2 questions: 1 (the easy one): how can you put the following premises in a logically complete syllogism: 1. God is good 2. God is all-powerful 3. Evil exists Specifically taking into account things that are not human: cancer, avalanche, or other horrific natural causes. 2 (harder): how can you justify or refute the Calvinist perspective on free will knowing it's obviously theological references and problems.

God didn't create humans. Humans created God.

*Wins the lottery God is great he blessed me! *Gets a raise at work God is good! *Man murders someone God is mysterious *Children die from starvation God is mysterious I believe in the power of prayer! Boards plane. "This is your captain speaking. I'm going to be landing today's flight on the power of prayer! Enjoy your flight!"

We have free will, yet he has a plan for us. No contradiction here!

God's not real. Never was, never will be. Religion is a cult to control weak minded fools.

Don't beleive in God beleive in Satan. Satan is the real future. HAIL SATAN!

[quote]God loves us all but He's not just going to stop all the bad things from happening. We all have free will.[/quote] So when the megathrust earthquake and subsequent tsunami of 2004 in Indonesia killed 250,000 people, that was an exercise in 'free will' was it?

Evil in the world falls on mankind's shoulders, not God. -We use our free will to do right or wrong, and God loves us too much to infringe upon our freedom. He gave us this divine ability so that we may [i]choose[/i] to love Him, not simply love Him out of necessity (that doesn't make any sense because choice is implied in intentionality, and the intentionality of love). Thus, evil is a human problem which arises from sinful uses of free will (Adam and Eve exemplify these points very well). Moreover, free will also makes us fully responsible for whether or not we are close with God. In other words, it is based on our choices to live in sin or live in the Light of God which determines our ultimate fate (Heaven or Hell). God doesn't [i]send[/i] people to Hell, it is people's decisions to sin without asking for forgiveness that is the cause for their place in Hell (i.e. it is man'a choice to sin; hence, distance himself from God, or not). Going to Hell is fully each and every person's responsibility. In short, you choose to go to Heaven or Hell. Lastly, God [i]knows[/i] all [i]possibilities[/i]. This does not in any way imply that we don't have free will because just knowing doesn't mean the same thing as [i]actively manipulating[/i]. There are infinite possibilities and it is up to us which of those we actualize, even if we don't recognize them all. God's knowing these possibilities is entirely compatable with our freedom of the will to choose, He doesn't control people's minds, so to speak, so as to force them to do something for the reasons in the previous point. None of these issues brought up by atheists are problems for the Christian worldview. What I find quite odd actually, is that self-proclaimed atheists tend to argue that a secular worldview is supposed to be this view that values human choice/responsibility, yet when the question of God comes up, they recoil back when told they are responsible for whether or not they seek sin over God; thereby condemning themselves to Hell. Atheists in this situation become like frieghtened children, who wish to go back to playing with their toys as to take their minds off this innescapable responsibility. This is the reason for why many people claim to be atheists, but are actually more mad at God than anything else. People don't want to face the reality and anxiety that freedom necessitates to them. [b]Ultimately, atheists in some form or another, don't have the strength to try to live up to God's standards. Jesus set the bar too high for them, as they are unfortunately the truly weakest people of all. They will remain weak and broken until they choose to ask God to come into their lives, and only then will they truly begin to live.[/b]

If God can't create a world in which free will exists but evil does not, then how is he all powerful?

Free will doesn't exist...

Ohh the same arguments over and over again

wanna be christian? thats cool. wanna be atheist? thats cool. I mean, as long as you remember to send me a postcard from hell :)

The flying sphaghetti monster is the true savior

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 God both able and willing? - Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? - Then why call him God? [i]Epicurus 341-271 BC[/i]