Stephen Fry on God

I came across this video on another social network platform and have to admit I'm with Stephen Fry on this



I have spoken to a number of people from different religious persuasions and I have asked, if God exists, how come evil deeds are so prevalent in this World. Not just evil deeds by humans, but the evil of disease and pestilence as well as other evil deeds in nature.

If God does exist, why do we have to constantly be thankful to him for giving us life, when we didn't have any choice in whether we were born or not?

The standard response I usually receive is that God isn't responsible for any of the evil experienced on Earth, it's nothing to do with hm, so he doesn't intervene. Really? He is happy to just sit there and allow evil deeds to be carried out without any sense of duty to intervene? This I find hard to accept and although not the main reason for not believing in a higher Deity, it certainly does not persuade me to open up and accept him in my life.

I have been called small minded, ignorant, even a hater because I am an atheist, yet I have nothing against religion, I just choose not to be part of it.

I saw this last night and was going to post it as I love Steven Fry and thought that this was him at his best.

I was going to put it here but did not want to start a huge religios debate.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978


The standard response I usually receive is that God isn't responsible for any of the evil experienced on Earth, it's nothing to do with hm, so he doesn't intervene. Really? He is happy to just sit there and allow evil deeds to be carried out without any sense of duty to intervene?

But why should he intervene when so many reject him and want to live there own way?

The point is humans told him to F off cause they wanted to go there own way.....and he simply obliged.

It would be a tyrant that refused to listen and enforced us to live his way.


But the point is at some point when things are at there very worse he will correct things.

But for the meantime we are are living the path human choose to walk.


The fact is God is not a tyrant and he let us walk our own path, even though it has proved destructive.

a reply to: nonspecific

Theology is all about debating the whys and the wherefores though isn't it?

I think if God exists he's not a nice being, surely there's a reason he's at the top of the chain of being...

Let's look at the rebellion in heaven for example, would a third of the angels turn on someone that was a fair and just ruler?

Would a fair and just God send souls into eternal hell fire because they didn't believe?

God's not a nice entity, and I don't want to go to heaven and kiss his feet, if God exists.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978

I am an atheist, yet I have nothing against religion, I just choose not to be part of it.

I accept that by the way.

I respect that and wont try to convert you.


But if you are a atheist and reject god, then you cant complain he does dont do any thing.


Its like people calling the USA tyrants and complaining when they intervene.

Then moaning and calling them useless when they don't

a reply to: crazyewok

What's the point in believing in him if he has abandoned humans? What is the point in praying to him and asking him for help if he simply chose to walk away at the request of his little experiment?

a reply to: crazyewok

He intervened all the time for the Israelites, he intervened when he sent Jesus as a sacrifice. Why the silence now? Even the Israelites turned away from him time after time, yet he kept intervening on their behalf, but that was in a time where barbarous acts could be attributed to God, these days not so much. Maybe that's why he doesn't intervene anymore? Because people will wise up to the fact it isn't God at all but man attributing their actions to God.

a reply to: crazyewok

I'm not really complaining, what I am suggesting is that by allowing such evil things in the World, if he exists, he is not a loving God.

I cannot accept that he created Earth only to allow such suffering, particularly in children.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
a reply to: crazyewok

What's the point in believing in him if he has abandoned humans? What is the point in praying to him and asking him for help if he simply chose to walk away at the request of his little experiment?

Because at some point we or should I say I believe he will one day come back and correct things.

He has not abandoned us. Just taken a step back.

He notes every action and remembers every human.

One day when humans have walked to the end of our destructive path he will correct it.


He has given us freedom.

Party of freedom is taking the consequences of our actions.



That though is my personal belief.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
a reply to: nonspecific

Theology is all about debating the whys and the wherefores though isn't it?

Yes but this way I will not be the brunt of the aggresors.

That's your responsibility.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Maybe he doesn't intervene anymore because there's been a successful coup.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
a reply to: crazyewok

I'm not really complaining, what I am suggesting is that by allowing such evil things in the World, if he exists, he is not a loving God.

I cannot accept that he created Earth only to allow such suffering, particularly in children.

And my stance is if he intervened and took our freedom to walk our own path away he would be a tyrant

He did not originally created Earth to allow suffering.

It is humans that corrupted the originally purpose. We used our freedom to say we did not want him.

He respected our freedom and has temporally left.

a reply to: nonspecific

I can accept the responsibility, it shouldn't matter to Christians though should it? They should just turn the other cheek.

a reply to: DAZ21

The coup came from the beginning when the bible was first being written. Man took on the role of God them attributed their actions to him.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: crazyewok

He intervened all the time for the Israelites, he intervened when he sent Jesus as a sacrifice. Why the silence now? Even the Israelites turned away from him time after time, yet he kept intervening on their behalf, but that was in a time where barbarous acts could be attributed to God, these days not so much. Maybe that's why he doesn't intervene anymore? Because people will wise up to the fact it isn't God at all but man attributing their actions to God.

Only because he does have a purpose to eventually correct the worlds wrongs.

And unfortunately Israel originally was needed to produce Jesus and Jesus plays a part in correcting such wrongs.

They had a purpose.

But its a whole other thread topic





Anyway Im not out to argue or convert just state my views and beliefs. So there they are.

I wont be commenting anymore as dont want to be drawn into nay arguments.

God does not intervene because that His way of showing respect to our free will.

If God really exist. Why He let all this evil happen?
The answer is simple:
Me as a father of 2 kids, I know that at some time in the future I have to let them go. Let them choose what is best for them (even if they take the wrong decisions). God just let us go.

So who do we really blame?

a reply to: crazyewok

Your beliefs are something no one should try to change, unless it causes harm to someone. Thanks for contributing, much appreciated.

Diseases, natural disasters and the like are impersonal and part of nature. The very fact that we feel them to be unfair or evil is a powerful argument for the existence of God whether you like that or not, after all pretty much everyone can agree that such things seem to be pretty unfair or evil when they strike good people or people who seem to be unfairly targeted because they're very young. Otherwise, it would just be nature doing, you know, what it does which is more or less what it's supposed to do.

So, for the faithful, the hope/belief is that while some do suffer greatly in this life, the belief is that God compensates them justly because this life is NOT all there is. The child with cancer will be compensated as a child is below any age of accountability and so cannot be condemned. What happens here is but a blink in the grand scheme of things.

We who are here do what we can for those who are stricken and it is through such events, both human and otherwise, that we all show who and what we are. We either rise to the occasion or turn our backs. But it is all weighed in the measure in the end.

a reply to: Abednego

Your scenario is a bit different though. The difference is you let your kids go when they grow up, God hung around for a minute then let go when there were still babies being born who were born into the situation.

You can't equate man's history to 20 years as a father. God abandoned people before they were ever born.