The Problem of Evil, does it prove GOD wrong?

Question

If we follow the problem of evil,

1) God is omnipotent
2) God is omni-benevolent
3) evil exists

Most major monotheistic religions accept all three statements above...

the PROBLEM would be, logically, all three cannot be true at the same time...

If God was all good and all powerful, wouldn't he create a society without evil WHILE free will exists?

Since no monotheistic religions deny evil in the world, what is the answer?

Either God is not all powerful or God is not all good...

answer please.

Answer 1

The question is, then: Can we call it free will if there are limits placed upon it?

in order to have free will and no evil, there would have to be limits on the naughty things humans could do - some sort of internal stop gap - but doesn't that negate free will right there? We must have the ability to do the opposite of good in order to have free will; that's kind of the definitition of free will....

Answer 2

DEFINE "EVIL".

"Evil" has to be defined according to some standard.

Example #1: The Bible says that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) The standard is the glory of God. When compared to that standard, we ALL fall short.

Example #2; The Bible says that "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4) There is sin ("evil"), therefore, there must be a law that has been transgressed.

When an atheist, therefore, says that there is "evil', therefore there is no God, the first thing he MUST do is define "evil"!

If "evil" (sin) is just a function of the human mind (likes/dislikes, desires, feelings, etc.), then this proves nothing about whether there is a God.

For example, if a person thinks it is wrong (evil, a sin) to wear a red shirt, and they see me with a red shirt on, they may say "There is evil, therefore I know there is no God!"

I may then walk around the corner and someone else, who thinks it is good to wear a red shirt may see me. That person may say, "Look how much good is in the world. Such good can only come from God, therefore, I know there is a God!"

Neither person has proven anything about the existence of God, because their idea of good or evil is simply based on the desires of a human (or a group of humans, or even a nation of humans). They have no more than human standards by which to compare.

But, if there is a standard of comparison to determine what is good or evil that transcends human desires, then there is proof about God!

If there are things that are inherently evil, then there must be a standard by which this is compared that also transcends the human mind, a higher law! Things that are inherently evil mean that there are also things that are inherently good.

This being the case, the logical statement should be, "there is evil in the world (that transcends human desires), therefore I KNOW THAT GOD EXISTS!"

The true atheist cannot recognize a standard (either evil or good) above the human mind. This being the case, he has no argument other than "There is evil in the world because some human doesn't like so-and-so..." He has nothing that would disprove God because he does not recognize a higher standard.

(By the way, just because God has not yet eliminated evil, that does not mean that He will not!)

Answer 3

You are mixing apples and oranges!

Evil is a moral concept. You also included free will. That indicates that certain choices are made available -- since you have already introduce evil, the choices then are good and evil ones.

Even our own legal systems work on established precedents, without a precedent to indicate procedure or judgment, a precedent needs to be established! Such cases are usually more complex than the ones for which precedents exist!

Thus for you to say that because God is Almighty there should be no evil is where your logic faults. Satan didn't challenge God's power -- he would have been dust.

A. Satan challenged his, other angels', and our need for God to be our ruler, as the one to decide what is good and evil. He claimed that independent rule without God's intervention would produce just as good a rule as God's.

Reason A. this is why the heavenly court has permitted human governments to rule for so long. The earth had to be filled with so much humanity that the ability of human governments to share earths resources peacefully would be demonstrated positively or negatively.

B. Satan also (in Job) challenged that no man would keep serving God when he lost all his possessions.
Reason B. This Job, Jesus and other faithful have disproved and keep disproving until Satan is removed.

C. The last challenge was that no man would serve God if it meant that they had to lose their life over it.
Reason C. This also many faithful have shown to be false, and still they keep on proving this until Satan is removed.

Please also look at this page:
Evil-Why? Why does God permit evil things to happen?
Why do the wicked seem to flourish?

Links:
http://bythebible.page.tl/Evil__Why-f-.htm
http://bythebible.page.tl/God%5C-h-s-Payback.htm

So while God is all powerful, it has no relation to solving the moral legal question until the time is up -- and that it nearly is now.

Answer 4

Ah, coming up with "the" answer to this would make someone a wealthy person. That said, the free will explanation of evil is not quite so easy to overcome. If a person has free will, that person has the option to choose the evil path. God may choose to allow such choices despite the power to prevent them, and God's allowing others to choose to do evil does not mean God created the evil itself.

To put it in less stark terms, a person chooses to do something based on a much more limited perspective than God's. An action may be taken based on a person's self-interest, and then have broader consequences that the person did not - or even could not - envision. If we assume God exists (for the purposes of this question, I think we have to do so), an omniscient God would see far more than the free-choosing individual person. To allow those choices doesn't take away from God's omnipotence; having the power to do something does not require God to do it. If God is allowing free choices to be made, the choices individuals make also do not take away from God's omni-benevolence.

Answer 5

By acknowledging evil, then we of course recognize that there is a good (God as we know it.) God is all powerful and that as the all powerful creator, we see that everything He created was good. It was by the free will of Lucifer that evil came into existance and by the free will of Adam and Eve that evil gained access into God's creation as seen and taught in Holy Scripture. By evil coming into this world, it does not mean that God's nature has changed. God will create a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1-5) and all evil and sin will be eradicated for eternity (Rev. 20 & 22). The reason that He has allowed this world to continue for so long in it's condition is because of His great love for humanity and the desire to see mankind come to repentance (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:8-10). So, in trying to keep my answer short, I say no; evil does not prove God wrong but rather testifies to what scripture declares about God, evil, mankind and suffering. I've tried to answer with much respect.

Answer 6

1. Unless you are a voluntarist, God's omnipotence is correlated with his nature, not his will. God cannot do act against his own nature, even through the sheer force of his will. Inasmuch as this is accepted, God cannot create another reality equivalent to his own nature, therefore, creation will always be limited by finitude and the possibility of what we experience as natural and moral evil. John Polkinghorne is very insightful in terms of this distinction.

2. In regards to what you term "omni-benevolent" that is precisely the heart of the matter and the issue that so vexed St. Augustine. The fact of evil may not impinge on the reality of God's existence, but it does raise questions in terms of his essential nature. Many have postulated that God can draw good out of evil, but that seems little consolation to those who suffer from evil's effects. Karl Barth asserted that God's answer to evil is the mystery of the cross, but this is a theological, rather than a philosophical response. I believe that you are looking for a philosophical answer.

3. Great insight into your question is provided in Susan Neiman's book "Evil in Modern Thought." I would highly recommend it as the author lays out in detail the manner in which inquiry into this predicament has been formulated in the modern period.

Answer 7

Evil stems from man. It does not stem from God. It is very complicated to explain, especially with such limited space. When the human race can face the truth about themselves, which includes all aspects of being human ie; fears, anger, ignorance, they can better their lives and the world we live in. We do this through knowing our hearts which is where God lives. Life is a learning process, a journey. Free will exists because God does not force anyone to do anything they do not wish to do. When the time is right you learn what you need to learn. All lessons lead you closer to the truth. Hope that sheds some light for you.

Answer 8

Humans might never invent these words "free will" if there really is free will already. You won't see free will if there is only free will on your surroundings, like you'll never knew what light is when there is no darkness.
I want to make it a point here that God created a society with evil so that we can recognize that we have given "free will".
It's like deciding where you want to be with: God or evil? And you have your own special way on choosing.

God is everything and that is what it makes God a GOD.

Answer 9

There are other possible answers to this enigma. They are:
A) God does not exist.
B) Evil and good do not exist.
C) God does exist but we are not capable of understanding how this works, because we only operate in 4 dimensions.
D) Evil exists for our own good. (omni-benevolence does not allow God to give us everything we want.)
E) There is more than one God, and he/she is limited.
F) This question CANNOT EVER be resolved.

Answer 10

He could create a society that had freewill and no evil, but to have freewill you still would have to be able to have the choice to do evil. Because evil does exist, you can't have freewill and not have the ability to choose evil. And this is what happened when Lucifer chose to rebel against God and was banished from heaven. And it happened here on earth when Eve and then Adam chose to eat from he forbidden tree. They chose evil and committed the "original sin" which brought about sin inevitably into every humans existence here before death from that point on.