Well… it’s what? Week four into my eight or ten week philosophy class (I forgot the specifics, but it’s short). And guess what’s happened? 

“What are all the attributes of God?” Professor Tom asked as he stood at the front of the windowless classroom, armed with a blue dry-erase marker, “C’mon, now. Don’t be shy.”

The student next to me, a young, very conservative/evangelical man, timidly raised his hand. 

“Yes, sir.” the prof called on him. 

“He’s omnipotent?” 

“Yes. He is all-powerful.” our professor agreed as he wrote ‘omnipotent’ on the board, “Okay, what else?”

“He’s omniscient.” A student from the back of the room blurted out. 

“Good! What else?”

Timidly, I raised my hand. 

“Yes!”

“He’s all good.” I mumbled, tasting a tinge of bitterness rise up from my throat. 

“Indeed.” Professor Tom nodded as he wrote ‘omnibenevolent’ on the board. 

Even when I took a swig of my soda, the bitter taste in my mouth refused to go away. Soon, the bitterness moved from my mouth and into my heart. No longer was I paying attention to the lecture. Rather, I was deep in thought, wondering what the hell was going on. Why was I so full of bitterness and resentment towards God? Why did a simple philosophy question about the general attributes of God according to western religion, elicit such a strong reaction from me?