Notes on Theology

Not quite the full, riveting, in-depth (and hopefully concise) post I've been intending. Another filler.
I've spent half the night cleaning my study/BatCave, and found some of my lecture notes from the Philosophy of Religion class I took earlier this year.

I'll just preface this by saying I tend to be a little irreverent, and frequently found myself in the company of my good friends Clairebears and Megan (the former cynical, the latter staunchly atheist), and we tended to share our thoughts quietly and surreptitiously. And in my defence, the lecturer (with the entirely appropriate name of John Bishop, a friendly gentleman reminiscent of a marginally unfocused Stephen Fry) actively discouraged extensive note-taking in favour of mulling over the issues raised in an attempt to comprehend them. A surprisingly easy task for anyone that's studied much in the way of religion, philosophy, or Western history.

Lecture 5: The Argument from Evil

Can God make an argument so circular even He cannot bear it?

Argument: God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omni-benevolent. If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good, there would be no evil.
Evil exists, therefore God is not all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good.
Rephrased Argument: If God is omnipotent and omni-benevolent, how is it that McLeod's Daughters exists?
Answer: Perhaps God is all-knowing, all-powerful, but a total flake?

Perhaps God is merely a mendacious cunt?

Perhaps God is all-good and all-powerful, but for whatever reason, chooses to allow (or cause) suffering to exist, for a higher good, for example.
What could be so good to allow a necessarily evil to exist?
Can't have Easter eggs without the Christian appropriation of Pagan festivals.

Good: Music
Necessary evil: Hanson

Megan (or Claire): Why does the Vatican have a lightning rod?
Me: To stab the devil in a giant Mecha duel

Ordered World Theodicy: evils exist as inherent operation of an ordered cosmos...
Image: cute little bunny sat beneath a falling tree
Poor Mr. Bunningsworth falls victim to an ordered cosmos...

Me: Note: Lecturer frustrated with tutor
Megan: LOL! Tutor is a DICK


University, it's so enlightened!

The problem with Peer Pressure cautions

"If all your friends decided to jump off a bridge, would you go and do that too?"

Well... in a word?
Yes!
See, I've managed to accumulate a few friends over the years (presumably out of pity or morbid curiosity, but I digress), and no doubt the same is true of you, dear reader. As a rule, my friends are intelligent enough to understand observations of cause&effect, statistical evidence, and the value of their lives and well-being, by and  large.

If you have at least three friends and they're not absolutely bereft of their wits, and they all happen to have jumped off a bridge sequentially, chances are this leap of faith they each in turn engage in won't kill or seriously injure you. Because you probably know enough people with the instinct for self-preservation, if they each took it in turn to jump off a bridge, after witnessing their more foolhardy associates' attempts, they'd only jump if it's unlikely to all go horribly wrong!

If all my friends thought it was a good idea to jump off a bridge, and the anecdotal evidence supported it, damn straight I'd jump off a bridge.
Fun - 1
Mum - 0

Oh, and if all your friends decided to jump off the bridge at the same time... your friends are way more trusting and way less cynical than mine!


And sorry about the filler post, more engaging content should return shortly
Cheers!