Lone Star Lutheran

Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Opinion

Nick Hayes, opinions editor [Click to enlarge]

Traditionally, the concept of God is that of an eternal, perfect being, who serves as an unmoved mover, and preserving cause for the universe. However, I am not convinced that this Sunday school version of God is right. Could not an eternal, but imperfect being be the cause and overseer of the universe? If that were the case, would it not answer many of the questions about why things are the way they are? For me, there are too many problems with the idea of an absolute perfect God in every way.

Furthermore, I'm not sure that I want God to be perfect in every way. I kind of like the idea that like us, he struggles with things, and has to make choices. I'm okay with a God that makes mistakes…I'm pretty sure that I would forgive him. Maybe I get to heaven and God says to me, with a smirk on his face, things like, "Yeah, I did a pretty good job with the earth, but I am really sorry about that whole platypus thing…that's my bad."

At one point in time God must have been the only thing that existed. If he is indeed perfect then why would he create other beings? It seems that a perfect being would be self sufficient, and would not need anything else. For me, the fact that he did create other things implies boredom and/or loneliness, which are two qualities that could be linked to imperfection.

Also, God's imperfection would explain things like how there can be a hell. A perfect, all powerful God who has limitless mercy would surely show mercy on those damned to hell. I know that I would not let anyone burn for eternity for anything they could have done on their finite time here on earth if I had the power to stop it. With that said, I'm pretty sure that God is more merciful than I.

However, if God shows this mercy, then he is no longer perfectly just. Justice and mercy are both good qualities, but they are contradictory to one another. Justice involves making sure that one gets what one deserves, or pays the price for one's actions. Mercy involves someone taking away the punishment regardless of whether or not one deserves it.

At this point in the discussion a theist would likely bring up the notion of free will. I would argue that if God is perfect, and in control of the universe that there is no free will. God already knows what will happen to every human being, and furthermore, since he is the first cause, he is the ultimate cause of everything that does happen to them, which includes sin, which may lead to damnation.

Continued...

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