03/10/2006—
Greg Koukl made some comments a while back on the evolution/creation matter. He thought it likely that pain and animal death did exist before the fall because he saw pain as being good, though we may not like it. He also thought God would’ve had to have created the natural deadly weapons of animals by the time the creation was finished, because after God called the finished creation good, and stopped creating.
My response is this, that God may have, as other creationists have suggested, preprogrammed into our genes during the creation the possible weapons and instincts to maintain nature’s balance after the fall, anticipating our fall. I mean, if these weapons and instincts hadn’t existed after the fall, then maybe God’s creation would’ve experienced wholesale chaos. Animals attacking other animals and their own environments—for no apparent reason except to cause pain and destruction. There’d be no balance in nature. So God gives us instincts and weapons to establish a balance—we attack animals for constructive reasons, to eat. We destroy trees to build houses and make paper.
When old-earthers ask young-earthers how there could’ve been 24-hr. days and morning and evenings before the sun, moon, and stars were created, the young-earther response is that God created a light—I was going to say he created light, but Genesis doesn’t say what’s it’s extent. It could’ve surrounded the earth. But now I’m remebering that God divided the darkness from the light. But there was a point when there was only the light. So what was it? Why was it there before the sun? He calls the light “day,” and the darkness “night.” It seems apparent that he’s referring to a literal 24-hr. day. And why mention morning and evening if the days weren’t literal? Those seem to be very concrete details. Why didn’t Moses just say “one day passed?” I don’t really know the answers.
If pain is a bad thing, then why did God design us with a nervous system that delivers painful sensations whenever we’re injured? See 02/20/2006.
Can God take a thing that is inherently bad and use it for good?
1 comment:
I have read all of your posts... including the Theory of Trinity. It seems to me that you are looking for tangible proof of God's existence.. something solid to grasp onto, as there is a thread of commonality in all of your posts. Perhaps this is something to be discussed elsewhere.
In response to this particular post, my first reaction is that "yes. God does use bad things for good." Such as Pain. Henri Nouwen, a now deceased writer of the Catholic tradition, postulated that pain is an indicator that something is wrong. And for him, loneliness was the ultimate pain. His book, the Wounded Healer, talks about this and the concept of "hospitality".
Further response to your post, is the concept of textual criticism. This is to study (biblical) documents with a view to arriving at the purest possible text of the sacred books. The question is.. how do you interpret the Scriptures? Literally, metaphorically, or a combination of both? I agree with some of your thoughts about the infinity of time and God's place in it, but I am still not sure about some ideas of it myself. But I gave up the questioning and searching too hard for answers to some of my questions because I found it hurt my faith more than helped it. Revelation of God through various events in my life change my opinion on matters from time to time, but I found that for me, searching too hard for an answer such as the concept of good and evil, is not healthy for my beliefs.
I have seen a lot of "religious" people renounce their beliefs and become athiest. Sometimes when there are too many questions and not enough answers, it hurts us more than helps us. But that is what Faith is. Choosing to believe what we sometimes don't understand. I think it is good that you are questioning things in your faith. This shows a searching heart, a desire to know God more. I struggle at times with the difference between knowing with my head and knowing with my heart. It is good to search. I hope that you have support from other people as well.
PS. thanks for the note of caution, it has been remedied.
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