Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
2006-07-25 08:09:06 · 11 answers · asked by Atheist 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
If God gives us a choice between good and evil, then God created the possibility of evil. If God created the possibility of evil, then he created the reality of evil.
Logically then, God created evil. People can't claim that God created everything, then leave evil out of it.
They may say that evil is the absence of good, or the opposite of following God's will... but what do they mean by evil? Pain? Negative Emotions? Causing the dismay of others? These things EXIST. And if it exists, then it was created (by their own logic). If it was created, then it had to have come from God.
2006-07-25 08:17:29 · answer #1 · answered by Eldritch 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The sentence structure here balances "light" and "darkness" -- thus "peace" would suggest "chaos/calamity" as the opposite, not evil in the sense you seem to be suggesting.
IOW, God is saying that he has authority over creation and what happens within it.
Note: "Evil" really isn't a thing. Can "good" be a thing? "Evil" is an action. People can do evil things, but you can't actually "create" evil -- it's just a style of relating.
This might bother you if you approach the text rigidly, like the fundamentalists do. But if you consider the language in light of how YOU use language in different cirucmstances of your life, and realize that the Bible similarly contains various "types" of documents (poetry, conversation, history, praises, prophetic visions, and the like), you'll see that language is pretty fluid.
The language is a little flamboyant here; it's meant to assert God's authority over creation.
2006-07-26 15:38:09 · answer #2 · answered by Jennywocky 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"I form the light" means I am made of the light and therefore not seperate from it. "I create darkness" means I created darkness and am seperate from it. God created everything and knew evil was going to be born out of it, yet it was Lucifer that decided to rebel and become Satan, and it was man that decided to rebel and follow him. So God did and did not create evil at the same time. It doesn't make sense but Truth is always paradoxical. All that matters is that God isn't evil. His own "form" is light, not darkness. And why do you care if you are an athiest?
2006-07-25 15:19:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO! Evil was created by man. Just like God.
2006-07-25 15:17:31 · answer #4 · answered by bonzo the tap dancing chimp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm...the existence of evil is a logical problem for God. If He created it, we'd be correct in wondering why. Why, despite His great love for us, would he give us evil? Those that I love, those who I have dominion over - my children, my pets, can rest assured that I will make their environment as safe as I can. I am not all powerful however, unlike God I am flawed, thus those I love will have to endure their share of pain and sorrow. God, however, does not share my flaws so he should be able to protect His children much better than I can safeguard mine. Yet the very evil He created is causing much suffering for those over whom He has dominion. I cannot possess more love than God...how is this possible?
If God did not create evil, He is either incapable of stopping it or worse yet, chooses to allow those He loves to endure its unforeseen consequences. Either way, the inarguable existence of evil is a logical dilemma for an all loving, all powerful God.
2006-07-25 15:54:41 · answer #5 · answered by key2x4y 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I bet that is a mistranslation. There must be opposition in all things, however, that does not mean God created the opposition. Study magnetism for a while and attraction and repulsion and see what kinds of answers you get. Have a happy day.
2006-07-25 15:32:34 · answer #6 · answered by Cookie777 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, God did create evil. The Bible tells us God created all things, but it took man to falll from grace and to cause evil to come into our world.
2006-07-25 15:16:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hebrew word used for evil can and is translated disaster is other versions of the bible. Evil is basically the absence of good.
2006-07-25 15:22:45 · answer #8 · answered by WhatIf 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God created all things, good/bad beautiful/ugly
2006-07-25 15:14:25 · answer #9 · answered by WhiteHat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no Jehovah did not create evil. guess who did??? the devil. he is the father of the lie
2006-07-25 15:13:16 · answer #10 · answered by lover of Jehovah and Jesus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋