re: #593 freedom_fighter

As for cancer in children, the ‘God didn’t do it; God just LET it happen’ defence doesn’t work for humans, so why should it work for God? Sins of omission are considered to be no less sinful than sins of commission are considered to be.

This is just not true, unless of course you claim to speak for God. Have you read the book of Job? Some pretty awful stuff happens to his entire family (including children) for the purpose of testing Job and glorifying God. So until you are able to understand the motivations of God your argument is in vain. Of course you could read the OT book of Joshua and argue that God ordered him to kill an entire city and that would be a stronger argument to your case. However, once again unless you can speak for God it is basically irrelevant.

Basically, you’re arguing that if God permits or demands it, it must, by DEFINITION, be righteous, however evil it might appear to us to be. How is this any different than what the jihadis assert about Allah and the call to jihad against unbelievers?