I know nothing. I do not know any of the things you do. AlI can offer you is my ignorance, my lack of belief. But you seem to believe there is a divine source that is ultimate goodness and love so I ask myself how could such a being be real if there is such a thing as evil. If such a being exist than all there is is love. Perfection admits to no opposites. Also there is nothing other than the will of God.
So tell me where could evil come from. My ignorance has left me with the certainty that everything could not be otherwise than perfect unless, of course, love is not real.
You speak of a being beyond human comprehension and then talk about free will, to judge to be separate or not. How can that be anything but arrogance. If you know you do not know, knowledge of God, how could it be by choice. Does it not come only by Grace?
-grumbles-
You seem to make assumptions about what I believe. I very much suspect your trolling me, but I always tend to take the bait.
If we create something, we can to a certain extent see our selves in our creation. When a another person sees our creation, they both see us in our creation, but themselves also because their own perspective effects how they view it. When another person lives in our creation, they become intimately familiar with said creation, both its success and failure. When another person is our creation, well, certain responsibilities are expected?
And by those standards, well, the Goddess certainly is not as you say, "
a divine source that is ultimate goodness and love", now is she? Certain responsibilities have gone unfulfilled?
I had trouble with this for a long time. The universe hated* me, life was a brutal struggle, and for me, it would have been better if I was never born. But then I had a realization one day. I was not the normal.
Most people treasure their life. They would rather have it then not. Get out of the first world and move into the 3rd and they value it more, not less. They enjoy their lives. For most, creation is more Good then Evil.
The Goddess gave us free will. She had to in order for our choice to be one with her to mean anything at all. This means she is not the wonderful font of love joy and goodness, because she gave us the ability to choose evil, darkness, and death. The universe that is the Goddess is entropic, which means there is not enough to go around. Some people will feel compelled to make cold choices so their children will make it. Is that evil? Perhaps more grey.
So to answer your first question:
But you seem to believe there is a divine source that is ultimate goodness and love so I ask myself how could such a being be real if there is such a thing as evil.
No.
But their is what is grey, and there is what is Evil. In giving us free will, some have choose to indulge into darkness intentionally for their own selfish fulfillment. That is Evil. Others have chosen to indulge in darkness intentionally for the unnecessary fulfillment of others. That is also evil.
For the self haters, as an example, it can be a blessing to being presented with the notion of God's love, that we have been forgiven.
Self hatred is likely best dealt with by a professional mental health provider utilizing secular scientific techniques. The Goddess gave us many gifts, it would be a sin to waste what we have learned through the gifts of observation, science, and learning.
Faith is not going to solve severe mental health issues, that is not what it is for. I suggest a psychiatrist*.
You speak of a being beyond human comprehension and then talk about free will, to judge to be separate or not. How can that be anything but arrogance. If you know you do not know, knowledge of God, how could it be by choice. Does it not come only by Grace?
Free will is a gift of the Goddess. A deliberate choice on her part to limit her power. A deliberate choice to limit her knowledge. Respect for both our right to choose, and respect for our right to have our own thoughts.
A parent has the ability to limit everything their child does, but they give the child as much freedom as they can so they will grow up as an adult. Overly micromanaging a child results in an adult incapable of making its own decisions. Constantly monitoring a child will result in an adult that never learned to think about the consquence of its actions.
We are free for a reason. Without freedom, we would just be sheep.
Does it not come only by Grace?
The Goddess offers her Grace freely, we choose to embrace her Grace by our own free will.
My tradition uses the sacraments as a vechile for embracing her Grace. Other traditions have their own way.
Reguardless, it is I who chooses to embrace the Goddess freely offers. The Goddess freely offers her Grace to all.
I do not need to understand the infinite to understand certain truths.
*I no longer hate myself. And I suspect my psychatrist had more to do with it then anything.