Paddy

I hear Christians attempt to account for the existence of evil by arguing that it is consistent with the biblical god, by way of it being necessary for humans to have free will. The argument goes (i'm sure you've all heard it too many times already) something like this:

If we are to have free will then it is necessary that we are able to choose good over evil, love over hate. If god made us incapable of not loving him then it would not be 'real' love. It must be a choice. As a result of this free will (which god holds in higher stead than the negation of evil), evil is present.

The question i want to ask is, if "...god is love.", and it is in his immutable nature that he is love, and he cannot not love, and yet he has "perfect love", then it doesn't seem like he is making a choice to love us... He just does.

If this is the case, then why was he unable to give us this "perfect love" that could be made to be an inherent part of our nature, thus negating the need for evil?

Infinity Lover

Because good an evil are not things to choose, but the consequenses of choices... in the absolute sense that is. In reality things aren't that black/white.

There's a good reason why ancient garble doesn't make any sense.

Paddy

Infinity lover:

I agree with you that things are not that black and white, however, if we use use god as a standard (which I am doing for arguments sake) then things can be that black and white.

God is supposedly immutable, incapable of change; this indicates 'black and white' to me. And yet he has perfect love, without the need of 'choice', and thus without consequences. It's just the way he is.

Why can't this perfect love be instilled in humans, negating the need for evil to be a result of a 'choice'?

Why can god have not just love, but perfect love, as being an inherent, immutable part of his nature, and yet we humans require choice (and the consequences of choice) in order to 'really' love?


Paddy

Infinity Lover

I guess part of love is also putting up with each others mistakes and negativities.
In fact, that's where our ability to love truelly shines through.

As far as God's impact on love goes. He's higher, which means you're something lower, which is supposedly subsequently fixed by embracing God, while at the same time you do remain lower in relation to God. Being less-than is never a good place to start. Hate towards others starts out with selfhatred.
(Besides, he punished us with mortality because there's something wrong with us. Love my foot)

And let's not forget love binds. God unites. Uniting is dividing. Love divides? I don't think so.

Love is a word that's too easely used in vain. Saying God is love, is certainly using the word love in vain.

Love requires putting in work. It's what we should try to approach ourselves, one another and life in general with. My definition of love as it currently stands, is a positive, shameless, honest, caring, binding, selfless attitude.

If Love were a negative, embarassing, hypocryte, uncaring, destructive, selfish charactertrade, I might feel inclined to ascribe that attribute to God.