Philosophical Similarities and Differences
The main philosophical view derived from reading the excerpts comprise of fathoming and reconciling the existence of evil in a world with omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnipotent God. The arguments posit a profound contradiction whereby a world with a God that is all good and absolute still has evil presence (Rowe, 2001). The articles assert that such arguments examines how evil and God’s presence exist together. This is rather an unlikely or impossible scenario but exists in world realm and dimensions. To truly live, God gave human beings the free will to choose good and evil. The philosophical approach on this is determined on how one chooses to use their free will – either for the good or evil (Pearce, 2020). Thus, the difference is found in the nature of punishment should one fail to heed God’s teachings and virtues as the guiding features in living a truthful life.
Can Life Be Objective Without God?
A life without God is doomed to fail. God gives life value and this complements into an objective living. William Lane Craig arguments elucidates that “in the reality that there is no God, then life in itself lacks meaning, value, and purpose” (Engelke, 2015) The objectiveness of life is filled by God’s presence and belief of the external life. This helps humans remain true to the self and God’s purpose in life. The value of life and its objectivity is driven in the path that God chosen for a person. The inexistence of God shows that there is no mortality, and without mortality, humans are doomed to die and forgotten. Immortality gives hope for another life and helps in making wise decisions (Metz, 2000). To life a life without God opens an individual to the embrace absurdity – one of the main problems for existentialism. Absurdity leads to hopelessness which accumulates to lack of value and objective in life. Therefore, without God, there is no objective life which is a major problem for the humans.
Could Life Be “Good” Without Objective Meaning?
A life without objective meaning implies that one has a life with no value. This indicates an absence of importance in living as your life means nothing. The context of living without an objective meaning shows nothing good about life. In the contexts of human values and the need to create a positive impact on the world, a life without objective meaning is not good. It erodes what is morally right and values of the world (Boyle, Barnes, Buchman & Bennett, 2009). There is a high commitment to doing what is wrong. In turn, this culminates in the overall bad for the vast majority of the world. The actions and deeds of humans in the world posit the need for valuable and meaningful life. The consequences of life without an objective meaning impact towards the adverse effects of absurd life. This, life without objective meaning cannot be a good life.
Problem of Evil and God’s Existence
The problem of evil elicits the feeling of confusion and anger in why God has to let His creation suffer. The co-existence of evil and good illustrates a contradicting world where both have to compete in influencing an individual on how to live (Befenson, 2021). The God’s existence in a world with evil begs the question on the absolute power of God to protect and guide His creation (focus on humans). Despite bestowing on the human beings the free will to choose between evil and good, it presents a sense of abandonment where God gave humans the opportunity to live freely while at the same time limiting it with choice of evil and good (Michael Church, Carlson & Barrett, 2021). This presents an obvious context where human deeds have to resonate with God’s teaching, directives, and values to life a meaningful life. In failure to so, one risks succumbing to the evil which has more adverse effect on the kind and nature of life. This illuminates more questions and desire to understand how the two co-extent while advocating for different things. The value in utilizing one’s free will as the truly desire should not be subject to punishment for choosing one over the other. Instead, it is essential for humans to determine their own life’s course and purpose that geared towards impacting on the world positively.
