When I was 16, my philosophy teacher Mwalimu Kassala asked me to ponder on the problem of evil. He presented the problem as Saint Augustine had presented it:
Either God cannot abolish evil or He will not.
If He cannot, He is not All-Powerful;
If He will not, He is not All-Good.
Many years have passed since then, and I think I have finally “solved” the problem of evil- and it is an extremely important question to consider because my solution puts us in the role of creators rather than passive observers.It challenges the fundamental assumptions most human beings have made about God.
The problem with the question and the traditional understanding of God is the assumption that God IS rather than BECOMING and that He is All Powerful, All Merciful, or Both. Truth is often a paradox. My view on the problem of evil, on the nature of God, and who we are is suggested in the following poems:
Caterpillar and the Butterfly
Pristine Whore
The Opening
Where is God?
The problem with the traditional understanding of God is that it makes us passive observers who assume that goodness will prevail because of a higher power. I suggest, respectfully, that the outcome should not be assumed: what we do, and how we live, will determine the fate of not only ourselves but “It”. Individual and Social Justice are paramount to the “creation” of Us and “It.”
Like this:
Like Loading...
The Conscience 