GOD AND MAN
Sir,-In his Interpretation of Christian Ethics Niebuhr says: "The ethical demands made by Jesus are incapable of fulfilment in the present existence of man." He also says: "Human rebellion, is not the first cause and source of evil in the world. The world was not. perfect harmony even before human sin created confusion." The correspondence _ revolves round tthe problem of God and evil. Joad, in his Guide to Modern Wickedness, writes: "That God should exist and should permit evil to exist when He might abolish it, is to me an
intolerable view. I have never been able to see any answer to St. Augustine’s dilemma: ‘Either God cannot abolish evil, or He will not. If He cannot, He is not omnipotent; if He will not, He is not good.’" What we call evil permeates the entire universe. Professor J. B. S. Haldane writes: "If the world of nature is God’s plan, then attempts to banish pain are contrary to this plan, So are attempts to perfect human society by eliminating the various evils ewhich men inflict on each other." If, without worrying about heaven or hell hereafter, we would genuinely seek to fashion our conduct and relations with each other on the accumulated moral teaching of the ages-including that of Jesus Christ-we might get nearer to a reasonable life.
J. MALTON
MURRAY
(Oamaru).
(This correspondence is now closed.-Ed.)
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 518, 27 May 1949, Page 5
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231GOD AND MAN New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 518, 27 May 1949, Page 5
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