Saturday, April 23, 2011

Philosophy Wire: Pope, question about tsunami suffering and the arrogant beliefs of non-believers...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-04-23]: The Pope, in an unprecedented tv interview, answered to questions of the audience for the first time [web news 1, web news 2]. The first question he was asked was the most important one. A small Japanese girl who lived the recent earthquake and tsunami aksed why she has to be afraid so much. The head or the Roman Catholic Church answered that if she searched she will some day understand that "this suffering was not empty, it wasn't in vain, but behind it was a good plan, a plan of love. It is not chance". He said he had the same questions about why some people suffer so much while others live in ease. "And we do not have the answers but we know that Jesus suffered as you do, an innocent, and that the true God who is revealed in Jesus is by your side," he added. The reactions to the Pope's answers were rather interesting. Many atheistic sites referred to the interview with headlines like "The Pope stunned by question about tsunami", or "Pope could not answer girl's question about tsunami" and so on. What is really the explanation of "materialistic" science concerning suffering? Is the "everything is due to chance" an answer? Is the "tsunami happened because" an answer? Is the "suffering exists without any reason in the world" an answer? Is the "I do not know" an answer in front of a little girl who is asking for an answer now? When you laugh with the answers of someone you must have a better answer on your own. Otherwise it is you who is exposed...

PS. The "I do not know" is not an answer but rather a way out of a difficult position, a subterfuge. True science did not progress by being coward in front of difficult questions she "did not know". All great scientists proposed answers to question they "did not know" the answer of. If you do not propose answers to questions you do not know the answer of, then how are you going to move forward? "If you refuse to make a move, you cannot be checkmated", a philosopher once said... The world is full of mysteries that we do not know their answers and if no one proposes an answer, they will remain unsolved... (see Why you can't be an agnostic)

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective...

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