If God does something evil, does that make it good?

Question

When Hitler had "chosen people," the Aryans, and ordered mass genocide we all agree that was evil. Yet, when Jehovah (the "God" of the OT) has "chosen people," the Israelites, and orders mass genocide, some people see that as a good thing. What makes one evil and one good? Simply because "God" is the perp in the one?

Do you think that killing people is the best way to save them?

So is the "God" of the Old Testament Satan or God?

I see a lot of answers say that God can only do Good. Then who did all those evil things in the Old Testament?

If it was Satan and not God then is the Old Testament not accurate?

Answer 1

Technically, the term "evil" can mean "calamity" (JW's note: It-1, page 772, article "Evil"). By that definition only, from the perspective of the unfaithful, Jehovah can be said to perform "evil" or "calamity".

(NWT Isaiah 45:6,7) I am Jehovah, and there is no one else. Forming light and creating darkness, making peace and creating calamity, I, Jehovah, am doing all these things.

(KJV Isaiah 45:6,7) I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.


Yet Jehovah is the very standard of righteousness and goodness, and Jehovah is motivated purely by love. Everything Jehovah does is good, and Jehovah actively looks for opportunities to demonstrate mercy and loving-kindness.

(Psalm 100:5) Jehovah is good; His loving-kindness is to time indefinite

(Psalm 145:9) Jehovah is good to all, And his mercies are over all his works.

(Jeremiah 33:11) Laud Jehovah of armies, for Jehovah is good; for to time indefinite is his loving-kindness!

(James 1:13) For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.

(1 John 4:8) He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.

(1 John 4:16,20) God is love... If anyone makes the statement: “I love God,” and yet is hating his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen.

(Exodus 34:6,7) Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving-kindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin


Jehovah is the benevolent Almighty Father of angels and humans. When an angel or human alienates himself from Jehovah, truly 'the defect is his own' rather than God's.

(Deuteronomy 32:5) They have acted ruinously on their own part; They are not his children, the defect is their own


Here are a few Scriptural thoughts to consider:

(Psalm 14:1) The senseless one has said in his heart: “There is no Jehovah

(Romans 16:17) Keep your eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.

(2 Corinthians 4:4-6) The god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers

(Philippians 2:14-15) In among a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you are shining as illuminators in the world

(1 Timothy 6:3-5) If any man teaches other doctrine and does not assent to healthful words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the teaching that accords with godly devotion, he is puffed up with pride, not understanding anything, but being mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. From these things spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wicked suspicions, violent disputes about trifles on the part of men corrupted in mind and despoiled of the truth

Answer 2

Hmm..okay this is what I heard, Satan was God's brother...and they both lived in heaven, then Satan did some evil doing or something bad so God sent him to Hell to live since he did wrong. If that is true..isn't God really evil? I mean everyone makes mistake is there really a need to send your own flesh and blood to another place because of a mistake? I understand if it was rape, or killing or something. But damn...I'm not Christian or anything, but that's what I heard from people who said they were Christian. So can someone clear this up? ..also to answer your question I do think god can be evil and can do evil. I mean who doesn't do evil things once in a while? No one is perfect and I know God isn't either, and no I'm not 'hating' on God or anything..but just speaking what's logical.

Answer 3

Okay... hold your horses. First off, who sees genocide as a good thing? And aren't we talking about the same God in the Old Testament who tells the Israelites that they are to look after the widow, the orphan and the stranger (that is the other, the non-Jew).

What one must remember when looking at the Bible is that there is a progression of understanding God. So, it's possible that the Israelites got it wrong and attributed the idea of exterminating the nations to God's explicit will. The Bible tells two stories... man's search for God and God's search for man. So, being a search, a journey, etc, there is a progression.

I'm no foundamentalist, and I tend to dislike it when those who argue against God or against religion take a foundamentalist view of the Bible in order to disprove religion or God. Sorry, not all of us Christians believe in doctrine of Sola Scrittura... Some of us know that certain things in the Bible have to understood not as absolute in themselves, but in the light of the entire story of salvation... again a journey which admits possibly getting it wrong along the journey (unlike our foundamentalist friends who can't admit that something in the Bible isn't absolute truth).

So, my response to your question is don't be a foundamentalist. God is good all the time. He chose a certain people, but He also called them to be a light to the nations and even chastizes His people when their hearts go astray, telling them that His name is glorified among the nations... He also calls everyone to be a part of His people.

Answer 4

I'm happy to see you used God's name (Jehovah). Most people deny that that is God's name. I'm sure you can understand things were different in Bible times regarding how Jehovah views war. The BIG difference between Hitler & God is that Hitler was an imperfect man who killed people of a certain race. Jehovah is a PERFECT God who had certain people killed. BUT the only people he had killed were the ones who went against Him & his people. He warned them & gave honest ones a chance to be on his side. Is it his fault the Canaanites chose not to? No, they were given the chance & most decided to go agianst him. And we all know who won that war...Jehovah, by means of the Isralites. But now, Jehovah will take care of things on his own. He doesn't need nor want his people to fight.

Answer 5

My God dopesn't do anything evil or bad beause he is a God of all peacer and understanding and he is all good. Everything God does is for a reason and the "good" things he does make whatever he is doing good.

Answer 6

I used to be very confused about how God can allow evil to exist in the world. I am convinced God does not want anyone to suffer, and does not do anything evil, but why does he allow terrible things to happen to people? Though I still believed in God, I had almost given up on religion. Then one of my friends explained the beliefs of her religion to me. I don't remember everything she told me, but it helped me shape my perception of God and the world.

My friend told me that when God created humans, he let us think on our own; otherwise, he would really have created something meaningful. Our cruelty to each other makes God very sad, but he choses to allow us to continue on our own. God has plans for the world, but it is up to us to carry them out. If he carried them out himself, what was the point of creating us? When we do good, we put God's good plans into action; by doing evil, we act against his wishes, that is, against what is good.

Answer 7

God is incapable of doing something evil. He may do things that we do not understand but they are not evil and they serve a good purpose in His plan.

Answer 8

Because God is Just and Righteous. His ways don't always make sense to us now but in the end we will all see that they were right.

Answer 9

hand in there "wisdom of Faith", its not our fault they refuse to answer the question, their blindness matches no other, nor does their ability to make up excuses. none of them even remotely explained HOW your wrong now did they?

Answer 10

Hitler had them murdered, God killed them, big difference