1) God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent and omniscient.
Definition: God is totally powerful--He can do all things
logically possible.
2) He is totally good--thus desires to prevent all the evil he can.
Therefore no evil exists.
BUT WAIT, evil does exist. So, either God is not all good or not all powerful.
If God really is omnipotent in the sense noted above, then he seems like a
powerful brute-- our moral inferior. He could prevent all pain and
suffering, but he chooses not to. He could have prevented the holocaust. He
could have prevented the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran. But he didn't
feel like it.
I've always felt that one of the great teachings of Mormonism is that God is
finite. They usually depict him in human form and most Mormons take this more
or less literally. I personally take it as symbolic of "finitude." In
Mormonism, God is great, but, all human spirits are self-existent as is
matter. Each uncreated thing carries with it its own nature. God cannot
violate those natures--he can manipulate them to some extent-- but he can't
just "blink" humanity and nature into perfection.
In fact, Mormonism suggests that earth life is an eternal university in which
uncreated intelligences, inferior to God, are "schooled" in the nature of the
universe. It is through the process of discovery that God manipulates our
natures, teaching us line upon line precept upon precept, his nature and the
nature of good. Sometimes this is painful, but in Mormonism there is no other
way. Thus God is not responsible for evil. He is doing the best he can with
limited materials and subjects.
It is the beauty of this progressive search for truth that leads me to believe
so strongly in the evolutionary nature of religion. It seems natural.
Unfortunately, for a variety of historical reasons, most of my fellow Mormons
exist in a rather narrow hierarchical world but the Mormon scriptures are full
of this sort of thing.
My questions now are:
1) What is the Baha'i conception of the nature of God and man
2) What is the Baha'i understanding of evil. Why does it exist? How?
These questions are extremely important to me and I want to be very clear on
Bah'ai teachings on these matters.
Thanks for reading (and responding!),
Arden L. Eby
P.S. some in this group might be interested in a comparison between the
writings of Baha'u'llah while in prison (which I'm sure you are familiar with)
with this writing by Joseph Smith from a similar prison at about the same time:
Doctrine and Covenants, Section 121
[Josephs Prayer from Prison, Liberty Missouri, circa 1840]
1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?
2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from
the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine
ear be penetrated with their cries?
3 Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful
oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels
be moved with compassion toward them?
4 O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things
that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark
and benighted dominion of Sheol--stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce;
let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let
thine ear be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with
compassion toward us.
6 Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in
thy name forever.
[The answer]
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall
be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt
triumph over all thy foes.
9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm
hearts and friendly hands.
10 Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither
charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.
11 And they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be
blasted, and their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before
the burning rays of the rising sun;
12 And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and
seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous
workings; that he may prove them also and take them in their own craftiness;
[Snip....Now it really gets good...]
33 How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens?
As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its
decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from
pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.
34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not
chosen?
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world,
and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson--
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers
of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled,
only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to
cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise
control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in
any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the
Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the
priesthood or the authority of that man.
38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the
pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of
almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they
will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the
priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness,
and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul
without hypocrisy, and without guile--
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and
then showing for afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast
reproved, lest esteem thee to be his enemy;
44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the
household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then
shall thy confidence wax strong in the esence of God; and the doctrine of the
priesthood shall distil upon thy soul the dews om heaven.
46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an
unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an
everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee
forever and ever.