An Interesting Conversation Between A Student And Teacher

Originally posted by k3456789useless chemo and radiation therapies

brittish jockey bob champion disagrees

american cyclist lance armstrong disagrees

so do millions of less famous cancer survivors

Discussions between student and student are always interesting, the truth is heard in the dispute, I recently wrote a term paper, I had to make a title page, I discussed it with my teacher, then I found a lot of information on the site, but consultations with the teacher helped me most.

Though not a religious person myself, I do recall an old movie, that I thought did this pretty well.

Tracy: (talking to God, George Burns) "Why do you make bad things happen?"
God: "Well, I never learned how to make things with just one side."
Tracy: "What do you mean?"
God: "Well, can't have good without bad, light without darkness, love without hate, etc."

Paraphrasing, but you get the point. I always thought this was very insightful.

a reply to: Gazrok
I prefer Albert Einstein's way of reasoning about this subject, even though I'm not sure I fully agree:

You will note it's the same way of reasoning as the way of reasoning by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in the OP, so it's not like he was the one who came up with it first, possibly not Einstein either (the way of presenting this argument in a 'student-teacher' setting is also remarkably similar, I wonder why... I believe in coincidences, coincidences happen all the time, I just don't trust them).

Click the links below for a more indepth answer to the following questions:

Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Why Does God Permit Wickedness?
Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?
Does God Cause Human Suffering?
Where Does Evil Come From?
The Source of Evil Exposed!
Did God Create the Devil?

The Bible shows that God did not create the Devil. Instead, He created the person who became the Devil. ...

Isa. 45:7 (New World Translation)

7 I form light and create darkness,

I make peace and create calamity;

I, Jehovah, am doing all these things.

In the text below "AS" = the American Standard Version (another bible translation) and "NW" = the New World Translation.

“I FORM the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things.” (Isa. 45:7, AS) This reference to Jehovah’s creating darkness and evil has been gleefully seized upon by skeptics, atheists and other critics of the Bible to support their position that it is not the inspired Word of God but merely a collection of ancient writings of a primitive people. However, their prejudice, doubtless begotten by a lurking suspicion that their position is not as strong as they would like it to be, has blinded them to a reasonable consideration of this text as well as of the rest of the Bible. Instead of following such a course, let us heed the counsel of the Bible’s Author, “Come now, and let us reason together,” and see just what light reason and the Bible itself throw on the meaning of this scripture.—Isa. 1:18.
...
In what sense can it be said that Jehovah creates evil? Certainly not in the sense of his creating wickedness or moral badness, for it is utterly impossible for him to do anything wrong. “It is impossible for God to lie.” We are assured, “Good and upright is Jehovah: therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.” Addressing him the psalmist stated: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne: lovingkindness and truth go before thy face.” And Moses sang of this theme: “For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. The Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice: a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he.”—Deut. 32:3, 4; Ps. 25:8; 89:14, AS; Heb. 6:18, NW.

... Throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, Jehovah appeals to our reason and explains his reasons for executing his judgments so that we may have unshaken confidence in his justice. ...

Jehovah, however, can be said to create evil, because the term “evil” can be used to designate not only “moral badness or offense; wrongdoing; wickedness”, but also “anything impairing happiness or welfare or depriving of good; injury; disaster”. (Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary) In view of the foregoing scriptures showing that Jehovah is just and righteous we must conclude that the evil that he creates must be that of calamity and disaster. ...

EVIL VERSUS WRONGDOING

Thus we see that there is a great difference between evil and wrongdoing. All wrong or wrongdoing is evil, but not all evil is wrong. An act of injustice is always wrong and it usually results in working evil or injury to another. On the other hand, the administration of justice is always right. Even though it may bring evil upon the one against whom it is enforced, that does not mean that the administration of justice is wrong. Rather, it shows how God does create evil.

Whether his creatures receive good and peace or evil and suffering at the hands of Jehovah depends upon what choice they make. As Moses put it to the Israelites: “See, I put before you today life and prosperity, along with death and misfortune. If you heed the commands of the LORD your God which I am giving you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commands, statutes, and ordinances, then you shall live, . . . If, however, your heart turns away, and you give no heed, but are enticed to pay homage to alien gods and serve them, I tell you today that you shall most certainly perish, . . . I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have put life and death before you, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that you as well as your descendants may live.”—Deut. 30:15-19, AT.
...
The deluge of Noah’s day was a great evil, but it was not a wrong; those antediluvians got what was coming to them for choosing wickedness and violence instead of peace and righteousness. (Gen. 6:5; 7:21) The Pharaoh of the time of Moses chose to stubbornly oppose Jehovah, and so God sent ten plagues, and finally had to wipe out Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red sea. All such were great evils, calamities, which entailed great suffering upon the Egyptians. But they were not wrongs. Pharaoh was the wrongdoer, and Jehovah was perfectly within his rights in thus punishing him and thereby settling the issue as to who is supreme.—Exodus, chapters 7 through 14.
...

Source: Jehovah Makes Peace, Creates Evil (written in 1952)

I skipped the paragraph about "darkness" and "light", something relevant is said regarding the figurative use of this concept of 'creating darkness' as opposed to the literal use of the words "darkness" and "light" by Einstein and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in the OP (for those who are thinking that "darkness" does not actually exist but is merely the absence of light, as per their literal use and reasoning, which doesn't apply to the way "darkness" is used at Isa. 45:7). Sorry, but I was afraid I would quote too much to trigger an issue with the moderators, possibly it's already too much (at least the paragraphs are short).

a reply to: ModernAcademia