Whence Cometh Evil?

[Tank it]

[YOUTUBE]0gAeYxgwuSo[/YOUTUBE]

A question for theist;

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh Evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

I heard this question/s many times yet no one seems to be able to answer it. What are your views?​

 

[Arkolith]

I'm an Atheist, but there's a point to be made here.

Without Evil, there can be no good. I really can't explain it any better than that.

 

Further, given the amount of evil this alledged god fellow perpetuates on his subjects, how does a christian know that he is the correct god? Isn't the devil supposed to be the devious god of many tricks? What is the criteria for choosing between the two, if both claim they are god, you define good as "that which god does"?

 

[olweasel]

I like the rebuttal he gave for "life is a test from god".

In order for a test to properly judge one's capabilities, it should be fair.

And in order to serve as a valid criterion for all persons, it should be consubstantial.

But it seems that life has random calamities in store for some, and very little or none for others. The test loses its validity.

Also, some theist responses to this include the generalization that those who suffer are heathens, or that god makes those he loves suffer (the "chosen people" principle).

 

[dam prayer noobs]

To ask a question like this you are assuming that you are at the same intelligence and knowledge of God himself. How are you able to give a possible God a suggestion and still call that a God? The reason he is called God is because he is everything and knows everything, past and future, so he would obviously have a good answer for you. Just getting straight what the concept of God really is.

 

[Finally_Found_Freedom]

Well, it all depends on your interpretation on omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence. We know what such terms apply to in a human and mortal sense, but how can we begin to comprehend their ramifications in a divine sense? To god, what is knowledge? What is kindness? What is power?

 

[olweasel]

If you're genuinely interested in theism's responses to the problem of evil and suffering, theodicies espoused by Augustine and Iraeneus may make for interesting reading. This is not a declaration of their credibility, merely an indication that such responses do exist.

I thought this was an interesting response:

4. Evil as the Absence of Good

This is one of the oldest and most popular theodicies among theologians. It was first developed by St. Augustine in the 4th century and was re-popularized in the 20th century by C.S. Lewis.

Put simply, evil is not a substance in and of itself, it is merely the negation or absence of good. When good is not present the result is evil. Therefore, if God (ultimate good) is not present in a context, person, or situation, evil reigns. So then why would God allow there to be the absence of good?

Free will. Augustine proposed that for there to be love there must be choice, and choice requires free will. If God is to create creatures that can love, they must be able to choose not to love. However, they can use this free will to do other things like create evil. Humans create evil when they “disorder” their loves. Augustine proposed that God create people to always choose good things, but sometimes we choose a lesser good to focus on. The less the good and greater the focus we place on it, the greater the evil that is created.

But why do we need the depth of evil and pain? Why couldn’t humanity have been created with a greater propensity towards good? Shouldn’t our free will be, as least, limited in its potential harm? Why give wicked parents the ability to torture and murder their children? And, couldn’t free will exist but God intervene to prevent major atrocities?

These are necessarily brief summaries which do not get into the complexities of each argument. However, having studied at depth, I find none compelling.

This is an unsatisfying response. It seems rather dismissive of evil. Evil does seem to have a natural force and substance of its own. It also does not sufficiently explain why God would allow good to be “absent. If God is omnipresent, why doesn’t God’s goodness merely overpower and flow into all things?

http://www.franciscan-anglican.com/The_Problem_of_Evil.htm