A response
Wow that’s tragically bad. Probably a Calvinist.
Silly nonsense to justify a non-existent God. It is now clear that for human well being we need other people not God(s). We can be alone with our thoughts and our God but we need to be with other people in order to be human. It is people not God(s). Humans have evolved to be emphatic and compassionate. You are seeing this in the predominately secular medical community. It is science and reason that will get humanity through this. No God(s) required. Sure pray and read the Bible if it makes you feel better, but don’t waste your time debating what God did or didn’t do and why God did or didn’t do this or that. Put your efforts on helping other people and put an end to ancient myths and stories providing answers to what is happening now.
I haven’t read any of the pieces linked, which I’m sure are interesting. But if the theme is basically natural evil (which would be the obvious focus for a pandemic), then my response would be: meh. Natural evil is certainly a hard question for the Christian god, but the one he can’t survive is the evil done by his own people. For me, god can’t be credible while his followers are an active threat to human well-being and even to civilization. American evangelicals provide tens of millions of reasons to conclude that Christianity is a mind virus that is dangerously toxic: like SARS-CoV2, it is frequently more dangerous to people other than the initially infected victim. Hope for our civilization relies at least in part on the discrediting of Christianity.
The second article is more along the lines of “How dare you, a puny mortal, question the inscrutable infinite wisdom of God!”.
“What? I don’t believe that! It makes no sense to me!” Exactly my point. You imagine that you, by virtue of your reason and your private notions of morality, are fit to judge the literally infinite wisdom and goodness of God (Proverbs 1:7b; 18:2). This is what turned Paradise into a nightmare.
In the meantime? Well you have to live with it. But hey, one day Jesus will clean it all up.
“What about COVID-19 and all that?” One day Jesus will return and remake creation, freed from all of the miseries and effects of sin, more glorious than ever. All those who believed in him will be bodily resurrected, and will share in this new creation (Romans 8:18-25). Ultimately there will be no death, no ruin, no disease — and no COVID-19.
There’ll be pie in the sky bye and bye.
For me, a universe that is indifferent to the existence and experiences of humans is still be the best explanation.
I agree. The Phillips essay reads like something an ill-prepared but earnest first year Bible college student would write—even while thinking that he has a far better grasp than Wright. Incredibly condescending.
Yes. And in the USA that “secular medical community” is predominantly staffed by many decidedly tireless theists motivated by their respective faith positions to be compassionate. And the vast majority embrace the scientific method which Christian philosophers arduously developed over multiple centuries.
So it sounds like you basically concur with N.T. Wright on this coronavirus topic.
I certainly agree that the universe is without a will and intellect, so it is reasonable to use a anthropomorphic expression and say that it is indifferent to the existence and experiences of humans."