I wonder if the people in this conversation could each list five attributes for God, using that word in no specific way,  but only as a generalized concept for an entity that is existential and operates as a deity relative to mankind. I will start. I wonder if by combining words with like meanings we could arrive at a set of five words that we all agree are descriptive of the God we personally believe in. 

1. Uncompromising

2. Wise

3. Powerless

4. Omnipresent

5. Influential 

 1. Truth
2. Goodness
3. Beauty
4. Mercy (highest form of love which He is)
5. Justice

Surprised to see “powerless” on there. Would you mind elaborating on that? 

 I think for me, powerless helps to explain the suffering I observe in every echelon of human existence. 

 That seems to suggest that God is the author of evil, of sin, which He’s not. A sort of Manichaeism it seems. Just as cold is the absence of heat, evil is the absence of good which we are the authors of due to our misuse of our free will as a result of the fall. God came to save us so that we may be made perfect in Him and as such death has been defeated, we just need to cooperate with His grace to eventually be raised again for eternal life. 

 I have thoughts, but Beave is noodling, so we should wait to discuss. 🙂 I suggest, and tell me if you disagree, that God did in fact create evil for in the beginning there was only God. To suggest that God didn’t create evil is to suggest that evil is an equal negative mirror image of God, no? 

 I'll noodle this for a bit.