I’ve found a supposedly new and typically bad theodicy. This is “participation theodicy” by John Buck. I’ve snagged a copy of it here.
the abstract: “
Why does God allow gratuitous suffering to occur?
In this paper, the author puts forward a variation on the greater good theodicy, which rather than suggesting that every evil which occurs brings about some greater-good, the paper instead argues that for any great world God could have created by himself, God’s generosity would instead motivate him to allow creatures to participate in the bringing about of that great world. This scenario would require God to initially create a world that was ‘less-than as great as it could be’ (opening up the possibility for evils to occur), so that the creatures that would inhabit said world could causally contribute towards its achieving of greatness. Such a world would feature the goods of participation that would be lacking in a world God were to create by himself.”
So, it boils down to nothing new, but the old christian idea that it’s okay to hurt people as long as some are “taught” by that harm. I’m happy I’m not so selfish as so many christian.
Club Schadenfreude 
Gawd, that’s pathetic. So, his god is into lab experiments. That’s so loving.
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So judgemental! God can’t have a little fun with torture?
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I’d hope he would! Makes him far more relatable. A more realistic grandfather-figure.
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heh. poor god, doesn’t get its jollies.
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it is. when I saw christians lauding this new apologetic on youtube, I just had to show it here for how apologetics is even getting *worse* for christians.
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But as an “omniscient being” wouldn’t “god” already know EXACTLY HOW any of his lab experiments would turn out beforehand? When he cleansed the world of ALL living creatures (i.e., KILLED EVERYTHING ON EARTH!!) didn’t he already understand that that was exactly the way everything would go; in the direction of evil? Something is amiss here; either “god” is omniscient and KNOWS that his main creation is evil and watches just for the cosmic hell of it, or he is NOT omniscient at all and has NO IDEA what’s going to come out of the test tube!
Which one is it?
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Neither because there is no “god.” Actually, your comment is just ONE MORE example of solid reasoning on why no god exists.
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I bring this up constantly in my argument to the faithful about their “freewill” and they never get it. How can you have freewill when god “knows” everything you’re going to do, say, think, dream, etc before it ever happens? Aren’t you just fulfilling an unalterable fate that been purposefully planned out for you?
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As in many aspects of life … they want it both ways.
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as soon as a claim of ‘god’s plan” is made, free will is dead.
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Once you have become accustomed to believing bullshit, I fear it gets easier with time.
Hence we have liars for jeebus simpletons, making grand proclamations about the mindset of something which does not exist, that serves only to make the bullshit more palatable.
The very definition of apologetics.
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