My "go-to" attempt at theodicy for the problem of suffering and evil being allowed by a kind, just, and benevolent God has always been free will. I like to point out things like without pain, we would have no way to conceptualize pleasure, and without sorrow we could not truly appreciate joy. Likewise, some of my best evidence that the New Testament is true is that half of it was written by Paul, who persecuted and murdered Christians when he still called himself Saul. Few serious people question whether Paul was a real historical figure or that he went from being an executioner of Christians to ultimately become an early Christian martyr. However, I'm not the least bit afraid of challenging my own beliefs on a regular basis, and the question recently popped into my head: did God interfere with Saul's free will? Saul hadn't been looking for God -- in fact, he was actively searching for more Christians to murder when Jesus appeared on the road to Damascus and completely changed his life. Yet if it weren't for Paul, Christianity would not be what it is today. So, how do we solve this conundrum? Atheists like to argue for determinism, but if determinism is really true, how can we as a society justify putting criminals into prison if they have no choice except to rob, rape, and murder other people? That doesn't seem fair, if we really and truly cannot choose between right and wrong. My counterargument has been that without free will, humans would become slaves to their DNA and their environment. But if determinism is true and we really are slaves to our … [Read more...]
Charles Darwin and Creation, the movie
After reading an article in the UK Telegraph claiming that a film about Charles Darwin titled Creation had been deemed too controversial by distributors in America because it advocated evolution theory, I got suckered into watching it. Hey, at least it was free on HBO. In the Telegraph article by Showbiz editor Anita Singh, the film's producer Jeremy Thomas was quoted as saying: The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they've seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up. It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There's still a great belief that He made the world in six days. It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules. Charles Darwin is, I suppose, the hero of the film. But we tried to make the film in a very even-handed way. Darwin wasn't saying 'kill all religion', he never said such a thing, but he is a totem for people. Sounds like a tired cliche--Darwin good, religion bad. Was the moviemaker correct in his assessment? Why weren’t distributors fighting over the rights to the film in America? I think I know the answer. The movie wasn’t controversial. It was boring. That’s only when it wasn’t depressing as hell. Morose would be far too cheerful a word to describe this film. Besides, the premise for his complaint was completely … [Read more...]
My most intense ghost story: why I believe in ghosts, part II
I promised to write a guest blog about my most intense ghost story for A Book Lover's Library today, but due to an error (mine), we posted my first ghost story instead. Please accept my apologies. Here's the story I promised to tell today: Supernatural phenomena play a prominent role in my latest novel, Secondhand Sight, and it occurs to me that some readers may believe it’s silly for adults to believe in ghosts. Earlier on this blog tour, I recounted my first ghost encounter, one of many I experienced at my friend’s truly haunted house. As I explained in part I of Why I believe in ghosts, if I had only one or two similar experiences, my rational mind would most likely have found a way to explain them away. But one particular experience could not have been a figment of my imagination. I know what I saw. More importantly, I know what I felt… Jim and I were playing chess, each of us sitting hard backed chairs with a short table between us holding the board. The room was barren of furniture except for a rocking chair, positioned where a spectator would have had a perfect side view of the game, except that chair was empty. The room was well lit, obviously, so we could see to play the game. I don’t recall the time of year--probably fall, given it was comfortable enough for us to play chess in an attic room. It was Jim’s move. The sense of movement distracted my attention from the game. I glanced over to notice that the rocking chair had begun moving in a distinct rhythm, just as one might expect if someone was sitting in the chair, enjoying the relaxation of … [Read more...]