Paradoxical Truths

[Anonymous]

Oh wow. How could I forget one of the greatest paradoxes in Western religious thought — the issue of theodicy. Why is there evil in the world?

1. God is all-powerful and controls the conditions of the universe.

2. God loves everyone perfectly, wanting us all to be happy.

3. There is suffering in the world. Not just some … but a LOT of it!

These three assumptions contradict each other.

[Anonymous]

God answers our sincere prayers. Sometimes the answer is “No.”

We are to love our neighbors as ourselves, but we are to learn to be a selfless as possible. (Does this imply a mature love for our neighbor will be less concerned with their personal desires?)

[Anonymous]

Heber13 wrote:

Here’s another paradox I often think about:

Lucifer, the Son of Perdition, works to destroy God’s plan. By doing so, he helps the plan succeed by creating opposition in all things. If he really wanted to destroy God’s plan, you would think he’d just not play at all. That’s what would frustrate the plan the most. Is he just dumb that after all this time, he hasn’t figured that out, or is it just a paradox that we can’t understand?

Or how about this one:

Lucifer wanted us all to give him our devotion, love and obedience. He wanted us to give him our free will.

And that is also what Christ requires, the only thing we uniquely have in the universe: our free will.

HiJolly

[Anonymous]

Orson wrote:

God answers our sincere prayers. Sometimes the answer is “No.”

We are to love our neighbors as ourselves, but we are to learn to be a selfless as possible. (Does this imply a mature love for our neighbor will be less concerned with their personal desires?)

IMO, this is KEY! We MUST love ourselves before we can love others. The opposing way creates codependency and lack of self-worth…and then you are a victim rather than an empowered child of the true God.

[Anonymous]

But as I wrote somewhere, that love of self must paradoxically not be selfish, egotistical, or proud.

[Anonymous]

I agree SamBee. I would say authentic love of self would allow for personal growth and maturity toward selflessness and unconditional love for all. It would include “tough love” of self. It does look paradoxical, but I believe it can also eventually look completely obvious.

[Anonymous]

SamBee wrote:

But as I wrote somewhere, that love of self must paradoxically not be selfish, egotistical, or proud.

Noy paradoxical at all, IMO. True self-love simply positions one no higher or lower than any other — it allows the individual to see himself as equal to all, and as one universal whole. Pride and ego show up when a person doesn’t understand this equality and projects this insufficiency outward in the form of superiority — when it and inferiority are flip sides of the same coin.

(sorry to get all new age psychobabble there… 😆 )

[Anonymous]

Well said Rix! I like to think I was on the path to getting there!

[Author]

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