I'll begin by laying out some some ideas that are considered true for the sake of argument:
1. Given: God Exists
2. Given: God is Perfect
3. Given: Everything God does is good
4. Given: Everything God does is right
5. Given: Nothing imperfect can come from something that is perfect
6. Given: God created everything
7. Given: Man is part of everything
8. Given: Man is not perfect
9. Given: Free will is necessary
10. Given: Nothing greater than perfection can be conceived
- #6 implies that Man was created by God
- #3, #4, and #6 imply that it was good and right to create everything
- #5 implies that creation was perfect when it came from God
- #3, #4, #5, and #6, implies man was perfect when created
- #8 introduces a contradiction with #5. In perfection, man somehow became imperfect
Objection: Man has free will and chose to become imperfect
Counter: #5, else it is possible for God to choose to become imperfect
I feel forced to conclude that a perfect God can not exist if man exists, being created by God yet in an imperfect state. Can an imperfect God then exist?
What, if anything, is lacking with this line of thought? I'm very interested in hearing any and all thoughts.