2007-03-16 19:26:50 · 12 answers · asked by Keke 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
here's something I got from Spinoza many years ago but paraphrased.
Good and evil are subjective. A flower is 'good' because humans think it is pretty and fragrant. a snake is 'bad' because it scares and hurts humans. If you are God and you created all these things, they are all the same. Add to this the existence of malformity, pain, death.... every possible permutation of experience and existence occurs simultaneously as proof of God's power. The full spectrum, nothing less. To deny that God creates things that humans find unpleasant is to deny God's omnipotence, therefore status as God. QED.
2007-03-16 19:51:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends on who you ask. Perhaps God doesn't want to! Why are we here? The fact of the matter is that mankind has been given free will and the ability to create his own world. In fact, this is what we want! No one wants to be controlled. Meanwhile, WE have the ability to stop evil. It is just that, as a whole, we choose not to. Most of us are selfish and are looking out more for our own selves than we are for others. If you want to stop evil, start in your own life. Be a good, selfless person and dedicate your life to helping others. If you do it, perhaps someone else will, and then someone else will because of them. Perhaps if you do it, then your children will do it, and their children and children's children will follow. God has given us the ability. All we have to do is utilize that ability, and it starts with YOU. Don't blame God for what man has done.
p.s. The Epicurean paradox is pretty easy to refute, depending on your point of view. It is based on a basic human premise that does not necessarily apply to an "omnipotent" God. Allowing evil does NOT necessarily make someone evil, especially if there is a bigger picture here. For those that DO believe in God, the fact is that there is an eternity of good out there, with life being a small part of the universe. The evil here on earth is, relatively, small.
Another way of looking at it can be achieved by a simple analogy can apply: is punishing a child for bad behavior wrong if the result for good behavior is their becoming a better person and the reward is eternally better than the punishment? Again, if you believe in eternity, all the evil in the world is a blip on the radar. It is all relative.
That said, if you do NOT believe in God, then this is of no use to you. It is not my place to tell you what to believe in. But for one who does believe in God, then the "why doesn't God stop evil" is a pointless question.
2007-03-17 02:43:10 · answer #2 · answered by Mr. Taco 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This question is the basis of one of the greatest philospohical paradoxes man has had to deal with.
Epicurus (circa 300 BC) is generally credited with first expounding the problem of evil, and it is sometimes called the Epicurean paradox (or the riddle of Epicurus). In this form, the argument is not really a paradox or a riddle, but rather a reductio ad absurdum of the premises. Epicurus drew the conclusion that the existence of evil is incompatible with the existence of the Gods who care about the matters of mankind, assuming absolute concepts of benevolence and omnipotence.
Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. ... If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. ... If, as they say, God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world
One conclusion of the Epicuran paradox is that
1: God is not omnipotent OR
2: God is not benevolent
he can be one, but not both.
2007-03-17 02:40:51 · answer #3 · answered by Possum 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If there was a 'god', then if 'god' stopped evil, he or she would be removing 'free will' from humans which if you believe in 'that stuff' is one of the 'greatest gifts' that 'god' gave humans.
2007-03-17 02:32:33 · answer #4 · answered by Loulabelle 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there must a balance of good and evil. if god removes evil, the world will be unbalanced and disasters will fall
2007-03-17 02:43:29 · answer #5 · answered by 2degreecelcius 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because man has free will, and when there is free will, there is the possibility to stray down the path of evil.
2007-03-17 02:31:27 · answer #6 · answered by tranquility_base3@yahoo.com 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because if god does stop evil, your faith to god is not pure. he wants you to find him in this world by yourself.
2007-03-17 02:48:25 · answer #7 · answered by Alang 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of "good" is unclear without the "evil".
2007-03-17 02:33:23 · answer #8 · answered by north h 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
we are on earth to learn...and that includes learning to deal with evil.
2007-03-17 02:29:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
He will... He promised to do so at the end of the universe
2007-03-17 02:31:41 · answer #10 · answered by miokti 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋