Do you remember Oedipus of Greek legend? He was the son of Laius, king of Thebes.
Here’s the story in a nutshell:
An oracle had warned Laius that he was fated to be killed by his own son; he therefore abandoned Oedipus on a mountainside. The baby was rescued, however, by a shepherd and brought to the king of Corinth, who adopted him. When Oedipus was grown, he learned from the Delphic oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He fled Corinth to escape this fate, mistaking his foster parents as his real parents. At a crossroad he encountered Laius, quarreled with him, and killed him (his real father). He continued on to Thebes, where the sphinx was killing all who could not solve her riddle. Oedipus answered it correctly and so won the widowed queen's hand (his real mother). The prophecy was thus fulfilled.
Here’s my question to ponder: Who was ultimately responsible and therefore guilty of killing Laius?
Most people would say, “Oedipus.” But that really doesn’t address my question. In other words, Oedipus may have struck the fatal blow, but my question is actually looking for who ULTIMATELY was responsible.
Let me re-ask the question thus: Was not Laius responsible for his own death since he could have PREVENTED it? By his own actions, he ALLOWED his own death, right?
“PREVENTED it,” you ask? Yes. Laius did not have to have children to begin with. By ALLOWING Oedipus to be born, he took responsibility for all subsequent actions, right?
After all, that’s the same logic we apply to God. He created angels and people. People, for example, do bad things, therefore, God is responsible since he could have prevented it, right?
So, getting back to the story of Oedipus, since Laius could have PREVENTED his own death, and because he ultimately ALLOWED Oedipus to come into this world, my question is: Isn’t Laius ULTIMATELY responsible for his own death? In fact, he is guilty of his own death since he could have PREVENTED it?
Now, let’s apply this same logic to God. God created Satan. Satan commits all kinds of acts of evil. So, isn’t God ULTIMATELY responsible and guilty for all this evil since God could have prevented it? We could go so far as to say, "Since God allows it, he is guilty of it."
If your answer is, Yes. Then you by the same logic would have to find Laius guilty of his own death. He could have prevented it; and he allowed it. Sounds silly, doesn’t it?
Here’s the story in a nutshell:
An oracle had warned Laius that he was fated to be killed by his own son; he therefore abandoned Oedipus on a mountainside. The baby was rescued, however, by a shepherd and brought to the king of Corinth, who adopted him. When Oedipus was grown, he learned from the Delphic oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He fled Corinth to escape this fate, mistaking his foster parents as his real parents. At a crossroad he encountered Laius, quarreled with him, and killed him (his real father). He continued on to Thebes, where the sphinx was killing all who could not solve her riddle. Oedipus answered it correctly and so won the widowed queen's hand (his real mother). The prophecy was thus fulfilled.
Here’s my question to ponder: Who was ultimately responsible and therefore guilty of killing Laius?
Most people would say, “Oedipus.” But that really doesn’t address my question. In other words, Oedipus may have struck the fatal blow, but my question is actually looking for who ULTIMATELY was responsible.
Let me re-ask the question thus: Was not Laius responsible for his own death since he could have PREVENTED it? By his own actions, he ALLOWED his own death, right?
“PREVENTED it,” you ask? Yes. Laius did not have to have children to begin with. By ALLOWING Oedipus to be born, he took responsibility for all subsequent actions, right?
After all, that’s the same logic we apply to God. He created angels and people. People, for example, do bad things, therefore, God is responsible since he could have prevented it, right?
So, getting back to the story of Oedipus, since Laius could have PREVENTED his own death, and because he ultimately ALLOWED Oedipus to come into this world, my question is: Isn’t Laius ULTIMATELY responsible for his own death? In fact, he is guilty of his own death since he could have PREVENTED it?
Now, let’s apply this same logic to God. God created Satan. Satan commits all kinds of acts of evil. So, isn’t God ULTIMATELY responsible and guilty for all this evil since God could have prevented it? We could go so far as to say, "Since God allows it, he is guilty of it."
If your answer is, Yes. Then you by the same logic would have to find Laius guilty of his own death. He could have prevented it; and he allowed it. Sounds silly, doesn’t it?
