Friday, September 26, 2008

evil and pleasure

The problem of evil is primarily termed what it is termed because the people who promulgate it as problematic have pleasure as their subconscious and deliberate aim. Yes - there are theological, metaphysical, and ontological questions about existence and God that must dealt with in relation to the problem of evil. But what if we started from [or at least attempted to] a neutral frame of reference?

What's on the other side of the equation? Is there a "problem" of pleasure? Why does food have to taste good? Why does freshly cut grass have to smell good? Why does sex have to feel good? Why does music sound so good?!

Many of the needs of life are experientially and sensually satisfying. Why is that so? Does it have to be so? Surely not. Perhaps the rationale behind the over-obsession with the problem of evil and the minimal focus on the "problem" of pleasure is that WE have a problem. Negative focuses often come from negative sources.

What if we have a problem with evil because we are the present problem of evil?! This makes the "problem" of pleasure not only something to be considered, but pursued.


"In your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore" [Ps 16.11].

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

this reminds me of a Derek Webb song from back when he was in Caedmon's Call called "me"...

lately i've been thinking about pretty strange things...
but not as much about why bad things happen to good folks
and age old questions
but more about why good things happen at all

jim thompson said...

yes! so good.