How do we justify broken things?

There is a question and conclusion that everyone has either said, heard, or thought to themselves. The question people have often asked is, “How could there be a God with all of the bad things that happen in the world? The conclusion some people have given to the question is, “Because there are bad things in the world, there must be no God.” They are powerful thoughts and certainly merit some investigation.

I have two different answers to the challenge of a Divine being in the world. The first one I will give here, and the second will be in my next blog entry. I am not very creative so I need to squeeze as many posts out of one topic as I can. They are fairly deep answers so I have also included an outline version to each response that may be easier to follow and beneficial for the Cliff Notes/Digg/StumbleUpon crowds. So if you have issues with the outline or think it is interesting, make sure you read the whole article before arguing with my points or writing me off as a nutjob.

The Outline version of argument one:
Problem: Bad things are in the world, therefore a good God cannot exist.
Response:
1) But good things are in the world, so therefore a good God must exist.
2) God cannot both exist and not exist.
3) Since there are both good and bad things in the world, and since God cannot both exist and not exist, than the presence of bad things cannot disprove God's existence, nor can good things prove his existence.
4) Bad things actually prove God's existence. This will be covered in the next entry!

My first response to this is fairly simple. If someone were to ask me the question I would respond by saying, “Well, could you not also argue that because there are good things in the world, there must be a God?” If bad things are enough to disprove His existence, than you must also say that good things are enough to prove His existence. People can be really screwed up, and we have seen what evils our species is capable of doing. If we did not have a good God, than things could be far worse! Perhaps the only reason there are still things in the world that are not yet broken is because there is a God.

This first response should get people thinking, but I admit it is not a strong enough argument to convince the skeptic that God exists. There is good stuff and bad stuff, and what happens in your life is just luck of the draw. Just because there are good things in the world will not prove to most people that there is a God. There are plenty of other explanations they could give you. Proving God’s existence, however, is not the point of my first argument. It is simply to show that the existence of bad things is not enough to disprove God’s existence. For bad things to disprove His existence, good things would have to be allowed to prove his existence. God cannot both exist and not exist, so we simply cannot argue that God does not exist because of the bad things in the world, nor can we say that God exists because there are good things in the world. In my next entry, I will go in a different direction and attempt to show that it is actually the existence of bad things that prove God’s existence. So I hope you will check back in after a few days and see why.

Australia

Well I am finally posting again. Not like anyone actually reads this. Oh well, dare to dream. Today I have a few pictures from Australia up on the website, so check out Not Yet Broken for the full lineup. They were taken by Morgan McClure, Mallary Lattanze, and their dive instructor and are really quite fantastic. I think I might try and post here more often now though. I'll try anyway. And has anyone else noticed that this is the most beautiful fall ever? At least, it is in the fair state of Georgia. Hope all of your lives are blessed and as peaceful as the koala's, and if you love someone, you should tell them so now.

Images of Hope

To view all of the pictures visit Not Yet Broken!

I have updated the website with some new pictures and changed the format for how you find them. I really like these pictures because they are so beautiful and depict nature at its finest. The smiling faces in Africa are another reminder that joy can be found anywhere on Earth, even when life is really tough. I am posting a few of the images below, but again, you can see all of them by visiting Not Yet Broken. Have a good one folks!

The Pocket Car

Well I finally got another brand new and original video online. This one took a good bit of editing time because of all the audio work that had to be done. But I think it turned out really well. Hopefully it will give you a laugh or two, and ease the worries of the day for at least a few days. Remember, if you liked this video you can see more at www.notyetbroken.com.

Politics

It's funny how many times I have heard people say, "I am terrified about this election," or "this election really scares me." It seems like every election we have is the "most important in history" and if the other guy gets elected, than half the country is just going to move to Canada.
Now I am not here to say the election is not important or that your vote will not matter. What I do want to say is, relax people! Your life is not going to end because your candidate loses the election. Times may get tougher, but they may not. Things might even get better! The fact of the matter is, one person, no matter how powerful, cannot control your life. No matter who gets elected, there will still be hope for our country. We have had both Republican and Democrat presidents for years, and our country and people have survived them all.
Change has been talked about a lot in this election. While I think it would be great for everyone to have healthcare and a great education and be well-fed, I do not think the government are the ones who will get it done. I worked for FEMA one summer and saw first hand how inadequate the government can be at handling problems. I am convinced that everything they did could have been done for at least half the cost and at five times the speed.
If we want to see change in the world, we need to stop waiting on a politician to fix everything. Politicians have been promising the good life for years, and many of their promises have still not come true. The entire culture needs help, and neither the President, nor the huge bureaucracy, will be able to fix it. Every person who has more than they need must do their part to help those who do not have their needs met. It is then, and only then, that real change will occur in this country and our world.
If you are looking for ways to do your part, there are some great ideas on the website. Some will cost a little bit of money, and some will only cost you a few minutes of time. All of them, however, will help bring about change. So take a second and be the change you want to see happen in the next election by visiting Not Yet Broken.
Have a great day

Life

You know, I was walking the other day and it was a cool fall night. I looked up through the trees and saw the sky and just felt so good to be alive. It gets pretty easy to take things for granted and I complain a heck of a lot more than I should, but when it all comes down to it I have been given the awesome gift of life. And that is a pretty big gift. So as you go through the day, take time to just pause and be grateful you are alive. I know it is a really cliche thing to say, but if you are anything like me you rarely do it. Hope you're having a great day!

The Coming of Fall

Living in the great state of Georgia means experiencing the joys of intense and humid heat for the entire summer. But October has brought a new air, and I am loving it. There is something about the fall that just makes you enjoy every breath. The leaves are beginning to change, and it is amazing to see the different colors bursting forth from the formerly green leaves. And the smell, it is like the air has somehow become more wise. I'm not even sure what that really means, but it just seems to be the case. I hope you have a great Fall, because there is something special about it, and I'd hate for you to miss out.




Picture source: Here