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Edging God out results and two kinds of ego problems. What are they?

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Final answer:

The problem of evil presents two ego-related theological questions: how an all-powerful God could permit evil, and the implication of divine foreknowledge on free will and the existence of evil. Moreover, the idea of a perfect deity creating the universe raises issues about divine completeness and intention.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question addresses the problem of evil in the context of religious beliefs, specifically within the Western monotheistic traditions, where God is usually described as having attributes of omnibenevolence (all-good), omnipotence (all-powerful), and omniscience (all-knowing). The issue at hand is the contradiction between these divine attributes and the existence of evil in the world. Broadly, this is known as the problem of evil.

The two kinds of ego problems that arise from this theological dilemma involve questioning divine attributes. The first is the question of how an all-powerful deity could allow evil to exist unless that deity is not entirely good or lacks the capability, which seems to oppose the notion of omnipotence. The second involves questioning the compatibility of divine foreknowledge with the existence of free will and evil. If a deity knows in advance that certain actions will result in evil but still creates beings with free will, then it seemingly contradicts the attribute of omnibenevolence.

Lastly, another ego-related issue is the conception of God creating the universe. If this act is out of necessity, it suggests that God was not fulfilled, and thus not perfect. Conversely, if creation was an act of whimsy or enjoyment, it challenges the notion of divine perfection and raises further questions about divine motivation.

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