Q&A: The Creator and the World
The Creator and the World
Question
After I read your article about the problem of evil in the world, and about the laws of logic and the Creator’s subordination to them, I have 2 questions.
A. In one place you wrote: "There is no infringement of His omnipotence if I claim that He cannot solve the problem of evil, since He cannot create a world in which there is no evil but that still fulfills His purposes." And you also wrote: "This does not point to a deficiency, but to a goal/purpose for which He acts—not because He lacks something, but because something is lacking in the world." But He Himself created the world lacking, so did He create a goal for Himself, or a kind of game for Himself?
B. And you also wrote there: "There is justification for it, we just do not understand it." On that itself it is difficult: is it proper to do such a thing to people—to leave them unable to understand this disturbing problem? Given our intelligence and the morality that He implanted in us, this seems like cruelty.
Answer
A. I don’t remember the quote. If you give me the source, I’ll try to explain it. In principle, it is possible that He created an incomplete world so that development/perfection would be worthwhile, because He Himself has a need for that perfectioning process (there is a tension here between perfection and becoming perfected).
B. He apparently has reasons not to let us understand. I can make guesses, but I don’t see much point in that.