If God controlled everything, then why didnt he make us evil-free?

Question

what do you think?

to Cheech's answer, if you say that God created everything, including evil. then why is there Hell and punishment if He had created it along with us?

(assuming that God exists...)

these are very good answers so far.

Answer 1

God obviously wanted us to have temptation. In the Garden of Eden, he deliberately made a tree with the knowledge of good and evil. If he didn't want us to get at it, he could have put a fence around it, or built it on a really tall pedestal, or not have made the thing at all.

Answer 2

God doesn't control everything. He created everything, including evil. That's what I think.

Without evil, good could not exist. What good is being good, if there is no other option? Good deeds are rewarded in Heaven, while Evil deeds are punished in Hell. Your good deeds only count as being good because you were strong enough to resist doing evil deeds. Evil is good, when people show that they wont go that route. But the only way to show you wont go that route, is to have the option in the first place.

Evil is a good thing, because it means we are free to do or be anything we want. God gave us freewill... And as bad as evil is, it is a good thing. Life would not be worth living if I couldn't make the choice to be good.

(Assuming that God exists... Which I don't)

Whether or not God and Devil exists, the fact remains that Good and Evil exists.

C Gardner that was a long answer that doesn't answer the question... Let me try and comprehend this... Evil is not a substance, it's an absence of good... So, when people kill, it is because they are not good.... So, what is good? Is good simply an absence of evil? Is good also not a "substance"?

You're telling me that this "false" balance is justification for wrong behaviour? That we use the evil/good balance as an excuse to be evil? First of all, it's not balanced. There is probably more evil in the world than good.

Second of all, no one commends rapists, murderers, theives, etc. We commend people who are strong enough not to be evil. No one says, I am evil, so I am good.

What I'm saying is that without the choice of evil, we would not be able to call anything we do good.

And at the end of your long statement, the conclusion is that God doesn't answer fools.... Thanks.

Who is a fool that asks questions? Isn't everyone who asks a question a person seeking truth? A fool is someone who doesn't ask. So, yes in that sense, he doesn't answer them, because you can't answer a question that isn't asked.

Answer 3

Not that I believe in any of that stuff, but a logical answer would be that he's only watching the world and his people, If he miraculously took away all evil then how would he know who deserves to go 2 heaven? What fun would the world be without daring people that don't always do the right thing? And if there were no evil, what would be the point in being placed on earth when you would only end up back in heaven? Answer that to yourself and maybe you'd appreciate the little bit of spice god puts in your life...

Answer 4

This is easy. God did not create evil. He did grant human beings the ability to make their own choices, because He didn't want a bunch of robots to live with. He wanted beings with free wills that would choose to love Him of their own free wills. And that was not an altogether bad choice, because all throughout history, there have been people who, although imperfect, have done just that. So When man makes a choice that is opposed to the will of God, that is evil. So we allowed evil to enter into our world by our bad choice. Thus evil is not a creation of God, but rather a consequence of a creation of God, free will. So, we are responsible for the evil that we have to deal with, not God.
And in response to efw: My friend, you obviously think yourself a great philosopher. But allow me to ask you one thing. Are you, or have you ever been educated by anyone who is omnipotent? I should guess that the answer is no. And it's quite obvious that no one on earth can say that they know anything about omnipotence except that we know nothing at all. No mortal has ever experienced omnipotence. And, no, Jesus is not included in this category, because He is both God and man, thus, not indefinitely mortal. I'll tell you why an omnipotent God allows evil to occur to good people, and I'll go no farther than using a movie to do express this truth. In a recent movie, a little boy falls into a hole, and his father helps him out. The father says, "Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up." God allows evil so that we learn to depend on Him. Because that was His intention all along. If we experienced no adversity at all, we would never see a reason to try to get help from anyone, especially God. So, adversity helps us to realize that we need divine help, and it gives us a path toward growth.

Answer 5

God did not create evil. He is holy, completely free of evil, and only acts in a holy manner. He created us with a free will so that when we worship Him it is out of choice, not out of some mechanical robot action that lacks true love. HE created the free will, WE decided to use our will for evil purposes. Evil is something He allows in His creation, not something He put in His creation.

Hell is the complete absence of God and all of His qualities. God's will is for us to know Him and be with Him for eternity, but for those that do not want to have a relationship with God they will spend eternity in the absence of His presence.

Answer 6

You could say God created evil because in over coming evil we become stronger persons. However it appears to me that the human mind divides what God proclaimed GOOD into the duality of good and evil,it is all an illusion,a play of human consciousness.once you rise into spirituallity you reach a level above duality.

Answer 7

Why put us through a test anyway, for what purpose? It doesn't make sense. Neither does predation, disease, disabilities, death and/or rape of children, genocide, parasites, and countless other evil in the world.

And don't forget to ask why Jehovah allowed 6 million of his chosen people to be incinerated by Hitler, or how Buddha allowed Truman to vaporize 200,000 men, women or children, or how God allowed Stalin to execute 30 million Christians. If god was truly benevolent and omnipotent, could these things have happened.

The mere existence of evil in this world makes the existence of a benign god impossible: If god were omnipotent, he could eliminate evil and if he were benign, he would want to do so. Furthermore, if god were all-good, as he is supposed to be, he could not sin. However, if he were all-powerful, he could sin.

If God is willing to prevent evil but is not able to prevent evil, then he is not omnipotent.

If God is able to prevent evil but is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not benevolent.

Evil is either in accordance with God’s intention or contrary to it.

Thus, either God cannot prevent evil or he does not want to prevent evil.

Therefore, it follows that God is either not omnipotent or he is not benevolent. He cannot be both omnipotent and benevolent.

And there's the absurdity of prayers, requests by confessedly unworthy persons to have the laws of the universe repealed in their favor. In a war, if soldiers in opposite trenches pray to God, who does he listen to?

Answer 8

Its not a test, its not about control, its not about worship. It simply IS. God is behind all and everything. What we call evil exists because good exists, and what we call good only exists because evil exists. God doesnt control anything either, God simply creates and watches as the creations grow, learn, experience and move closer to God one mistake, one accomplishment, one step, one life at a time.

Answer 9

As I read the answers given so far, I feel like Elihu in the biblical book of Job, which asks the same question you have presented. Elihu said, "Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they (Job's three friends) were older than he. But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused. So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: 'I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, "Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom." But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right. "Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know." (Job 32 NIV)

First, you speak of evil as if it has an existence, a substance to it, like a virus or bacteria that we have become infected with. Evil is not a substance. It is an absence. Evil is the result of not doing right, and the results which accrue from such actions and choices. To claim that for every good there must be an evil to balance the universe would imply that there could never be a perfect universe or world. That leaves us hopeless. It also excuses behavior. It is alright if I steal, rape, murder, etc. because someone has to do it to balance off the good done elsewhere. As it is written somewhere, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?"

In the biblical book of Job, three issues are raised. "Does God know the trouble I am in?" "If God knows the trouble I am in, then doesn't He care?" "If God knows about my toruble and He cares, then isn't He powerful enough to deal with it?" In a classic poetic response, God speaks to Job. He begins by proving His omniscience. He then proceeds to relate proofs for His compassion. He ends with a proof of His omnipotence."

Job's final response -"Wow! I opened mouth and inserted foot, didn't I?" Yet the secret to the issue of Job, which is the ultimate question behind evil - "Why do the righteous suffer?" - came from Elihu. In three beautiful chapters of Hebrew poetry, Elihu prepared Job for God's speech with a three prong attack. First, the text says Elihu was angry with Job for justifying himself, rather than God. Job was so busy looking at his issues that he failed to ask what God was doing. Second, Elihu castigated the false friends, each one representing a different world philosphy. One represented mysticism; the second demonstrated religious traditionalism, and the third argued from existentialism. Then Elihu basically told Job to shut up. If he would quit belly aching, and quiet himself long enough, then God would speak, reveal Himself, and Job would find peace. So it happened then, and happens now.

God is omnipotent. He is omniscient. He is omnipresent. He is ultimate perfection and compassion and justice and mercy ... But like Jesus, He does not answer fools; He only responds to those who truly seek. In the end, Job learned that God made us evil-free, and that God's ultimate plan is to once again return us to an eternal Garden of Eden, if we will return to Him with true, grounded faith.

Answer 10

John suggested two times "God is love". considering that John had obviously considered this in his Son, that would want to rule out God being the source or author of evil. How then did evil get created? one component that God gave his smart creations became freewill. this would recommend that after we made judgements we had alternatives, unlike creatures that are pushed by technique of instinct. Why would this be important to God? would you experience loved by technique of your mate, or relations, in the adventure that they were forced to love you and had NO decision? imagine of the charges of human beings being held and forced by drugs to bond to their keepers. would that love ever have any fee? Jehovah God gave both the angels and people this capacity, to opt for to teach love. This became important to him, in basic terms as any Father would locate even as his toddlers confirmed love and appreciation for him. One angel made yet another option. He wanted to have an same impact on others that God had. He needed to have "toddlers" that regarded to him for education and worship him. This bring about him sinning, or perhaps as he took action to achieve this, evil became created by technique of him. something, because the old said is going, is heritage. The Bible shows what Jehovah God did to fix those bothered by technique of this evil, this corruption of his creation. So, evil could have in basic terms a constrained destiny.