Why does god allow evil to exist? Could he not just as easily have created a world where evil does not exist AND we have free will? Supposedly Heaven is like this so obviously it can be done. Why did he not do it?
2006-12-27 02:41:26 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You guys don't get it. God would not HAVE to use evil as an instrument in his plan. He could skip to the final situation immediately. He could just create a world at step one where everyone would think that same way they would had he used evil, but without actually using it.
2006-12-27 02:49:17 · update #1
Ok, so if evil is neccessary in order to have free will, do you have free will in Heaven?
2006-12-27 03:20:32 · update #2
3 choices -
a. God is not all loving
b. God is not all knowing
3. God is not all powerful
If any apply, which - oh look! - they do, there is no God.
2006-12-27 02:45:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
We are here to learn. When you raise a child, do you allow nothing bad to happen to them - or do you allow them to make some "safe" mistakes so they can learn.
Telling a child not to touch fire will only prolong the time when they manage to touch it and find out it hurts. Then they leave fire alone.
Follow your thought through to the end instead of shallowly and superficially.
Do you have any idea what would happen to a child you sheltered so?
Likewise, freewill means we are allowed to make our own decisions and thus our own mistakes. As adults (and not just big children), we should know better - but we screw up the world ourselves. We haven't learned our lesson quite yet.
Freewill means we can choose evil. To not have evil at all means freewill no longer exists. Where would the choice be - between good option and good option?
There is no problem of evil - we just don't like were we put ourselves and look for someone to blame.
~ Eric Putkonen
2006-12-27 10:54:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Quite a plausible answer is given by Ellen White in her book Patriarchs and Prophets, chapter 1, "Why was sin permitted":
http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp1.html
And also in another book by the same author, The Great Controversy, chapter 29, entitled The Origin of Evil:
http://www.whiteestate.org/books/gc/gc29.html
She explains the problem in terms of a conflict between good and evil, between God and Satan, where the character of God is on trial before the intelligent beings in the universe.
2006-12-27 11:10:46 · answer #3 · answered by Beng T 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are contradicting yourself. You can not say we can have freewill and then say Why evil exist. We have freewill, but because we do have freewill, we have the freedom to accept him or reject and you reject your Father by being evil doing evil-like things, sinful things.
God could make us all follow him forcefully if wanted, he can control our every move.But the rich man with 100 of friends only truly loved the one who remain by his side on his death bed when a broken man.Meaning God wants the real Mc Coy, true Love for us to come to him willing.
The 38 year old women who's married to a 20 year old male man because she's wealthy and he's control by greed. That's not real Love. But because of freewill, our choices aren't always good and then the repercussions happen. Then we want to blame God and not ourselves.
Example Fornication: Sex out of marriage bring in high chances of being promiscuous, therefore bringing high chance of STD's. Numerous death. The "Domino EFFECT". God Bless. Love. Amen.
2006-12-27 11:08:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Now then, verily Divine orders descend from heaven to earth like drops of rain, bringing to every one what is destined for him whether plenty or paucity. So if any one of you observes for his brother plenty of progeny or of wealth or of self, it should not be a worry for him. So long as a Muslim does not commit such an act that if it is disclosed he has to bend his eyes (in shame) and by which low people are emboldened, he is like the gambler who expects that the first draw of his arrow would secure him gain and also cover up the previous loss.
Similarly, the Muslim who is free from dishonesty expects one of the two good things: either call from Allah and in that case whatever is with Allah is the best for him, or the livelihood of Allah. He has already children and property while his faith and respect are with him. Certainly, wealth and children are the plantations of this world while virtuous deed is the plantation of the next world. Sometimes Allah joins all these in some groups.
Beware of Allah against what He has cautioned you and keep afraid of Him to the extent that no excuse be needed for it. Act without show or intention of being heard, for if a man acts for some one else then Allah makes him over to that one. We ask Allah (to grant us) the positions of the martyrs, company of the virtuous and friendship of the prophets.
O' people! surely no one (even though he may be rich) can do without his kinsmen, and their support by hands or tongues. They alone are his support from rear and can ward off from him his troubles, and they are the most kind to him when tribulations befall him. The good memory of a man that Allah retains among people is better than the property which others inherit from him.
Behold! If any one of you finds your near ones in want or starvation, he should not desist from helping them with that which will not increase if this help is not extended, nor decrease by thus spending it. Whoever holds up his hand from (helping) his kinsmen, he holds only one hand, but at the time of his need many hands remain held up from helping him. One who is sweet tempered can retain the love of his people for good.
2006-12-27 10:46:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It all comes down to Adam. God gave him Dominion over the earth. He was told not to eat of the tree. He was given free will. Eve was beguiled. Adam saw what had happened. Instead of trusting God to fix it. Adam chose to disobey God. Satan won that battle and was given Dominion over the earth. The devil has legal rights to it. People still have to chose whom they will follow. To do nothing is to chose Satan's side. When Christ comes again He will make a Paradise on earth and everything will be perfect. That's the story in a nutshell.
2006-12-27 10:48:19 · answer #6 · answered by djm749 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Evil must exist in order for us to have free will.
To have free will, is to choose between good and bad, life or death.
2006-12-27 10:57:19 · answer #7 · answered by Dianne C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will, besides there is no evil, only love and hatred. People are not fully bad, or good. He gave us free will to chose love or hatred. Though some people that we may consider "evil" might be intending good.
2006-12-27 10:49:08 · answer #8 · answered by A nobody 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since there is evil, we realize the importance of good (..and God too). If everything was hunky dory we would not have cared for God -- that's us humans by nature unfortunately.
2006-12-27 10:45:57 · answer #9 · answered by keyman_o 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Evil is a Force of Creation. It comes behind it and cleans it up.
Recycles it like.
If one loses his or her self-control and gets caught up
in this "destructive" aspect of Creation. God can hardly
destroy the whole of Creation over it.
2006-12-27 10:53:30 · answer #10 · answered by Master_of_Psyche 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My friend God created good and evil both.Why can't people just follow the good,evil itself will decompose.
2006-12-27 10:52:20 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋