The "Omni-God" Challenge!

[SamMcNear]

I found this challenge on the internet when I was searching for different views on the Omnipresence of God.

I thought I would post it here so If you feel up to the challenge PLEASE email Mitchell Kahle @ hcssc@lava.net with a rebuttal to his thinking. It's funny how many people will see one problem with Christianity and never look to see if anyone solved the issue. They only use that issue as an excuse to reject the Truth.


Sam McNear



Here is the Omni-God challenge -

The "Omni-God" Challenge!
For brave Christians only!
By Mitchell Kahle
Do you consider yourself a Christian? Do you believe in the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, always loving, supreme creator "God of Abraham"?

If so, please read on...

The basic Christian theology centers around the proposition that there is "One Almighty" omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, omni-benevolent "God" (embodied in Jesus) and one less-powerful, less-knowing, less-present, all-evil devil-god named "Satan." A host of "angels", "demons", "spirits", and other supposedly immaterial entities of varying superhuman but less-than-supreme power accompany, assist, and obey either "God" (good) or "Satan" (evil) .

If you believe that:

"God" is omnipotent -- that "He" is all-powerful; nothing is beyond "His" capability; no power stronger; superior in every way; that
"God" is omniscient -- that "He" is all-knowing; nothing is outside or beyond "His" knowledge; no mind smarter; perfect in knowledge; that
"God" is omnipresent -- that "He" is everywhere in the universe at all times simultaneously; nothing is beyond "His" reach; "He" is at one with time and space; and that
"God" is omni-benevolent -- that "He" is always good; incapable of evil; no greater love; "He" is perfect in every way; then;
You have concluded falsely, because the proposition as a whole is inherently self-contradictory and is thus illogical, impossible, and untenable as a statement consistent with true knowledge.
If you believe Christian theology is true, then you have been misinformed, you have been misled, and you are mistaken in your belief.

If you dare, take the "Omni-God" challenge!

Observe how the Christian idea of "God" breaks down on logical analysis using simple deductive reasoning.

If you "believe" premises 1, 2, and 3, are true, then "God" cannot possibly be omni-benevolent (i.e., all-good, all-loving). "He" must also be malevolent (i.e., bad, evil, immoral, wicked).

The contradictions and fallacies inherent in the Christian description of "God" are obvious and we can easily test this claim by analogy.

[Warning: the following is a fictional depiction for the purpose of demonstrating a logical comparison of circumstances under which claims can be made.]

In this valid scenario, I will prove beyond all reasonable doubt that "God" must be malevolent.

A man hides in the woods near a Christian Bible school and abducts a 10-year-old girl walking alone on her way home from school.

The young girl is taken to the perpetrator's camp in an isolated area where he tortures and rapes her repeatedly over several days. The girl is chained to a tree, striped of her cloths, deprived of food and water, beaten with a whip, burnt with cigarettes, and mutilated. She dies slowly in pain and unimaginable suffering from exposure, starvation, and mutilation injuries.

Prior to her abduction, torture, and murder, the little girl was a wonderful kid. The little girl was talented, bright, happy, healthy, and deeply loved by her devout Christian family. She earned good grades in school, she had lots of friends, she went to Sunday school, and she said prayers every night, asking "God" for peace on Earth to protect her and her family "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."

[Note: If this graphic depiction offends the reader, please do not read the Bible, for it contains hundreds of even more graphic tales, depicting much greater horrors, including torture, mutilation, rape and mass murder.]

Under the horrific circumstances described above, the Christian "God" is malevolent and guilty of numerous moral and legal crimes.

If "God" is omnipotent, then "He" was certainly capable of preventing the act and saving the little girl. If "God" is capable of the highest-levels of emotion, thought, power, strength, and valor, then "He" should have saved the little girl. But instead "He" did nothing to intervene! Remember, according to Chrstian theology, "God" can do anything he chooses to do.

If "God" is omniscient, then "He" knew in advance that the young girl would be raped and murdered; "He" knew the young girl's thoughts and feelings of terror and the horror of her pain and suffering; yet "He" also knew concurrently of the pleasure that raged in the mind of the perpetrator. Remember, according to Christian theology, "God" knows absolutely everything.

If "God" is omnipresent, then "He" was present and witnessed every gruesome detail of the brutal torture and rape of a child. Remember, according to Chrstian theology, "God" is absolutely everywhere at all times in perpetuity.

If "God" did act as alleged in this incident, then "He" must be immoral and evil. "He" supposedly has omnipotent power, but using "His" free will "He" deliberately chose not to act in any way to prevent the little girl's suffering. "God" choose instead to kick back and watch. Does "God" get "His" thrills watching rape and torture?

Remember, according to Christian teaching, "Jesus" (the embodiment of "God") is supposed to be the "King of Kings", the "Prince of Peace", and "God" is supposed to be the most powerful being in the universe, always loving, ever perfect, incapable of error.

If "God" were omni-benevolent, then "He" would love (and thus protect) all life equally -- without exception.

But how can "He" be loving, when the "Act of God" described above is so evil, hateful, and malicious?

"God" is guilty in this case because it is a crime to witness violence against a child and not report the crime or to attempt to intervene directly and render aid. "God" is guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. "He" is complicit in each of the horrible crimes described above.

The Christian "God" is NOT omni-benevolent. The Christian "God" is responsible for pain, suffering, violence, rape, starvation, torture, murder, war, and all other ills and evils. This conclusion is logically true based on the following undeniable evidence.

"God" knew the rape and murder would happen in advance. According to Chrstian theology, "He" knows everything.
"God" witnessed every detail as a man raped and tortured a little girl. According to Chrstian theology, "He" sees everything.
The little girl prayed, "Help me God." According to Chrstian theology, "God" hears everything.
She prayed, "Save me Jesus." "He" hears all prayers, but ignored her pleas.
In spite of little girls' prayers for help, "God" did nothing to prevent the violence or stop the suffering.
The all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, Christian "God" did nothing to alleviate the little girl's suffering. "God" let her die without remorse or apology!
So, what do you think of the "evil" Christian "God" now?

***

Mitchell Kahle is an atheist and an activist for state-church separation and other civil rights. He can be reached by email at hcssc@lava.net.

[steve]

This is simply the most tedious example I have seen of the old yarn that a god who would allow suffering could not be all-loving and all-powerful. This is the oldest, and least original of all arguments against the existence of God.

Anyone capable of following the logic of an argument, however, can see that this is no proof that God does not exist. It is only proof that a God whose ways can be understood by the skeptic does not exist. This can as easily be a deficiency in the skeptic as in God, so it proves nothing. If God could possibly have a reason unknown to the skeptic that justifies the mysterious choices He makes concerning intervention and non-intervention, then the skeptic's ignorance is the only problem in the scenario.

[SamMcNear]

Very well said thanks Steve