The Problem of Evil and Hell

Thanks to Microsuck for his time and effort. I hope the readers found this debate enlightening.Fallacy of EquivocationI was not creating a straw man of Pro's argument. I am well aware he was arguing for an inconsistency in the definition of God. I was arguing that the inconsistency he was after was only valid if God is redefined to no longer have any other attributes besides agape. Pro was after this:P1. God is loveP2. Love keeps no records of wrongsP3. God keeps records of wrongsP4. God cannot both be love and keep records of wrongsC. Therefore, God cannot logically existMy rebuttal directly challenged the hidden fallacy of redefinition behind the first premise. The only way for this syllogism to work is if the first premise is understood as, "God is merely love." I can prove this by the impossibility of the contrary. Let's use our complex definition of God and see what happens:P1. God is most loving, most good, most just, most wise, etc.P2. Love keeps no records of wrongsP3. God keeps records of wrongsP4. God cannot both be love and keep records of wrongsC. Therefore, God cannot logically existBy inserting an abbreviation of our more complex definition of God, you can now see that premise 4 fails. There is no longer a contradiction because our most loving God is also most just, and so keeping records of wrongs does not contradict his attributes.Hence, the syllogism succeeds if the fallacy of redefinition is employed and fails when the proper definition is in place.Out of ContextI did indeed show that Ezekiel and Deuteronomy do not contradict original sin by showing that there are two different issues at stake here. The reason I claimed Pro was taking things out of context was because he was applying Ezekiel—which is about holding people responsible for their own sins—to original sin—which is the concept of us being unable not to sin.To put it simply, I will not be held accountable for Adam's sin any more than I will be held accountable for my daughter's sin. However, I will inevitably sin because of the consequences of Adam's sin. So I suffer because of Adam's sin, but am I being punished for his sin? Not according to Scripture, even if I feel that is the case. This is precisely what I was driving home when I said, "Sin is not damaging to just ourselves, it affects all others around us." A child of an alcoholic suffers not because they are being punished for the sins of the father, but because sin—by its nature—is destructive.There is no contradiction between the curse brought about by Adam's fall and the passages in Ezekiel and Deuteronomy. Pro may not like the idea of The Fall, but he has failed to show that the Bible is internally inconsistent.The Problem of HellPro did not provide us with an objective standard of justice, so the Problem of Hell is not sound.The Problem of EvilPro did not provide us with real unnecessary suffering, so the Problem of Evil is unsound also.ConclusionI empathize with Pro's position, I really do. Even as a believer, I am angry at the horrific wickedness and suffering in this world. My passions, however strong, do not constitute proof of anything other than this: I have a conscience. Deep down, I know all this suffering is wrong. So does my opponent. It has to be wrong. Not by public opinion, or even my opinion. We feel in our gut that some things are just downright evil.It is that conscience that the Bible refers to when saying that in our heart of hearts, we know there is a God. For, if there is no God, then that inner sense of real evil is just an illusion. Atheists try to appease that inner voice by appealing to sociobiology and the like, but it never works in practice. If our genes were predisposed to evil, would the nonbeliever still know deep down that it is evil? Is there any excuse for the atrocities in this world, genetic or otherwise? That is what Platinga meant when he said, "If you think there really is such a thing as horrifying wickedness (. . . and not just an illusion of some sort), then you have a powerful . . . argument [for the reality of God]."Pro is on to something. Hell is an awful, appalling punishment. Evil is real and sickening. And only the Christian can say so with any real confidence.