Well, since Sparks seems to define "more evil than" and "less good than" as equivalent, "evil compared to God" becomes simply "less good [perfect] than God". So I don't find that part creepy, no.
As to choice, I see what you're saying regarding evil requiring intent. But is a desire to be good sufficient to accomplish being perfectly good? Or are most of us not (yet) as good as we're trying to be?
(Though by taking such different approaches to measuring good and measuring evil, that right there shows one way in which my way of thinking about good and evil is not compatible with Sparks' model. Hmm. Yes, I am finding these comments extremely useful.)
Wanting to be good obviously isn't enough to be good. I'm not sure what "perfectly good" is.
And figuring out what "good" is (even fair-to-middling good) is an ongoing process.
It's not that desire to be good is enough by itself--it's that Sparks has set up a system where nothing anyone human can do is good enough.
I think connotation matters--"evil compared to God" may be logically equivalent to "less good than God", but the first implies deep defect and culpability and the latter doesn't.
I'm reminded of a bit from the Divine Comedy. A woman in the heaven of Venus (one of the lower heavens) explains that she doesn't envy souls in the higher heavens because she has as much bliss as her nature can hold. I don't remember whether Dante takes the arguement further, but it seems that she doesn't want more because the only way she could get more would be to cease to be the same person. She isn't defective, she's just someone in particular.
(no subject)
As to choice, I see what you're saying regarding evil requiring intent. But is a desire to be good sufficient to accomplish being perfectly good? Or are most of us not (yet) as good as we're trying to be?
(Though by taking such different approaches to measuring good and measuring evil, that right there shows one way in which my way of thinking about good and evil is not compatible with Sparks' model. Hmm. Yes, I am finding these comments extremely useful.)
(no subject)
And figuring out what "good" is (even fair-to-middling good) is an ongoing process.
It's not that desire to be good is enough by itself--it's that Sparks has set up a system where nothing anyone human can do is good enough.
I think connotation matters--"evil compared to God" may be logically equivalent to "less good than God", but the first implies deep defect and culpability and the latter doesn't.
I'm reminded of a bit from the Divine Comedy. A woman in the heaven of Venus (one of the lower heavens) explains that she doesn't envy souls in the higher heavens because she has as much bliss as her nature can hold. I don't remember whether Dante takes the arguement further, but it seems that she doesn't want more because the only way she could get more would be to cease to be the same person. She isn't defective, she's just someone in particular.