I emailed Dr. Ehrman regarding my last post about his npr interview and received the following response, which answers my question but opens another issue to discuss: the age old problem of a world with pain and suffering if there is a good and omnipotent God.
Dr. Ehrman's response:
Nathan,
Thanks for your note. Yes, you're right -- I didn't want to say (did I say?) that it was my changed view of the Bible that turned me into an agnostic; that *would* be a very strange leap! More problematic for me, in the long run, was the problem of the pain and suffering in the world. I have trouble believing in a good God who is in control: every time I look around, I'm sorry to say (and notice) it looks like it just ain't so....
Best wishes,
-- Bart Ehrman
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2 comments:
Why, he is a happy agnostic. I don't think I could find anything to be happy about.
Well, I didn't ask him why he's a "happy agnostic", just an agnostic. I did reply briefly but decided that pushing wouldn't be productive.
Here was my response:
Thank you for answering my question. I appreciate it. Just so you know I don't believe you said that your changed view on the Bible led you to become an agnostic. That was the topic of discussion, however, and then Terry mentioned your changed beliefs in the same line of questioning.
The question of suffering in the world when there's a good and omnipotent God is an age old issue of concern that I don't think we'll ever have an adequate answer for in our mortal lives. It's a mystery that we have best answered by saying God allows free will and also allows the consequences of those free will decisions to be carried out...even for many generations. Of course, I know you know these explanations and that you didn't ask for an answer from me - which is good because I don't have an answer either, only hope that I must rely on.
Thanks again for your reply. Best wishes to you,
Nathan
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