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Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
This riddle attempts to put "God into a box". As such, it falls short in many respects.
First, if one accepts the Gospel, scripture and Near-death Experience (NDE) that affirm life after death in a spiritual realm, we have to re-access. If the sting of death is removed despite God permitting death, tragedy and loss, is he really "evil" for permitting it or can it be we are jumping to conclusions about spiritual preparation and training without all of the facts? Our mission here is simple: to teach us to love under depraved conditions for spiritual growth according to God's plan, not our own. When we question how it interferes with our plan, such logical problems develop. Epicurus' riddle assumes certain parameters based on the logical constraints of believing that only what we see is true. The God of love would never permit such things on a permanent basis. That is the message of the Christ upon the cross. For atheists death is a termination point that inverts the moral reality of the universes. For those that believe, death is a transition inverting what appears to be a cruel morality.
Second, if God intervened it would compromise our free will. If he created a world in which we never experienced evil or suffering, we would not be able to train spiritually to learn how to love. Could we learn to love truly in a world devoid in suffering and evil? Of course not...we would never be able to identify it. The present universe reflects the best conditions for spiritual training (love) and free will that could exist without intervention.
Third, God is larger than the riddle allows. Since good can come of evil, is this not a defeat in of itself? Is not the persistence of good depite evil's destruction prove its resilience and overarching strength?
Lastly, the riddle if confined to this realm of course paints God as a supernatural fairy that has a cruel streak. Multiple realms exist that make this dichotomous argument moot. The atheist says "prove it". Some things are unknowable scientifically about the spirit realm, and science is just starting to grapple with NDEs. However, all that one needs to do is open the heart and use The Bible as an anagram decipher-er of human personality through the prism of what God expects from us, and why we are here. Atheists are not tuned to his word, and simply use the concrete errancy of interpretation as some sort of proof that God is mythological. Certainly any being that can create a universe in which quantum mechanics permits being two places at once, is not subject to the outcome of Epicurus' riddle.
What else can I help you with?
What is Epicurus' riddle and what are some pros and cons of it?
Epicurus' riddle is phrased thus:"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able ? Then he is not omnipotent.Is he able, but not willing ? Then he is malevolent.Is he both able and willing ? Then whence cometh evil ?Is he neither able nor willing ? Then why call him God ?"Theologians have wrestled with the problem of evil for centuries, and have been unable to really come up with a satisfactory answer, even with the arguments of what has come to be known as theodicy, the attempted vindication of God's goodness in the face of the existence of evil. It is a devastating argument against the existence of the traditional monotheistic God as a being of absolute power and absolute goodness, and I don't see how Epicurus' riddle can be solved.
When did Epicurus the Sage happen?
Epicurus the Sage happened in 1989.
How did epicurus die?
Epicurus died of kidney stones at age 72, 270 BCE. He did not fear death and was rather cheerful about it.
Who is epicurus follower?
One of the followers of Epicurus was Hermarchus, who contributed to the development and spread of Epicurean philosophy. Hermarchus succeeded Epicurus as the head of the Epicurean school after his death.
What is the ISBN of Epicurus the Sage?
The ISBN of Epicurus the Sage is 1-40120-028-1.
Who taught the way to be happy was to seek pleasure?
It's not Euripides it's Epicurus
What is an okay riddle?
Would you make a riddle about a corral? OK
Is Epicurus a Famous Historian?
yup
What does Ally mean in Greek?
epicurus
What is a riddle for the word debate?
What would an argument about a date be? A DEBATE
What would a epicurean believe in?
epicurus founded a philosophy we now know as Epicureanismzeno taught his students that happiness was the goal of life. He believed that the way to be happy was to seek out pleasure.
What are riddles if riddles aren't riddles but a riddle is a riddle yet the riddles don't make sense like a riddle should?
Taking out the word riddles makes this What is life if life isn't life but a life is a life yet life doesn't make sense like life should? This riddle makes no sense- a riddle is a riddle. a riddle is not, not a riddle because a riddle is a riddle. This riddle acts as if riddles are different than riddle (no s). To answer the riddle I would answer: Riddles are riddle.
