BACK EVIL2 4'?m2f Are good and evil arbitrary distinctions by God? AMY -- (enters, crosses slinging backpack over one shoulder) LIZ -- (follows, carrying tablet) Alright, Crocket, I've got you this time. AMY -- (stops, turns) Do I detect another attack on Christianity? LIZ -- You're not going to wiggle out of this one. I've got Plato and Russell on my side. (points to tablet) AMY -- Plato and who? LIZ -- Russell. Bertrand Russell. AMY -- Can I assume that you just came out of Philosophy class? LIZ -- Yes, and I'm loaded for bear. I don't know how any intelligent human being could be a Christian in this day and age. AMY -- You apparently have an irrefutable argument against Christianity? LIZ -- Not me. Plato and Russell. AMY -- Okay. Lay it on me. LIZ -- Okay. (reads) Plato asks Euthy... Euthyp.... AMY -- Euthyphro? LIZ -- Yeah, that guy. Plato asks that guy two questions. It's called a dilemma. AMY -- A dilemma. LIZ -- Yes. If you can't answer either question, it means your whole concept of God is all messed up. AMY -- We'll see. Just ask the questions. LIZ -- Oh, sure. (reads) "Do the gods love piety because its holy? Or is piety holy because the gods love it?" AMY -- You're right. I stumped. (turns) I don't know anything about the gods. LIZ -- (steps into Amy's path) I knew you'd try to wiggle out it like that, so I have two even better questions for you. AMY -- I'm sure you do. LIZ -- (read) Bertrand Russell writes in him polemic, "Why I'm not a Christian", two questions that are not about the gods, but about YOUR God. AMY -- Alright, I'm listening. LIZ -- Russell asks, "Is there good and evil because God arbitrarily declared them to be good and evil, for no particular reason? (holds up finger) OR is God merely acknowledging good and evil that exists outside of his control?" AMY -- Those are the only choices? LIZ -- It's called a dilemma. I got you, don't I? AMY -- Well, if those are the only choices.... LIZ -- See, if you say that good and evil are arbitrary definitions of God, you can't really claim that your God is good. He only says he's good. And if you say there is good and evil outside of God's control, you have to admit that God is not in control of everything. AMY -- Those would be the logical conclusions. LIZ -- I got you, don't I? AMY -- Only if those are the only choices. LIZ -- Of course those are the only choices. It's a dilemma. AMY -- Actually, those are not the only choices. LIZ -- What choice did I miss? AMY -- The choice that acknowledges God as a person, not an impersonal force. LIZ -- I don't get it. AMY -- Neither did Bertrand Russell. I'll bet he didn't see his father very much either. LIZ -- What does my father have to do with it?! AMY -- When a person grows up without a warm nurturing relationship his father, he sees God as a distant figurehead or as an impersonal force. He sees right and wrong as arbitrary decisions for no good reason or he sees God as powerless and at the affect of circumstances beyond his control. LIZ -- Leave my personal life out of it, Crocket. You still haven't answered your dilemma, my Christian friend. This is YOUR God we're talking about. Is your God powerless or is he just arbitrary about good and evil? AMY -- Neither. My father is Heaven is a person who has character. His character is what determines good and evil, not some arbitrary decision or some outside circumstances. The Bible says God is good, good to perfection. If I strive for God I am doing good and if I strive against God I am doing evil. There's nothing arbitrary or powerless about it. LIZ -- Ooo! I should know better that to talk to you! (exiting) You are such a goody goody. AMY -- (backing to opposite exit) I know. I'm getting more and more like my father every day. ©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |