The Christian concept of God as all-powerful and also loving doesn’t seem to be reasonable.
Please tell me more?
Well, if that God is all powerful, then the fact he does not stop evil and suffering is hard to reconcile with the characteristic of love.
And if that God is perfectly loving, then it seems like he would do something to stop evil and suffering. So the fact that we see evil and suffering implies that that type of God cannot stop them.
Ah, I see what you mean… especially when it’s not just theoretical but actually personal… when someone has suffering deeply or a loved one has suffered deeply.
Right. That makes it all the more important.
Although they are both important, which would you say is more important to you: the personal aspect of actually enduring suffering and it’s aftermath or the more philosophical aspect of reaching a rational conclusion on the subject?
Or if they are equally important to you, which would you prefer to chat about first?