John Cage Indetreminacy 33
I decided to post on Indeterminacy 33:
When
Sri Ramakrishna
was asked
why,
if God is good,
is there evil
in the world,
he replied,
“To
thicken
the plot.”
It seems to make sense that something like this would be in one of the stories. I think everyone, or at least most people, at some point asks this question and I think Cage couldn’t help ponder on this question. When I read this I get the feeling that Sri Ramakrishna may have been trying to be humorous or sarcastic when he answered this very commonly asked question. He probably didn’t know how to answer it as many people don’t today.
The statement seems contradictory because why would a good God allow evil into the world simply just to “thicken the plot”. Perhaps this is where the sarcasm or “humor” may lay but I’m not sure. If his response was true, then it would make one question the love and goodness of God even further. The Bible answers Cage’s question. I will attempt to sum things up.
God, being good, made man also good, without evil. He gave Adam and Eve a choice do good or evil and they disobeyed God and sin entered the world and this is the cause of all the evil that happens (see Genesis 1-3). We, coming from Eve, are all born with a sinful nature and, many times, sin because we want to. There are other things that happen that may not be a result from someone’s actions necessarily but it is ultimately because of sin entering in and corrupting the world.
On top of all this, we have God’s wrath upon us because we are responsible for our sins. So maybe it’s not a question of the one above but instead “why does God, who is just and perfect, allow us to live even though we deserve to die and go to Hell?” Because He loves us.
God provided a way out. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins so we don’t have to, by dying on the cross (see John 3:16). It is a free gift of forgiveness and salvation for all people from all wrongs. Our good works are like filthy rags and we can’t overcome our evil tendencies but through Christ, being God, we can.
If you have questions feel free to ask me or read the Bible starting with one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). Yeah this may seem off topic but it puts the whole thing into perspective.
When
Sri Ramakrishna
was asked
why,
if God is good,
is there evil
in the world,
he replied,
“To
thicken
the plot.”
It seems to make sense that something like this would be in one of the stories. I think everyone, or at least most people, at some point asks this question and I think Cage couldn’t help ponder on this question. When I read this I get the feeling that Sri Ramakrishna may have been trying to be humorous or sarcastic when he answered this very commonly asked question. He probably didn’t know how to answer it as many people don’t today.
The statement seems contradictory because why would a good God allow evil into the world simply just to “thicken the plot”. Perhaps this is where the sarcasm or “humor” may lay but I’m not sure. If his response was true, then it would make one question the love and goodness of God even further. The Bible answers Cage’s question. I will attempt to sum things up.
God, being good, made man also good, without evil. He gave Adam and Eve a choice do good or evil and they disobeyed God and sin entered the world and this is the cause of all the evil that happens (see Genesis 1-3). We, coming from Eve, are all born with a sinful nature and, many times, sin because we want to. There are other things that happen that may not be a result from someone’s actions necessarily but it is ultimately because of sin entering in and corrupting the world.
On top of all this, we have God’s wrath upon us because we are responsible for our sins. So maybe it’s not a question of the one above but instead “why does God, who is just and perfect, allow us to live even though we deserve to die and go to Hell?” Because He loves us.
God provided a way out. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins so we don’t have to, by dying on the cross (see John 3:16). It is a free gift of forgiveness and salvation for all people from all wrongs. Our good works are like filthy rags and we can’t overcome our evil tendencies but through Christ, being God, we can.
If you have questions feel free to ask me or read the Bible starting with one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). Yeah this may seem off topic but it puts the whole thing into perspective.
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