What is (the) Good? – pt 1

This weekend has brought up some interesting discussions about the problem of evil. One of my dearest friends validly, I think, questioned the assumed connection in perfect being philosophy between the all powerful/all good god and its consequent “necessity” to act in all situations so as to avoid impunity. Of course this is where the criticism comes in and the existence of the christian god is denied due to the existence of senseless evil in the world. If the connection is invalid, the “problem” falls flat on its face.

Metaphysical Equivocation

Religious language as found in systematic theologies tends to be full metaphysical equivocation. Certain mystical statements are defined by other mystical statements. Even if we leave alone the critiques of positivism cocnerning linguistic meaningfulness, trying to come up with a meaningful explication of some biblical concepts can be very frustrating. One such phrase is “to be in Christ.” I can’t begin to relate the multitude of different interpretations I heard as well as the blank stares I got when I asked, “Yeah, ok, but what does that (original statement or given interpretation) mean?” One way I sought to get out of this trap was to see such metaphysical phrases and statements as linguistic expressions of social or ethical realities that could ultimately be stated and explained without such language. The difference is similar to that between poetry and prose. At the time I began using this method, I was just beginning to doubt the validity of religious metaphysical propositions. I’m not sure that this approach could be used in any traditional hermeneutic, but I’m going to continue and see what happens as my thoughts develop. To illustrate this methodology I want to look at a couple of texts in St Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches and analyze his statements.

Linguistic/Metaphysical Dissonance

There’s a ton that could be said in this section, and a lot of it will of necessity overlap with other sections. As a result, this will be short. Briefly, theology is for the most part the exercise of metaphysics carried out within certain boundaries or upon certain presuppositions. In recent days the emphasis on hermeneutics has played a major role on the realm of epistemology, especially in religious epistemology. One of the troubling things for me has been the seemingly narrow focus of traditional Protestant theology. It attempts to make certain assertions of reality that end up being nothing more than textual interpretations.