God Wants You Dead

This provocative monograph examines the paradoxical relationship between divine benevolence and human mortality through a naturalist lens. Sean Hastings presents a systematic analysis of what he terms the "mortality paradox" inherent in traditional theistic frameworks, arguing that the existence of death fundamentally contradicts claims about an omnipotent, omnibenevolent deity.

Hastings employs descriptive analysis to catalog various theological attempts to reconcile divine goodness with human finitude, drawing from both Western and Eastern religious traditions. The work engages critically with theodicy literature, particularly examining how different faith traditions explain death as either punishment, transition, or necessity. The author dissects classical arguments from Augustine through Aquinas to contemporary theologians, demonstrating how each attempted resolution generates new contradictions.

The monograph's central thesis contends that mortality represents an insurmountable challenge to coherent theism. Hastings argues that an all-powerful, all-loving deity would neither create beings capable of suffering and death nor permit such conditions to persist. He systematically addresses counterarguments including free will defenses, soul-making theodicies, and appeals to divine mystery, finding each inadequate to resolve the fundamental tension.

Particularly noteworthy is Hastings' engagement with process theology and its attempt to limit divine omnipotence to preserve divine goodness. While acknowledging this approach's logical consistency, he argues it effectively abandons traditional theism rather than defending it. The work also examines how various religious traditions conceptualize afterlife as compensation for mortality, arguing these constructs reveal the problematic nature of death within theistic worldviews rather than resolving it.

The monograph's secular-naturalist perspective frames death as a biological reality requiring no theological explanation. Hastings suggests that accepting mortality as natural phenomena eliminates the logical contradictions inherent in theistic accounts. His analysis extends beyond mere critique, exploring how naturalistic acceptance of death might provide more coherent foundations for ethics and meaning than theistic frameworks that struggle to justify mortality.

This work contributes significantly to contemporary philosophy of religion by crystallizing a perennial challenge to theism in stark terms. While the title's sensationalism might suggest polemic, Hastings maintains analytical rigor throughout, making this a substantial contribution to ongoing debates about divine attributes and the problem of evil. The monograph serves as both a comprehensive survey of theological responses to mortality and a forceful argument for naturalistic alternatives.