Sample Header Ad - 728x90

Do Christians believe that God chose to create the "best possible world" among multiple/infinite alternatives, by maximizing a "Goodness" function?

2 votes
3 answers
265 views
Do Christians (or at least a well-known subset of them) believe that God chose to create the "best possible world" among multiple/infinite alternatives, and therefore, that we are living in the best possible world right now? My personal impression is that this view portrays God as a *utilitarian*, in the sense that God is viewed as making decisions based on a *Utility* or *Goodness* function, such that He can make comparisons of the form: - *Goodness* (possible_world1) > *Goodness* (possible_world2) - *Goodness* (possible_world1) 2) - *Goodness* (possible_world1) = *Goodness* (possible_world2) And that He solved an optimization problem, by actualizing one specific world (the one we are living in right now) that maximizes the *Goodness* function. However, I know that viewing God as a utilitarian is frowned upon by many Christians, as evidenced by some of my previous questions ([Q1](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/95435/61679) , [Q2](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/95069/61679) , [Q3](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/95350/61679)) . Do Christians believe that we are living in "the best of all possible worlds", as I just explained? If not, are there different conceptions of God in Christianity that still affirm that this is the "best possible world" that God could have created?
Asked by user61679
Jun 10, 2023, 03:32 PM
Last activity: Jun 11, 2023, 09:08 AM