End of the Universe Part Two

[fourdc]

I don't think the perfect world is achievable. If after the day of reckoning I get to meet the creator, I'll be asking why we had mosquitos, black flies and the norovirus.

I've had a hard time believing in predestination and the "reason for everything" crowd. I think through "free will" we will either work things out or we won't.

God is a libertatrian, we will succeed or fail on or own.

It's my philosophy but there's a lot of truth in "s**t happens".

[Evil Moo]

I disagree - I think these things were put in place for our benefit, to create the balance that would produce the perfect world for humans to live in.

Isn't this obviously not the case though? EVERY organism on the planet will expand beyond control or necessity given the opportunity. Look at grass for example, it's friggin everywhere. Nature (in general terms) is not concious, nor does it have intentions to be.

The only reason why there is any balance, is because organisms don't have the capability to rival all threats, situations, and competitors. The balance is only there because everything is genetically predisposed to be the most successful lifeform as well. This is why Man is such a problem for the world--we can survive, persevere, and change our environment with relatively little challenge. Man has no balancing factors other than ourselves because frankly, we're just too darn good.

Don't believe it though? Simply look at the Zebra Mussel. Those buggers don't back down to anything--even thinnly disguised poisons. They've been killing The Great Lakes (alongside Man) for a long time now. Let me reitterate: Killing everything. Growing, expanding, and killing everything because it is too successful and starves the entire ecosystem from the bottom up. Either Satan fathered the Zebra Mussel, or the world is not so harmonious.

It's the Law of the Jungle--kill or be killed. Just about everything in nature is helpless to it. There is no harmony, only competition and struggle. This is life.

[Moira]

It's life once sin began to creep into the world.

[dalek]

It's the Law of the Jungle--kill or be killed. Just about everything in nature is helpless to it. There is no harmony, only competition and struggle. This is life.

Natural selection?

[Evil Moo]

It's life once sin began to creep into the world.

Aha! But Sin is Man's curse and burden. Animals do no have souls according to just about every single variant of God worshiping faith. Animals are amoral, souless tools for Humanities benefit.

So, if animals are outside of sin and created for only perfect harmony and balance--how do you explain my prior post (particularly in reference to the Zebra Mussel)?

[Moira]

Once Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the devil was able to take hold of the world and it gradually became less perfect. Yes, even when it comes to the Zebra Mussel. Whoever said God controlled the earth? Right now, it's a battle raging in heaven.

[fourdc]

The devil is a hard concept to swallow. Man is certainly able to come up with evil on his own. By having a devil, you give people a way of self justifying their evil. "the temptation was too great", "the devil made me do it" etc etc.

A lot of the world is less than perfect because we people let ethnic/political/religious differences spoil humanity.
EG:
One part of the world has a famine but another destroys crops to keep prices stable.
Concerned people raise funds, gather food but the local warlord won't let it get delivered to the refugee camp.

This isn't a lack of God or the actions of the devil, these are Man's actions

[Evil Moo]

Once Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the devil was able to take hold of the world and it gradually became less perfect. Yes, even when it comes to the Zebra Mussel. Whoever said God controlled the earth? Right now, it's a battle raging in heaven.

Christians/Jews/Muslims actually. The widely used justifications of, "Everything happens for a reason", "It's all part of God's plan", "God's will" etc etc.

If this isn't the case, it raises a few rather profound questions.

1) Does this mean God is not all powerful and there are other metaphysical forces in this cosmos that are equal/comparable in power which also deserve veneration? (Namely Satan/Demonic forces in this case)
2) Does God not love all of "his children" or at least care enough to prevent external forces from confounding them?
3) Is God like that of the Old Testament in which It acts whimsically, petty, and vindicitivly?

Think about those.

[rcgreen]

1) Does this mean God is not all powerful and there are other metaphysical forces in this cosmos that are equal/comparable in power which also deserve veneration? (Namely Satan/Demonic forces in this case)
2) Does God not love all of "his children" or at least care enough to prevent external forces from confounding them?
3) Is God like that of the Old Testament in which It acts whimsically, petty, and vindicitivly?

http://antionline.com/showthread.php...highlight=evil