A Brief Note On The Problem Of Evil

Evil in this context is regarding to all suffering, pain and horror. Evil can be categorized as natural evil and moral evil. Natural evil is that which occurs by natural means e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis etc. Moral evil is that which is imposed on humans by humans e.g.

There is a lot of evil in the world, and much of it happens unexplainably. In the history of life on Earth bad things have happened and evil has caused problems. In relation to some world

Evil can be categorized into two forms, moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil is brought about by bad choices that stem from our free will. Natural evil is bad things that happen to people, whether they deserve them or not. The problem with evil is,

An argument against the existence of God is based on the presence of evil in the world. This deductively valid argument is divided into two categories; human action and natural evil (Sober, 2005, p. 120). Human action discusses how experiences makes us better people, while natural evil are tragic events that are not under the control of humans. Each category is used as evidence to refute God as an all-powerful omniscient, omnibenevolent, or omnipotent being. In order to understand the strengths of this argument, it is important for an overall assessment of how the presence of evil questions if a Supreme Being actually exists, by arguing why a being of all-good would allow evil, importance of evil in a good world, and questioning God’s intervention in evil.

I am arguing that the Logical Problem of Evil (LPE) is not a successful argument to reject the existence of God. This is due to the LPE arguing with an inaccurate definition for the word “good”. With the correct definition of “good,” I will show that an all-good and all-powerful God can logically exist simultaneously with evil. A response for my objection could be the Furthermore, if we allow the inadequate use of the word “evil”, the LPE still does not constitute the immediate rejection of the existence of God due to the concept of free will. A response to this objection is that individual humans are not free and are therefore not morally responsible for their actions. However, I will show that this response fails to disprove the existence of God.

The problem of evil has existed for a long time and many philosophers including Michael Murray have gone to great lengths to explain the phenomenon. I believe evil pre-existed God's order and the nature of God is to create good out of evil. Evil is a necessary catalyst for good, and souls born in to weak bodies serve just as great of a life purpose, that molds the world towards kindness, as the souls born into strong bodies. Many times, the strong learn lessons of mercy and kindness from the weak; but all creatures big and strong are the catalysis for their own suffering. The decisions people and animals make impacted the world both positively and negatively; as is the nature of free will.

God is all-powerful. God is just. These are some the most well known statements about God. Yet, they pose an obstacle to why evil exists in this world. Natural evil began in the garden when Adam and Eve sinned. The result was pain in childbirth, toil in working the ground, and enmity between Satan and mankind. However, Elmer Towns adds, “The actual origin of evil was not initiated on an earthly scene, but within the glories of heaven. Man was tempted by an external force. Although this does not make him any less guilty, it does suggest to us that evil was present in the universe prior to Genesis.” Moral evil began when Lucifer proclaimed he would be like the Most High. Both moral and natural evil have their roots in free will. Because God is love, He did not make every creature a robot worshiping Him and carrying out His will. Thus Satan had a choice in heaven to submit and Adam and Eve in the garden had the choice to obey or disobey. In both instances free will was exercised and the consequences are still seen today as mankind continues to exercise his will. Demarest summarizes, “Humankind after the fall suffers extensive spiritual deprivation. Although the image of God in man survives (Gen. 9:6), reason has lost its soundness (2 Cor. 4:4), the will no longer is free to choose God and the good (John 8:34), and sinners are spiritually blind (1 Cor. 2:14) and dead (Eph. 2:1, 5). Once able not to sin, the unregenerate now are incapable of not

 Evil doesn 't necessarily have to be an action by a human; it can also be a result of a natural disaster such as: hurricanes, earthquakes, illness, etc. A hurricane can take away everything from thousands of humans. This causes the people to have no home, clothes, or food. This is also a form of evil, due to the suffering it causes. This is called natural evil. People can bring about moral evil upon themselves, although, they rarely can bring natural evil upon themselves. There is a distinct difference between the two, and one evil does not cause the other. The reason I point the

This is the problem of evil. Augustine summed it up most effectively when he said, “Either God cannot abolish evil or he will not. If he cannot then he is not all-powerful. If he will not then he is not all good.” Augustine viewed evil as merely the absence of good just as dark is the absence of light, a non-being “a name for nothing but the want of good”. He looked to the Bible for an explanation for the existence of God and believed that the fall of humanity from grace, as shown in Genesis, showed the origin of evil. He believed that evil came into the world because human beings had deliberately turned away from God and his goodness. This suggests that both moral and natural evil is a result of original human sin.

First, Did God create evil? No God did not create evil or even cause it. When God created all creation he said it was very good Genesis 1:31. James 1:13 says “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (NKJV). Therefore, when evil things happen we should not be quick to blame God as the one who caused it though he may let things occur to test us as Psalm 11:5 says, “the Lord tests the righteous” (NKJV). A prime example that God does not cause evil but lets it occur to test is in the book of Job and serves as an example to us of why there is evil in everyday life is occurring.

Christians often focus on the good rather than evil. Many theologies were formed to protecting God from being the victim of creating evil. According to Mackie, “God is omnipotent and God is wholly good, and yet evil exist” (Mackie, 1955, pp.210). Mackie illustrated the contradiction between the three approaches. He believes that if the first two position is correct then the

Two types of evil exist in our world today. Natural evil occurs when earthquakes, hurricanes,

For example, someone tortures another person violently then it is a moral evil from which the suffering individual is going pain and injury. According to Philosophy Here and Now textbook, natural evil is another type of evil that results from natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, diseases, and etcetera. For example, Hurricane Katrina has killed more than 130,000 people is natural evil. I found the argument of evil very interesting because this argument is very controversial and it is a strong argument against theists and it persuades them to explain why a powerful and kind God allow such revulsion to happen to his “lovely” people and

Its impossible to reflect on the origins of evil without bringing up the concept of free will. God created man with this idea of choice; the choice to believe and obey, or the choice to disobey. It was this free will that allowed Adam and Eve to fall from their initial glory and introduce evil and suffering into the world. We can justify a large amount of sustained suffering by acknowledging that it actually benefits us and is not incompatible with God's loving nature. We learn lessons both physically and spiritually that allows us to grow and mature according to God. Some suffering is used to spark revival or for a great advancement in his kingdom, cause after all we're

Let it not be forgotten then at the outset of our discussion on God and evil, that the rampant lawlessness and many faces of evil that we see around us is not just the mere issue of man’s doings. It is according to Saint Paul, none other than Satan’s operation (v. 9a) in all power and signs and wonders of a lie, and in all deceit of unrighteousness (vv. 9b, 10). The modern mind with its scientific enlightenment, and anti-supernatural outlook, easily askew the personification of evil. But the clear testimony of scripture is that evil is not just a “thing”, a mere act of wrongdoing or transgression.