Wednesday, December 27, 2006

A thought about the last two thoughts

One book that is provoking me to worship like few before is Moltmann’s, The Trinity and the Kingdom – whenever the holy Trinity is the subject of meditation and thought I usually find delighted worship a natural response.

Returning to the theme of atheism, and in the context of a discussion about the Trinity, Moltmann argues:
‘If there were no God, the world as it is would be all right. It is only the desire, the passion, the thirst for God which turns suffering into conscious pain and turns the consciousness of pain into a protest against suffering’ (p. 48, italics suppressed).
I like the proposal and I think there is truth here to play with, but I’m actually not so sure the argument as formulated here is entirely watertight.

3 Comments:

At 12/27/2006 10:44 AM, Anonymous Steven Carr said...

'It is only the desire, the passion, the thirst for God which turns suffering into conscious pain....'

Do dogs and cats thirst for God?

If not, then does their suffering ever turn into conscious pain?

Still, at least Moltmann is conceding that theists are really motivated by the desire that there is a God.

 
At 12/28/2006 12:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Steven,

I'm sorry I don't exist. I never meant to torment you.

Love,
God

 
At 12/28/2006 2:27 PM, Anonymous Chris Tilling said...

I understand your point, and I'm not happy with the distinction Molty makes in this passage. Admittedly it is only a part of a wider argument in which the terms are defined, but in terms of this passage, I'm not happy either.

 

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