The Existence of God and Evil Essay

The Problem of Evil is one of the most influential and common arguments in modern philosophy against the existence of a Greater Being, God (Trakakis, 2006). Both Theist, those who believe in the existence of God, and Atheist, those who don’t believe in the existence of God, argue that evil exists in the world. The Problem of Evil explores whether the existence of evil and suffering constitutes significance evidence for atheism. When looking at the definition of the greater being, most refer to the Omni-god in which is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnibenevolent, meaning God is all powerful, all knowing and all good. Atheist Philosophers therefore argue that no Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnibenevolent greater being would allow evil and

in this world, and they are effects derived from a cause. The effects in turn

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.

The problem of evil is a highly debated topic among religious and non religious people. The large controversy stems from the Hebrew-Christian definition of an all knowing, all powerful creator known as God, and the presence of evil among mankind in the world, among God’s products of creation. Fyodor Dostoevsky is a philosopher who wrote the piece, Why Is There Evil? This piece explores a man named Ivan’s view on why he can’t fully except God and his world. John Hick wrote a piece named There Is A Reason Why God Allows Evil. Hicks view opposes/ can be seen as a response to Dostoevsky’s, in explaining why God has allowed

“Either we must say that God is not wholly good, and that he permits or is even the author of evil. Or we must say that God is not omnipotent, and although he is wholly good and would prevent evil if he could, he is powerless to stop it.” (Fitzgerald 340).

Why does an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God allow natural and moral evil to happen without any restrictions? John Hick, a proponent of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s theodicy defense, answered: “in order that human beings, as free responsible agents, may use this world as a place of “soul making,” which involves the spiritual perfection of our character and persons” (Pojman 74). According to Hick, creation has not been finished its work, it is still undergoing a process, that is, the lives of individual human beings. Hick believed that God is omnibenevolent because he is allowing us to learn how to be perfect on our own.

John Hick discusses in his essay The Problem of Evil, the objections to the belief in the existence of God is the presence of evil in the world. He begins by posing the traditional challenge to theism in the form of the dilemma: That if God was perfectly loving, he must wish to abolish evil, and being all powerful, is able to perfectly do so as he will its. He then proceeds to present some views regarding this issue, giving insights from three point of views, that of contemporary Christian Science, the Boston Personalist school, and the theologian Augustine. The first opinion takes evil as an illusion, as a construct of the human mind. The second confers upon God finity, God as a struggling ruler,

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.

In John Stackhouse Jr.’s book he brings a different way of solving the problem of trusting a God with the realities of life. He starts out by asking the question, is there even a problem? To this he first looks at God from the point of view of the three main monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and finds God to be the only “Creator, Sustainer of the universe” who will lead us to final goodness (25). Then finds three main problems that Stackhouse says that we need to think of rationally before we do emotionally. We need to properly define evil, and it can be done in many ways. Evil is no more than an adjective, human beings, therefore, know what is good and evil because God shares with us the knowledge and this ability to judge and improve our morality. The pain, difficulties, and suffering we go through bring us character. Stackhouse often uses David Hume, as an example of a skeptic, who would then say if God is so all-knowing then why is there suffering in the first place. While modern philosophers can simply label the problem of good and evil to personal issues, because Jews, Christians, and Muslims have such a deep connection with a personal God, it brings issues. Stackhouse himself begins to wonder if this world is good, with all the evil,

What about natural evil? Natural evil would be things like earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters. Why doesn't God stop those? You can look at Noah's flood and know that God doesn't stop disasters, but sometimes might even cause them. This ties into the Christian explanation of the human predicament. Paradise has been lost due to human moral shortcomings. As Romans 8:22 says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time”. To understand evil, you have to first understand the nature of

God governing what is good and what is not. If there is an independent force governingZellner 3

By this logic, it can be argued that humans can misuse their free will, and go against God’s intended moral code, thereby creating evil in the world. I believe that this is the most effective response for the

Everyday it is possible to read a newspaper, or turn on TV or radio news and learn about evil going on in our world. Banks are robbed, cars are stolen, violent murders and rapes are committed. Somewhere in the world the aftershock of an earthquake is being felt. Cancer is killing millions of people each year, while other debilitating conditions continue to affect many with no cure to end their suffering. President Bush said that our country is fighting a war against evil. We all agree that evil is real and cannot be ignored; the problem comes when we try and rationalize the concept of God and evil coexisting.

Ten children are killed every day in the United States by guns; people are murdered senselessly; Columbine High School; Over one-third of middle school children in Cascade County have used illegal drugs and over one-half have tried alcohol; innocent people in foreign countries are being wiped out (Kosovo); The Holocaust; Hiroshima; Vietnam; poverty, starvation and oppression in third world countries; Capitalism; environmental decay and neglect; the media; Oklahoma City; the uni-bomber; earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, airplane crashes; domestic/child abuse; disease, birth defects and mental disorders. Why?Why?Why?… The question never changes and is asked over and over and over and

The problem of natural evil involves pain and suffering that results from natural disasters, diseases, or genetic defects, including that of animal pain and suffering. Like the problem of moral evil, the problem of natural evil examines whether the existence of natural evil is compatible with an all-perfect, all-knowing, loving, and powerful being” (“Theodicy Review”, n.d.). Natural evil will likely happen to ourselves, or someone we know. It becomes part of the progression of living in this world and in your body. God’s will is bestowed upon those all of us. But it is up to the individual to accept him and most of us do if natural evil is presented within us. We all begin the process of dying as soon as we are born. Our physical body will grow and then shrink again in the natural progression of aging. But within the aging process, we cannot control what natural evils are presented to us within our bodies. Natural evil could be God’s way of calling those home to him earlier than what the aging process may have taken. Speeding up the clock of life in order to get there faster. There is a reason why