God, in evolution, needs conflict to become self-aware

This argument is used in the debate Does God exist?.

This argument is an objection to There is too much suffering and injustice for there to be a god.

Summary

Here we find ourselves at odds with the traditional vision of God as the perfect, unchanging creator of the universe. We're even touching on heretical speculations, or at least those that run counter to the known teachings of religions. For psychoanalyst Carl-Gustav Jung, the Old Testament shows that the image of God changes and evolves. It's as if God himself were transforming and gradually acquiring a moral conscience. Evil and conflict are thus necessary, enabling God to overcome his anger and even become more conscious. This idea is found in the theosophist Jacob Boehme, who influenced Hegel.

Quotes from Jung and Boehme

Cf. Jung

Quotes

References

Justifications

Objections

God is supposed to be omnipotent
It's all too easy to twist biblical accounts to cover up inconsistencies.

Parent debate