Why Is God Evil? | Three Body Problem

When God hates humanity, things get brutal. This goes for sci-fi and theology.

Full conversation with James McGrath here:

In Cixin Liu’s Three Body Problem and the rest of the Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy, the aliens called the San-Ti or Trisolarans are hostile to humanity. They pose as gods to subjugate humanity. This plot line has a kind of precedent in the Apocryphon of John, a text formerly called gnostic. They ask the question: What if God was evil or malicious?

If you liked the Three Body Problem Netflix show, The Dark Forest, or Death’s End, or the work of New Testament Dr. James McGrath, you might appreciate this perspective.

How Dune Gets the Cognitive Science of Religion Exactly Right:

Edited by Eric Murphy. His channel:

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00:00 Intro

This video contains 100% therapeutic grade skepticism.*

*This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA

[juniusluriuscatalus]

"Any sufficiently speculative science fiction is indistinguishable from theology"

I actually like that.

[lukaspollard]

I would also like to add Cole's law to the conversation:

Cole's law:
Thinly sliced cabbage

[Draygarth]

I've always preferred the idea of evil gods. It's a lot easier to explain why bad things happen if some gods are actively messing with humanity. Though my favorite god from fiction is Crom, from Conan the Barbarian. He imbues you at birth with all the strength you'll need to face the world. Then he doesn't think about you again until you die and meet him. Because why would he need to do more, you already have everything you need to thrive.

[valmid]

*"Do you think God stays in heaven because he, too, lives in fear of what he's created here on earth?"* -Robert Rodriguez

[TheMissiIe]

The Epicurus quote, "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
Is perfect for this video

[chromepunkk]

Drew channeling his inner NileRed narration

[daviydviljoen]

Speaking of fantasy, most contemporary fantasy authors are Mormons, because Mormon theology is so darn complex that you need a flow chart to understand it. The whole thing looks like something Brandon Sanderson could come up with, oh wait...

[Zrsz]

Its not that gods are evil. They were created by people who wanted to be evil like the gods they created. They are worshipped by people who want to be evil, free of responsibility and accountability, getting what they want like toddlers and hating on everyone outside the cult. It brings out the worst in people.

[starstuck]

was expecting this to be from quinn’s ideas, this is a pleasant surprise :3

[joshualavender]

Never mind the spoilers, I'm so glad I watched this! I'm a sci-fi writer. The novel into which I've poured seven years of work is strongly premised on Clarke's Law (as you call it), and your new law of science fiction pithily explains why parts of my book read so much like religious literature. So I'm going to be quoting the McGrath-McCoy Law from here on out! And I'm going to start reading Cixin Liu's books at last!

[ryanhollist]

"[The San-Ti] confuse Humanity with seemingly miraculous events that undermine our civilizations focus on advancement through reason. In short, they play the role of God, but one jealous of the potential power of its subjects who uses cruel trickery for the sake of its own power."

This made me think of The Tower of Babel.

[JonathanFifield]

This is fascinating. I wonder if this could make sense of the origins of Scientology. Hubbard's pivot from sci-fi novelist to religious leader always fascinated me.

[Iaotle]

The creature in the thumbnail looks so much like a warframe haha

[tn]

You might also be interested in another book: The Killing Star by Pelligrino and Zebrowski. A quote from page 33 gives a flavor of this science fiction story: “The solar system had been "bug bombed, " as if humankind had been nothing more to the Intruders than an insect infesting an apartment dwelling.”

[StiveGuy]

I remember writing a short story about when aliens came to earth they saw how violent we were and used us as bodies to fight in their wars.

[kirstencorby]

I've been thinking a lot lately about how big shared universe like Star Trek and the MCU serve as post-modern mythology for a secular age. They're fiction, and we know they're fiction, but they still impart values and bring a sense of meaning and community. Consider Star Wars Day and First Contact Day.

[ScottM]

Science Fiction as Theology certainly explains why religions of all types try to ban books and movies. They hate competition!

[NILS]

This touches upon the reason why I'm an agnostic atheist in the first place. What is a god, exactly? It's just a question of power scale. The rest is mythology and moralism.

[netic_fx]

This is a really fun series. Get this as an audiobook... it is absurdly dense. I enjoy the series a lot but often put it down just because it is kind of a commitment.

[grimwatcher]

I'm reminded of the opening lines for Nier:Automata
Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle… and wonder if we’ll ever get the chance to kill him.

The game story has various, on the nose themes about existentialism, nihilism, hope. Stuff that really stays with you.