Dialogue of Good, Evil, and the Existence of God by John Perry

One of the oldest dilemmas in philosophy is also one of the greatest threats to Christian theology. The problem of evil simultaneously perplexes the world’s greatest minds and yet remains palpably close to the hearts of the most common people. If God is good, then why is there evil? The following essay describes the problem of evil in relation to God, examines Christian responses to the problem, and concludes the existence of God and the existence of evil are fully compatible.

He had claimed that if God was to be all good yet does not possess the power to vanquish evil then logically God can-not be all powerful, similarly if he is indeed all powerful and possess the ability to eliminate all evil then he indeed cannot be all good. Blackburn uses the analogy of a university to explain the claim of the implausibility of God in a more relatable sense. In the university, students live in poor conditions such as leaky roofs and food that is inedible. The university management sits behind a closed office door yet never emerges and as such it would not be logical to assume that the management knows, cares and can do anything about the issues affecting the students. In a logical sense one must come to the same conclusion about such a god – such a being simply can not exist. It would be ignorant to believe so. Blackburn also addresses the claim that God has a different sense of what is good and what is evil by claiming that if the suffering of many around the world for any purpose, such as to test his, hers or its followers then this god is not suitable for moral guidance. However it is important to note that Blackburn does not refute the idea of a god existing, and goes as far as stating that a god may exist but not in a traditional Judeo-Christian form of understanding.

The logical problem of evil is often referred to as the inconsistent triad, this being that the following propositions; God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent and evil exists, are inconsistent. Also known as a reduction ad absurdum argument, whereby all three propositions cannot be true together. Theists, like Swinburne, come to the conclusion that the three propositions are compatible with one another, whereas atheists, like Mackie, believe that they are incompatible and therefore God does not exist. I shall be arguing in line with Swinburne’s view, describing the following defenses, indicating that there is no logical problem of evil.

In J. L. Mackie’s “Evil and Omnipotence,” the author presents an argument detailing why belief in a both omnipotent and wholly good God is contradictory to a God who allows evil to exist. He utilizes this philosophy to show that God doesn’t exist due to the problem of evil. As Mackie’s delineates in his first paragraph, “I think, however, that a more telling criticism can be made by way of the traditional problem of evil. Here it can be shown, not only that religious beliefs lack rational support, but that they are positively irrational, that the several parts of the essential theological doctrine are inconsistent with one another.” (p. 100) Mackie discusses

The book was a great explanation of what the Christian faith looked like from a brand new set of eyes. As Miller took us through his own life struggles, while at the same time explaining each incident in detail, it was clear that his faith was a new life entirely. He talks about his own spiritual journey in the form of a series of essays.

Throughout history, humans have displayed beliefs in the existence of some sort of higher being. The existence of God gives an explanation of why the world is the way it is and is a reassurance for life after death. However, even believers of a deity find themselves questioning their own god, asking themselves, “If there is so much suffering in the world, how can God exist?” and this is understandable. Suffering is defined as the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. Theorists have attempted to answer this question, some arguing for the existence of God and some arguing against it, but there’s no real way to answer this question. After all, there’s no definite proof of God’s existence in the world. Two dominant arguments for the existence of

He himself says it, First, there is the search for causes: Why did this happen? Who is to blame? And second, there is an appeal to some greater authority to assist in preventing such upheavals in the future.’ He basically states the event first, analyzes it and then responds to his from his perspective. He then goes ahead to discuss all the different causes (this is where he uses different examples of different perspectives) of the event. Then his argument takes a turn and leaves the reader confused as to what exactly Miller is trying to get

‘My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given’ ” (305). As Goodman Brown sees his beloved wife, he finally becomes aware of the existence of evil.

After seemingly brainwashing people into believing he is in fact “Jesus” Miller provided his followers with teachings which hit any human being’s vulnerabilities. However, when it came to the topic of love, his message to his followers was, “if your spouse [someone you love] doesn’t agree with [his] teachings they have to be cut off”. These teachings have broken up marriages, families, and destroyed people’s lives before their obscured eyes. Due to the teachings, Dugan McGuirk “lost [his] wife [Jennifer], [his] home, [his] family [and had his] life torn to pieces and [it was] tremendously devastating [because of Miller’s so called] ‘divine love’”. While many of his followers have lost just about everything because of following im he has gained so much.

‘What else could I look for, being what I am, and leading such a life as mine? Were I an atheist—a man devoid of conscience—a wretch with coarse and brutal instincts—I might have found peace long ere now. Nay, I never should have lost it. But, as matters stand with my soul, whatever of good capacity there originally was in me, all of God's gifts that were the choicest have become the ministers of spiritual torment. Hester, I am most miserable!’”(177)

The dialogue on god, evil and the existence of god was between Gretchen Weirob, Sam Miller and Gretchen Weinrob. At the beginning, Weirob was sick and miller came to visit and ask Weirob to pray with him so god would cure her, but Weirob was a none believer and she refused to do so. Miller tried to convince Weirob that god exists and she should pray. Weirob tried to convince Miller that god did not exist by asking him if god exists and he is all knowing and all powerful, why did he let her get sick from the beginning? and why did he not let the illness that she suffers from go away. On the other hand, Miller gave her an example about a

In a “Very Short Essay on Religion” by Simon Blackburn, it talks about Blackburn’s two main claims. The first claims states that religious clothing is practical disposition and the second claims that there is not ontology. In the summary I have briefly summarized the article and the two claims. Then I have moved on to my critique, in which I have agreed with the first claim and disagreed with the second claim.

Fredrich Nietzsche is considered by the masses to be revolutionary in both his career as an author and a philosopher as he had a tremendous impact on the twentieth century up and even today. However, Nietzsche’s views were highly unlike other popular beliefs and conventional beliefs of his time. Almost all of his published works were, and still are, considered controversial. His philosophies are more than just controversial and unconventional viewpoints, however; they are extreme and dangerous if taken out of context or misinterpreted.

Have you ever encountered something and said to yourself “Why me?” Or have you wondered “Why do so many people lose their lives to murders or accidents?” There is so much suffering in this world that we hear about, including rapes, war, genocide, or natural disasters. Every person has different disasters and oftentimes we cannot come up with a possible reason these happen to us. This thought has led some philosophers, such as William Rowe, to believe that God does not exist. Although there are some logical possible reasons God permits evil, it seem unlikely that there are logical reasons for the huge amount of suffering the world experiences.

It seems as though Olson finds it difficult to believe, when he encounters this form of Calvinism, “to see the difference between God and the devil” (23).