DOCSLIB.ORG

The Tough-Love Proposal: a Novel Theodicy Le Pham Thai

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Tough-Love Proposal: a Novel Theodicy Le Pham Thai THE TOUGH-LOVE PROPOSAL: A NOVEL THEODICY LE PHAM THAI A doctoral thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the DEPARTMENT OF SYSTEMATIC AND HISTORICAL THEOLOGY FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGION UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA PROMOTER: PROFESSOR JERRY PILLAY June 2020 i TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………………………ii DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY……………………………………………………………x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………………………...xi SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………...xii CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY………………………...1 1.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………1 1.2 The Research Problem………………………………………………………………...6 1.3 Research Objectives…………………………………………………………………...7 1.4 Research Methodology………………………………………………………………..8 1.5 Delimitations of Study……………………………………………………………….12 1.6 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...12 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………14 2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..14 2.2 Definitions of Terms…………………………………………………………………15 2.2.1 Definition of Evil……………………………………………………………….16 2.2.2 Definition of Moral Evil………………………………………………………..17 ii 2.2.3 Definition of Natural Evil……………………………………………………....18 2.2.4 Definition of Social Evil………………………………………………………..20 2.2.5 A Combination of Evils………………………………………………………...22 2.2.6 Definition of Suffering………………………………………………………….22 2.2.7 The Problems of Evil…………………………………………………………...24 2.3 The Logical Problem of Evil………………………………………………………....24 2.3.1 The Logical Argument………………………………………………………….24 2.3.2 The Logical Problem……………………………………………………………27 2.4 The Evidential Problem of Evil……………………………………………………...34 2.4.1 William Rowe’s Evidential Argument From Evil……………………………...35 2.4.2 Argument Against the Factual Premise………………………………...……....37 2.4.2.1 The Skeptical Theism Defense……………………………………………39 2.4.2.2 Objections to the Skeptical Theism Defense……………………………...41 2.4.3 Argument Against the Theological Premise……………………………...…….47 2.4.3.1 The Open Theism Theodicy……………………………………………….48 2.4.3.2 Objections to the Open Theism Theodicy………………………………...55 2.4.4 Other Inductive Versions of the Evidential Problem of Evil…………………...62 2.5 Some Prominent Theodicies…………………………………………………………63 2.5.1 Plantinga’s “Felix Culpa” Theodicy……………………………………………63 iii 2.5.2 Hick’s “Soul-Making” Theodicy……………………………………………….68 2.5.3 Swinburne’s Theodicy………………………………………………………….75 2.5.4 Other Theodicies………………………………………………………………..85 2.6 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...86 CHAPTER THREE: THE TOUGH-LOVE PROPOSAL FOR NON-THEISTS……………….88 3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..88 3.2 Definitions of Terms………………………………………………………………....89 3.3 The Tough-love Proposal…………………………………………………………….90 3.4 Support for the First Premise………………………………………………………...94 3.5 Support for the Second Premise……………………………………………………...96 3.6 Support for the Third Premise………………………………………………………103 3.7 The Argument Conclusion………………………………………………………….106 3.8 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….110 CHAPTER FOUR: THE TOUGH-LOVE PROPOSAL AND THE EVIDENTIAL PROBLEM OF EVIL…………………………………………………….112 4.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………112 4.2 The Factual Premise………………………………………………………………...113 4.3 The Theological Premise…………………………………………………………...119 iv 4.4 The Case of “Bambi” (E1)………………………………………………………….123 4.5 The Case of “Sue” (E2)……………………………………………………………..125 4.6 The Case of “The Brothers Karamazov”…………………………………………...134 4.7 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….137 CHAPTER FIVE: REQUIREMENTS FOR A THEODICY……………….............................139 5.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………139 5.2 The Requirements…………………………………………………………………..139 5.2.1 The “Logical Consistency” Requirement……………………………………..139 5.2.2 The “Relevancy to the Problem” Requirement………………………………..140 5.2.3 The “Relevancy to the Theology” Requirement………………………………142 5.2.4 The “Value Claim” Requirement ……………………………………………..143 5.2.5 The “Impossibility Claim” Requirement ……………………………………..149 5.2.6 The “Commonsensical Views About the World” Requirement………………154 5.2.7 The “Widely Accepted Scientific and Historical Views” Requirement………157 5.2.8 The “Intuitively Plausible Moral Principles” Requirement…………………...161 5.2.9 Rowe’s “Four Problems of Evil” Requirement……………………………….163 5.3 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….165 CHAPTER SIX: THE TOUGH-LOVE PROPOSAL FOR THEISTS…………………………168 v 6.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………168 6.2 God’s Attributes…………………………………………………………………….169 6.2.1 God’s Impeccability………………………………………………………….169 6.2.2 God’s Omnipotence………………………………………………………….169 6.2.3 God’s Sovereignty…………………………………………………………...170 6.2.4 God’s Omniscience…………………………………………………………..171 6.2.5 God’s Benevolence…………………………………………………………..171 6.2.6 God’s Providence…………………………………………………………….172 6.2.7 God’s Holiness……………………………………………………………….173 6.2.8 God’s Love…………………………………………………………………...174 6.2.9 God’s Justice…………………………………………………………………175 6.2.10 God’s Simplicity……………………………………………………………175 6.3 The Creation of Humans……………………………………………………………177 6.4 The Fall of Humans and the Origin of Evil on Earth……………………………….180 6.5 The Rescue Operation/Salvation Plan……………………………………………...186 6.5.1 The “Forgive and Forget” Approach………………………………………….186 6.5.2 The “Enabling” Approach……………………………………………………..187 6.5.3 The “Substitution” Approach………………………………………………….189 vi 6.5.4 The “Age of Evil”……………………………………………………………..191 6.5.5 The “Distribution of Evil”…………………………………………………….198 6.6 Believers and the Promises of God…………………………………………………200 6.6.1 God’s Kindness to Believers…………………………………………………..200 6.6.2 God Answers Believers’ Prayers……………………………………………...201 6.6.3 God’s Pledge to Believers……………………………………………………..204 6.6.4 God’s “Way of Escape” for Believers………………………………………...207 6.6.5 God Forgives Believers’ Sins…………………………………………………209 6.6.6 God’s Maturation of Believers Through Sufferings…………………………..211 6.7 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….215 CHAPTER SEVEN: GOD AND THE PRESENCE OF EVIL………………………………...217 7.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………217 7.2 God and Evils……………………………………………………………………….218 7.2.1 God Does Not Make Humans Commit Evil to Bring the “Ultimate Good”…..218 7.2.2 God Uses “Evil” as a Tool in this World……………………………………...220 7.2.3 God Restrains Evil in this World……………………………………………...221 7.3 The Sources of Moral Evils in Believers’ Lives……………………………………225 7.3.1 Moral Evils Coming from One’s Own Actions……………………………….225 vii 7.3.2 Moral Evils Coming from Other People’s Actions……………………………232 7.3.3 Moral “Evils” Coming from God’s Hands……………………………………238 7.3.3.1 Moral “Evil” for the Edification of Believers……………………………238 7.3.3.2 Moral “Evil” for the Discipline of Believers…………………………….241 7.3.3.3 Moral “Evil” for the Deterrence of Believers……………………………244 7.3.3.4 Moral “Evil” for the Rehabilitation of Believers………………………...245 7.4 The Sources of Natural Evils in Believers’ Lives…………………………………..248 7.4.1 Natural Evils Coming from One’s Own Actions……………………………...248 7.4.2 Natural Evils Coming from Other People’s Actions………………………….254 7.4.3 Natural “Evils” Coming from God’s Hands…………………………………..257 7.4.3.1 Natural “Evils” for the Edification of Believers…………………………257 7.4.3.2 Natural “Evils” for the Discipline of Believers………………………….260 7.4.3.3 Natural “Evils” for the Deterrence of Believers…………………………263 7.4.3.4 Natural “Evils” for the Rehabilitation of Believers……………………...265 7.5 Heaven and Hell…………………………………………………………………….268 7.5.1 Hell…………………………………………………………………………….268 7.5.2 Heaven………………………………………………………………………...271 7.5.3 Some Questions and Speculations…………………………………………….274 viii 7.5.3.1 What Would Have Happened Had Adam Chosen to Obey?.....................274 7.5.3.2. How Can Peccable Believers Attain Impeccability?................................275 7.5.3.3 Why Did God Not Create Impeccable Creatures Through Marriage?......277 7.5.3.4 What Happened to Adam and Eve When They Disobeyed God?.............278 7.5.3.5 Why Did God Create Natural Evils?.........................................................279 7.6 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….283 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………..285 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………304 ix x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Jerry Pillay, for his valuable support and guidance in the writing of this dissertation. I would also like to thank my wife, Vickie, and my children, Daniel and Joshua for their love, patience, and encouragement during the process of completing this work. xi SUMMARY In this study, we reviewed the literature concerning the problem(s) of evil and found that, while there is a consensus that the logical problem of evil as raised by J. L. Mackie has been successfully addressed by Alvin Plantinga’s “Free Will Defense,” the evidential problem of evil as argued by William Rowe has yet to be resolved. The various solutions suggested by recognized scholars (e.g., John Hick and Richard Swinburne) have not met with broad acceptance. Most of the efforts to resolve the problem have been focused on Rowes’ factual premise (i.e., there are gratuitous evils). This approach has been fraught with difficulties and uncertainties as the determination of “gratuitousness” may be “beyond our ken.” Instead, this research aims to challenge Rowe’s theological premise (i.e., God prevents all gratuitous evils) by supplying a morally justifying reason (i.e., “tough-love) for God to exist in the presence of evil (gratuitous or otherwise). We also endeavor to stay within the bounds of Christian orthodoxy in affirming that God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • An Examination of Three Recent Philosophical Arguments Against Hierarchy in the Immanent Trinity
    “A profoundly insightful book.” –Sam Storms, Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma One GodOne in Three Persons Unity of Essence, Distinction of Persons, Implications for Life How do the three persons of the Trinity relate to each other? Evangelicals continue to wrestle with this complex issue and its implications for our understanding of men’s and women’s roles in both the home and the church. Challenging feminist theologies that view the Trinity as a model for evangelical egalitarianism, One God in Three Persons turns to the Bible, church history, philosophy, and systematic theology to argue for the eternal submission of the Son to the Father. Contributors include: WAYNE GRUDEM JOHN STARKE One God CHRISTOPHER W. COWAN MICHAEL A. G. HAYKIN KYLE CLAUNCH PHILIP R. GONS JAMES M. HAMILTON JR. ANDREW DAVID NASELLI ROBERT LETHAM K. SCOTT OLIPHINT in Three MICHAEL J. OVEY BRUCE A. WARE WARE & STARK E Persons BRUCE A. WARE (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has written numerous journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, and books, including God’s Lesser Glory; God’s Greater Glory; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and The Man Christ Jesus. JOHN STARKE serves as preaching pastor at Apostles Church in New York City. He and his wife, Jena, have four children. Edited by BRUCE A. WARE & JOHN STARKE THEOLOGY ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-2842-2 ISBN-10: 1-4335-2842-8 5 2 1 9 9 9 7 8 1 4 3 3 5 2 8 4 2 2 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Judaism, Reincarnation, and Theodicy
    Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers Volume 30 Issue 4 Article 2 10-1-2013 Judaism, Reincarnation, and Theodicy Tyron Goldschmidt Beth Seacord Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy Recommended Citation Goldschmidt, Tyron and Seacord, Beth (2013) "Judaism, Reincarnation, and Theodicy," Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 30 : Iss. 4 , Article 2. DOI: 10.5840/faithphil201330436 Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy/vol30/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers by an authorized editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. JUDAISM, REINCARNATION, AND THEODICY Tyron Goldschmidt and Beth Seacord The doctrine of reincarnation is usually associated with Buddhism, Hindu- ism and other Eastern religions. But it has also been developed in Druzism and Judaism. The doctrine has been used by these traditions to explain the existence of evil within a moral order. Traversing the boundaries between East and West, we explore how Jewish mysticism has employed the doctrine to help answer the problem of evil. We explore the doctrine particularly as we respond to objections against employing it in a theodicy. We show how it supplements traditional punishment, free will and soul-building theodicies, and helps these theodicies avoid various objections. Why is there a righteous person who has good, and [another] righteous person who has evil? This is because the [second] righteous person was wicked previously, and is now being punished.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter One Recent Developments in the Doctrine of Scripture D
    CHAPTER ONE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DOCTRINE OF SCRIPTURE D. A. Carson .......tr ___________ ~ CHAPTER ONE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DOCTRINE OF SCRIPTURE The pattern of Christian thought that emerged from the Reforma­ tion is often summed up under the three phrases: sola gratia, sola fides, and sola Scriptura. When I was a boy! I sometimes wondered how logic could be preseIVed if there were three statements each claiming that something or other was "sola"; but in due course I learned that grace is the sole ground of salvation! faith is the sole means of salvation! and the Scriptures are the sole ultimate authority for faith and life-all set in the context of the polemics of the Reformation period. Precisely because the Reformers' theological formulations were shaped by the controversies of their age! it is clear that the "faith and life" formula was meant to be an all-embracing rubric! not a limiting one. They claimed that the deposit of truth lies in the Bible! not in the church or in the magisterium of the church. Their concern! in other words! was to spell out the locus of authority in order to rebut their Roman Catholic opponents! not to restrict the range of the Bible's authority to religious life and thought! away from history and the natural world.l The modern disjunction would have seemed strange to them. This side of the EnlightenmenC debate over the Scriptures soon moved on to broader matters. Although the history of these debates has been chronicled many times!2 a great deal of detailed work still needs to be done.
    [Show full text]
  • Must Satan Be Released
    0.44 in. TMSJ Cover 2013 Spring_Layout 1 4/30/2013 12:25 PM Page 1 The Master’s Seminary Journal The Master’s The Master’s CollegeandSeminary The Master’s THE MASTER’S SEMINARY JOURNALTHE MASTER’S SEMINARY 24, NO. 1 VOL. SPRING 2013 Sun Valley, CA 91352-3798 Valley, Sun 13248 RoscoeBlvd. Volume 24, Number 1 • Spring 2013 Have They Found a Better Way? An Analysis of Gentry and Wellum’s, Kingdom through Covenant Michael J. Vlach Three Searches for the “Historical Jesus” but No Biblical Christ (Part 2): Evangelical Participation in the Search for the “Historical Jesus” ADDRESS SERVICEREQUESTED ADDRESS F. David Farnell Did God Fulfill Every Good Promise? Toward a Biblical Understanding of Joshua 21:43–45 (Part 2) Gregory H. Harris Repentance Found? The Concept of Repentance in the Fourth Gospel David A. Croteau The Question of Application in Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount as a Test Case Bruce W. Alvord Permit. No.99Permit. Van Nuys,CA Van U.S. Postage Organization Non-Profit PAID THE MASTER’S SEMINARY JOURNAL published by THE MASTER’S SEMINARY John MacArthur, President Richard L. Mayhue, Executive Vice-President and Dean Edited for the Faculty: William D. Barrick John MacArthur Irvin A. Busenitz Richard L. Mayhue Nathan A. Busenitz Alex D. Montoya Keith H. Essex Bryan J. Murphy F. David Farnell Kelly T. Osborne Paul W. Felix Andrew V. Snider Michael A. Grisanti Dennis M. Swanson Gregory H. Harris Michael J. Vlach Matthew W. Waymeyer by Richard L. Mayhue, Editor Michael J. Vlach, Executive Editor Dennis M. Swanson, Book Review Editor Garry D.
    [Show full text]
  • Slate.Com Table of Contents Faith-Based a Skeptic's Guide to Passover
    Slate.com Table of Contents faith-based A Skeptic's Guide to Passover fighting words ad report card Telling the Truth About the Armenian Genocide Credit Crunch foreigners Advanced Search Why Israel Will Bomb Iran books foreigners Why Write While Israel Burns? Too Busy To Save Darfur change-o-meter foreigners Supplemental Diet No Nukes? No Thanks. change-o-meter gabfest Unclenched Fists The Velvet Snuggie Gabfest change-o-meter grieving Dogfights Ahead The Long Goodbye change-o-meter human guinea pig Big Crowds, Few Promises Where There's E-Smoke … chatterbox human nature A Beat-Sweetener Sampler Sweet Surrender corrections human nature Corrections Deeper Digital Penetration culture gabfest jurisprudence The Culture Gabfest, Empty Calories Edition Czar Obama dear prudence jurisprudence It's a Jungle Down There Noah Webster Gives His Blessing drink jurisprudence Not Such a G'Day Spain's Most Wanted: Gonzales in the Dock dvd extras moneybox Wauaugh! And It Can't Count on a Bailout explainer movies Getting High by Going Down Observe and Report explainer music box Heated Controversy When Rock Stars Read Edmund Spenser explainer music box Why Is Gmail Still in Beta? Kings of Rock explainer my goodness It's 11:48 a.m. Do You Know Where Your Missile Is? Push a Button, Change the World faith-based other magazines Passionate Plays In Facebook We Trust faith-based poem Why Was Jesus Crucified? "Bombs Rock Cairo" Copyright 2007 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC 1/125 politics today's papers U.S. Department of Blogging Daring To Dream It's
    [Show full text]
  • A Fundamental Problem for Skeptical Theism
    A fundamental problem for skeptical theism Atle O. Søvik Det teologiske menighetsfakultet Postboks 5144 Majorstuen 0302 Oslo [email protected] Abstract: The argument from divine hiddenness says that since probably there is pointless divine hiding, then probably God does not exist. Francis Jonbäck argues that a good response to this argument is to deny that one can assign a probability value to the claim that there is pointless divine hiding. I argue in this article the opposite, and that we should instead choose a theodicy response. Keywords: Skeptical theism; divine hiddenness; value agnosticism; Francis Jonbäck; theodicy Introduction Skeptical theism is acknowledged by many as a good response to the problem of evil and the argument from divine hiddenness.1 Simply put, the problem of evil is that we would expect the world to be better given that there is a good and omnipotent God, while the argument from divine hiddenness is that we would expect to have more evidence of the existence of God given that there is a good and omnipotent God. Skeptical theism responds to these arguments by challenging the idea of what we have reason to expect. God may have good reasons for allowing evil or hiding which we have no reason to think that we should know, and thus these arguments are not good arguments against the existence of God, according to skeptical theism. In a recent clearly written and well structured book, Francis Jonbäck presents a defense of what he calls value agnosticism as a response to the argument from divine hiddenness.2 Value agnosticism says that we are not is a position to estimate how probable or not it is that God has good reasons for hiding.
    [Show full text]
  • Business Ethics
    Business Ethics v. 1.0 This is the book Business Ethics (v. 1.0). This book is licensed under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/ 3.0/) license. See the license for more details, but that basically means you can share this book as long as you credit the author (but see below), don't make money from it, and do make it available to everyone else under the same terms. This book was accessible as of December 29, 2012, and it was downloaded then by Andy Schmitz (http://lardbucket.org) in an effort to preserve the availability of this book. Normally, the author and publisher would be credited here. However, the publisher has asked for the customary Creative Commons attribution to the original publisher, authors, title, and book URI to be removed. Additionally, per the publisher's request, their name has been removed in some passages. More information is available on this project's attribution page (http://2012books.lardbucket.org/attribution.html?utm_source=header). For more information on the source of this book, or why it is available for free, please see the project's home page (http://2012books.lardbucket.org/). You can browse or download additional books there. ii Table of Contents About the Author .................................................................................................................. 1 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................... 2 Dedication..............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Surfing, Gender and Politics: Identity and Society in the History of South African Surfing Culture in the Twentieth-Century
    Surfing, gender and politics: Identity and society in the history of South African surfing culture in the twentieth-century. by Glen Thompson Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History) at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Prof. Albert M. Grundlingh Co-supervisor: Prof. Sandra S. Swart Marc 2015 0 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the author thereof (unless to the extent explicitly otherwise stated) and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. Date: 8 October 2014 Copyright © 2015 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved 1 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract This study is a socio-cultural history of the sport of surfing from 1959 to the 2000s in South Africa. It critically engages with the “South African Surfing History Archive”, collected in the course of research, by focusing on two inter-related themes in contributing to a critical sports historiography in southern Africa. The first is how surfing in South Africa has come to be considered a white, male sport. The second is whether surfing is political. In addressing these topics the study considers the double whiteness of the Californian influences that shaped local surfing culture at “whites only” beaches during apartheid. The racialised nature of the sport can be found in the emergence of an amateur national surfing association in the mid-1960s and consolidated during the professionalisation of the sport in the mid-1970s.
    [Show full text]
  • The Problem of Evil As a Moral Objection to Theism
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository THE PROBLEM OF EVIL AS A MORAL OBJECTION TO THEISM by TOBY GEORGE BETENSON A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY. Department of Philosophy School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham September 2014 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract: I argue that the problem of evil can be a moral objection to theistic belief. The thesis has three broad sections, each establishing an element in this argument. Section one establishes the logically binding nature of the problem of evil: The problem of evil must be solved, if you are to believe in God. And yet, I borrow from J. L. Mackie’s criticisms of the moral argument for the existence of God, and argue that the fundamentally evaluative nature of the premises within the problem of evil entails that it cannot be used to argue for the non- existence of God.
    [Show full text]
  • The Reality and the Verifiability of Reincarnation
    religions Article The Reality and the Verifiability of Reincarnation Ankur Barua ID Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9BS, UK; [email protected] Received: 31 July 2017; Accepted: 22 August 2017; Published: 24 August 2017 Abstract: We investigate the topic of reincarnation by revisiting a recent debate from the pages of the journal Philosophy East and West between Whitley Kaufman, who presents five moral objections to karma and reincarnation as an explanation for human suffering, and Monima Chadha and Nick Trakakis, who seek to respond to Kaufman’s critiques. Our discussion of four of the problems analysed in their exchange will suggest that while the rejoinders of Chadha and Trakakis to Kaufman consist of plausible logical possibilities which successfully rebut some of his criticisms, the scenarios that they sketch are grounded in specific metaphysical theses about the nature of the human person and the structure of reality. The cogency of the responses that Chadha and Trakakis formulate is integrally related to the acceptance of these metaphysical presuppositions which need to be highlighted more clearly as we seek to understand what is at stake in the dispute. Keywords: reincarnation; karma; verifiability 1. Introduction A conceptual survey of the source-texts and the extensive commentaries of classical Vedantic systems indicate that while they all point to liberation from the karmic cycles of reincarnation (sam. sara¯ ) as the highest goal of human existence, they rarely take up the reality and the dynamics of reincarnation as topics for extensive discussion. The classic debates, for instance, between Advaitins and Vi´sis.t.advaitins¯ are centred around the question of who or what seeks liberation from sam.
    [Show full text]
  • Protestantism, Liberalism, and Racial Equality
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Honors Theses Lee Honors College 2-7-2014 Protestantism, Liberalism, and Racial Equality Abraham Uppal Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Uppal, Abraham, "Protestantism, Liberalism, and Racial Equality" (2014). Honors Theses. 2393. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/2393 This Honors Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Honors College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY PROTESTANTISM, LIBERALISM, AND RACIAL EQUALITY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE HONORS COLLEGE BY ABRAHAM UPPAL KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN December 2013 1 2 3 This paper was greatly helped by Dr. Peter Wielhouwer 4 CONTENTS Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION General Introduction Research Question Method Chapter Map PART 1. HISTORY OF PROTESTANTISM PART 2. ANALYSIS OF U.S. PROTESTANT SUBFAMILIES 2. MAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES Lutherans Reformed Anglicans Presbyterians Methodists United Church of Christ American Baptist Churches USA 5 3. EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES Baptists Pentecostals Anabaptists 4. DATA 5. AFRICAN-AMERICAN PROTESTANTISM 6. WHITE SUPREMACIST CHRISTIAN MOVEMENTS PART 3. IS JESUS A LIBERAL OR A CONSERVATIVE, BASED ON THE GOSPELS? 7. CONCLUSIONS REFERENCE LIST 6 TABLES Table 1. Affiliation Tendency Among Protestant Subfamilies 2. Affiliation Percentage among Protestant Subfamilies 3. Racial Views by Subfamily 7 PREFACE In this paper, I will examine liberalism in Protestantism. Liberals who are Protestant, Mainline Protestants, are an interesting group who are different from the conservative, Evangelical Christian crowd.
    [Show full text]
  • Surfing Injuries
    Chapter 7 Sur fi ng Injuries Andrew T. Nathanson Contents Surfing: The Sport of Kings – History ................................................................................. 143 Demographics ......................................................................................................................... 145 Surfing Equipment ................................................................................................................. 147 Surfing, SUP, and Tow-In .............................................................................................. 147 Bodyboarding and Bodysurfing .................................................................................... 147 Wetsuits ......................................................................................................................... 148 Injury Rates and Risk Factors .............................................................................................. 148 Surfing Fatalities ........................................................................................................... 149 Acute Surfing Injuries ........................................................................................................... 149 Acute Injuries and Their Anatomic Distribution .......................................................... 149 Mechanisms of Injury ................................................................................................... 151 Overuse Injuries ....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]