral absolutes (over against moral relativism). Those are again just the facts about the world we live in. There is no other book like it.” —Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois (I’ve yet to see anyone come close to refuting the EPOE, but that’s for another day). Evil is merely a corruption of what is good, a tear in the fabric of goodness, a parasite upon the host of goodness that cannot live by itself. I’m saying, “these are the consequences on the ground of atheism, taken consistently to its logical extreme.” That argument can be made wholly apart from whether God exists or not. So, the mistake you made it seems is in thinking that “atheism is incompatible with such reprehensible behavior”. A better phrasing would be “if God doesn’t exist, then God doesn’t stop anything”. that’s again just a fact about the world. Rather, I think it helps to establish that theism (considered as a whole) is more coherent and plausible than atheism. Good. The “Problem of Good”: Dialogue w Atheist Academic. It may be true that some atheists “feel” themselves to be the measure of all things. Read 2 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Typically, by “evil” I am referring to actions that aren’t for the greater good, and by that I mean actions like rape (but there are others). I will set my mind on good. Do such moral non-Christians really need the gospel, or will their good deeds save them… You have to casually assume moral absolutes to discuss morality at all (i.e., if you condemn any particular behaviors). The point of all this: nothing shows that God exists, and put something in us, in ALL of us, and it was a sense of kindness. Here’s probably the major thing overlooked in this discussion: DA wonders how the kind atheist would respond to the unkind atheist. Beauty. We train most kids to be less selfish. But nothing about that disproves atheism. There are dualist atheists, but I am unaware of any who believe in human immortality, and a blissful afterlife. 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