Theodicy
Author: Dr. P.C. Simon

In the Western Hemisphere, every minute of the day, 123 people die from hunger, poverty, disease, plagues, famine, flood, accidents or other calamities. If the universe was created by a loving, all- powerful creator, why do these things happen? Either God is not able to stop these calamities in which case He is not all powerful or He allows these things to happen in which case he is not perfectly good. THEODICY IS AN ENQUIRY HOW EVIL CAN EXIST IN A UNIVERSE CREATED BY AN ALL POWERFUL, BENEVOLENT GOD.

WILLIAM JAMES, the U.S. philosopher, attempted to solve the problem by defining God as perfectly good WITH LIMITED POWER. On the other hand, St. Anselm defined God as "a Being greater than which no other being can be conceived." That means God has the ultimate power.

HINDUISM, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, AND STOICISM have sought to solve the problem by denying the existence of evil. They affirm that EVIL IS MERE APPEARANCE OR IS IMAGINARY. This is not true either, for when we suffer agony we know that pain is real . THEN WHAT IS THE REASON FOR EVIL TO EXIST?

Astrophysicist Robert Kirshner. When his atheist friend asked who made the orrery on his desk, Kirshner casually replied "Nobody." His friend was very much offended. Kirshner explained that whenever he tried to tell that the original sun and planets were created, his atheist friend argued that the universe was self made. Now he can't believe a small replica was self-made.

We know for certain that before anything was created, only the creator existed and nothing else. If there was nothing else, the creator had to create with his/her own substance for there was nothing else. THAT MEANS THE SUBSTANCE OF THE CREATION AND THE SUBSTANCE OF THE CREATOR IS THE SAME. IF THE SUBSTANCE IS THE SAME THE NATURE MUST BE THE SAME.

Now, by studying the nature of the tangible, observable, and knowable creation we will be able to find the nature of the invisible, intangible, unknowable creator.

It is a well founded fact that THE UBIQUITOUS NATURE OF UNIVERSE IS GRAVITY and gravitation affects the smallest and the largest objects in the universe. Gravitation influences the motion of astronomical bodies. It keeps the moon in orbit around the earth, keeps the earth and planets around the sun. The shape of the universe is the function of gravitation. Weather patterns are due to gravitation. Tides and ocean currants are the result of gravitation. It slows the outward expansion of the universe. There is nothing in the universe which is untouched by or not consummated by gravity.

Gravitation is the universal force of attraction between objects which repel each other.Scientists say that they are different forces is because electromagnetic forces have both attraction and repulsion.

EINSTEIN BELIEVED THAT ALL FOUR FUNDAMENTAL FORCES CAN BE UNIFIED AS A SINGLE FORCE AND FOR 30 YEARS TRIED TO FORMULATE A THEORY BUT DIED BEFORE HE COULD DO IT.

THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS CREATED WITH THIS NATURE OF AFFINITY. Very many atoms join with one another and become an amino acid molecule to create life. Yet each atom maintains its individuality. Life itself is built on that principle of affinity and repulsion. A good example is hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen will easily bond and break giving freedom to one molecule to combine with another molecule. This is LIKE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

If the fundamental nature of the creator is gravity or unconditional love, what then is the purpose of creation? All religions think that the creator was looking for worship, homage and adoration from his own creation. This is pure imbecility. Wanting to be praised by his own creation is equivalent to our making a tape-recording of self-praise and listening to that. This would not satisfy even our infantile ego. Then how can we think it is the purpose of the great omniscient creator to seek praise from his creatures?

It is very important that we find out the nature of this Love. Love should share everything it has and not just a pittance out of his/her resources. This is to say that the creator has to share his/her strength, wisdom, power, knowledge and everything with us. This is our first hypothesis.

The next hypothesis is that, as a result of this sharing by the creator, human beings will become as all-knowing and all-powerful as the Creator. Logic proves it. St. Paul says that love bestoweth EVERYTHING.

The next hypothesis is that the giver cannot give more than the receiver can receive. To a child we cannot give a candy heavier than what he/she can carry. We cannot teach infinitesimal calculus to a third grade student. So the creator has to upgrade the ability of human beings to receive divine knowledge and power. That is happening now. We see a doubling of knowledge in shorter and shorter periods. We are in an age of information explosion; information about outer space, space travels, radio galaxies, quasars , genes, nucleotides, genetically altered food products, cloning, disease prevention and treatments by gene manipulation, microsurgery, information transmission systems and on and on. A great deal of information is coming our way.

Another evidence we see is simultaneous discoveries. Two individuals or groups work on a project without knowing that another group is working on the same project. Simultaneously they get the same result, publish, and a big altercation takes place as to who copied whom.

The information for the next discovery is broadcast on a "celestial" net work as intuitive information. Pasteur wrote that fortune favours the prepared mind. Those who are prepared will understand and avail the opportunity. Sometimes, two will accept the challenge at the same time. An example is the Mendelian theory of heredity. Thirty four years after the Austrian Monk Gregor Johann Mendel (1822-84) worked out the theory of heredity and evolution in peas, three scientists studied Mendelianism. All three, in a final check for previous publications, came across Mendel's paper. All three did publish in 1900 each citing Mendel's paper and giving Mendel full credit for the discovery publishing his own work as confirmation.

Another instance is when both Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz, a German Baron, discovered calculus independently. This generated an argument as to who discovered it first.

In 1898 Batista Grassi in Italy and in 1897-98 the Indian born British Physician and entomologist Sir Ronald Ross in Calcutta worked out the life history of the malarial parasite, Grassi in humans and Ross in the mosquito. Each thought the other copied his work. This is another example of the Creator goading human beings to accumulate more knowledge so that eventually they will be able to handle all power and all knowledge. Individuals who are ready will develop this power and ability.

Love cannot exist without an object to love. I cannot love my children if I have no children. If I am "Love" ( for children) I will not exist without my children. Therefore the creator had to create because he is love and needs an object to love.

None of the philosophers or religious founders have thought about the creator being infinite love. They all believe in a retributive creator who will reward the good and punish the wicked.

I affirm that God created the good and the evil doers and He loves them all.

Then what is the cause of evil? Creator is infinite love and had to give independence and freedom to his creation. That means ability to hurt our fellow beings and create havoc in the world. Therefore evil in the world is the result of the infinite love of the creator.

Freedom means the right or even permission to make mistakes and to disobey his laws.

When we realize the infinite love of the creator we will fall in love with him/her. We will stop making any demands. We will only want to be in his presence. We will become one with Him.

The time had not come tolet the world know of the infinite, unconditional love of the creator. Now the time has come and let us be glad that we have a a God of infinite unconditional love.

When we realize that God created each one of us as his special child, a child to love and on whom to bestow all his knowledge, powers, and wealth with freedom to go where we want and do what we want.

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For more information, see The Missing Piece to Paradise by Dr. P.C. Simon, Empyrean Quest Publishers,. or http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/psimon/book2.htm








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Dr. Simon, a retired research microbiologist, is co-author of a prestigious four volume textbook on infectious diseases of animals and has many scientific publications to his credit. His recently published book, The Missing Piece to Paradise, has received outstanding reviews.

Born on a small farm in south India, he acquired his early education in the local village school. He obtained his degree in Veterinary Medicine at Madras Veterinary College. then joined the Government of Madras as a veterinarian in charge of disease control and livestock development.

Later, Dr. Simon moved to Sri Lanka where he contributed so much to animal husbandry that he was awarded special citizenship for meritorious service to the country by the then Prime Minister Hon. D.S. Senanayake.

In 1957, he emigrated to Canada where, at the University of British Columbia, he completed his graduate degree in microbiology and a Certificate in Executive Management. He served the Canadian Department of Agriculture for twenty years as a pathologist and research scientist. He has contributed much to the community. He adjudicated public speaking contests conducted by the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, served on the board of Unity Church as Trustee and Treasurer and was one of their most popular guest speakers. He conducted entertaining and thought provoking classes in mind potential both for Unity and for the Vancouver School Board night school. As a volunteer, he taught uplifting and innovative classes in life skills and human potential to prison inmates. After retiring from the Canadian Civil Service, he taught Animal Science at U.B.C. In 1972, he co-founded a nonprofit society to rehabilitate parolees and has been its President ever since. In 1994, he founded a Scholarship Fund which gives financial aid to deserving students from needy families in Canada and India. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Health and a member of the International Society of Crime Prevention. His website is: http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/psimon/book2.htm and his e-mail is: psimon@alumni.ubc.ca

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