Can anybody answer these questions about God? It's actually a riddle.?

Question

If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to
Then how can he be almighty?

If He is able, but not willing
Then is he not evil himself?

If He is both able and willing
Then why is there evil?

If He is neither able nor willing
Then why call Him God?

Note: I hope there is an answer but I think this is proof that there is no logic in following a higher power. If you can actually can actually answer these questions for me you may give me a reason to go to church. Thanks!

Sorry this is not actually a riddle. It is know as the "The Riddle of Epicurus" though. Sorry for the confusion. I changed some of the long words from the actualy Riddle of Epicurus.

Answer 1

Bypass all of that.

- Hindus believe that everything we are experiencing is GOD's mind while in a dream. Our perception of events are very real to us...but not to God

- He is incredibly willing to help us against evil- that's why he created the holy spirit and have archangels speak as a symbol for Him. The problem is God cannot VISIBLY enter this universe since the only thing that is impossible is for God to un-God himself.

- Evil is ultimately not real - it's a false state of SELF-delusion. All the world's great sages have written about the need to advance beyond the 'self.' Without the 'self' -which is an act of man not God-there would be no evil. Remember Jesus said "such are the SELF-accused." This is written in the gospel of thomas as well as being a major theme in the buddha's own work, the dhammapada. From the boddiharma, to the dali-lama, even Albert Eintstein had this to say:

A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. (Albert Einstein, 1954)

- You are viewing this question from the wrong angle:

If He is neither able nor wrilling then why call Him God?

God is everything becuase he is NO THING. Bearen is correct in saying that he has the big picture as to what makes us happy. The truth is ultimate simplicity makes everything complex look painful...is that so hard to understand? By being free of the 'self' and all concepts of limitation He is free to express infinite totality of being, which is not the same as existence. To a buddhist, existence is eclipsed by reality; as well as believing that the mind used to create this world is illusory in itself. God is still here and can act...but he cannot be perceived becuase of our 'thinking' concepts of limitation. It's really that simple.

Lastly...the concept of GOD would mean that there isn't one.
Jesus once said: Who am I? What am I? As I am I am Not. It isn't hard to imagine to imagine what this means is once I define who I am (or anything in existence incl. evil) then I am no longer the person I set out to. The Buddha taught that there would only be a God if you felt the need for one; this is becuase the concept of God is too limiting. Otherwise, to Buddha there would be something even higher.

- Evil exists if we say it exists.

- If we deny that evil exists then it doesn't. There is no conclusion in anything. Yes I believe in the devil, but to to give him credence would be to give him control over you. People really need to start makiing the distinction between something existing and something being REAL.

Answer 2

Ahhh, the age old question of why evil exists! You ask some very deep questions that theologians have pondered for centuries, as the two sources that I submit are over a thousand years apart. But the underlying question is "What is evil?" St. Thomas has shown us that the answer can be shown in two statements:
God does not will that evil occur.
God does not will that evil not occur.
Both statements are true. How they are both true goes into the reality of free will. Evil is the absence of God. But God loves you so much that He gives you the choice to love him or not. Your love for Him cannot in any way be coerced.

I hope that your going to church, and your relationship with God does not hinge on the answers that you receive here. The Church will help you with the answers that you seek, if you will just ask. But your relationship with your Creator is the most important thing that you can focus on right now.

May God bless you abundantly!

Answer 3

Let me simplify your question for you. ok?

The old "question" go's like this.

"If God is Good, He would wish His creatures to be happy.
If God was All-powerful, He could do what He wished.
But, the creatures are NOT happy.
Therefore; God lacks either Goodness, or Power, or Both."

THAT is the problem in a nutshell.

The "short" answer to this is; WE have a different idea of what Happiness is, than God does.
If God gave us what we wanted to be "happy", it would be like a parent giving a little toddler whatever they wanted.

God has more in view than just our "idea" of what happiness is.
He wants our "Rightousness", and has our best interests in view. Not what we THINK we need.

If you really want to explore this idea more fully, I would suggest you get the book, "The Problem of Pain",
by C.S. Lewis

It would be a beginning to answer some of your questions.

That is of course, if you are truly LOOKING for an answer.
Most of the folks on these pages arn't. They just like to "snipe".
I hope you're one of the sincere ones.


NOTE TO MELGONZ:

1) Evil is very real. It is not an illusion. Take another look at a little child that has been brutalized & raped, and tell me again that evil doesnt exist. Get your head out of the sand.
( If I had a child that had suffered something like that, and YOU came up to me and started "explaining" to me "how evil doesn't exist", and how I only "let" it exist, because I believed it did; I would probably "clock" you one, and tell you to "disbelieve" in THAT )

2) I'm familier with Buddah's "teachings". He was a very mixed-up, confused, contradictory man. Most of what he said doesnt "fly" in the real world.

3) Not one of your "quotes" of Jesus was accurate. He never said ANYTHING close to what you "put in His mouth".

4) The "Gospel of Thomas" was NOT written by the real Apostle Thomas, and is known to be a 2nd-3rd Century fraud.
So, I wouldn't be recommending it if I were you.

5) Hinduism and Buddahism both contain many self-contradictory "truths". Therefore, both are error.



....theBerean

Answer 4

yeah, you're not informed. God has a nemesis, it is the Devil, he is Arch Angel Lucifer the angel of Light. Since Lucifer the Angel of Light is very powerful, he thinks he should be God. He fights with God every minute, creating evil. Lucifer is very cunning and can fool humans into thinking he is God, the "light", the Savior, all knowing, omniscient being, full of good and hope and love. If you are Christian, Muslim, Buddhist (which actually does not worship a supreme being. Humans like to attach explanation to stories or myths of morals and standard and by using the image of itself to render explanations of love, war, the weather, the sun, moon and anything unexplainable) or any other kind of spiritual person, you would know the difference between good and evil or the yin and yang, the light and dark...which, only applies to this solar system. so far anyway.
at least you're exploring, that's the first step. just don't follow the white rabbit into the hole, Alice.

Answer 5

1. God will put all evil to an end and will completely wipe out sin. God is patient with us and permits evil hoping we will come to Him with a repentant heart. Do you really want God to get rid of all evil right now? Then you better kiss yourself good bye because you fall into that category. 2. God is holy, and only permits evil for the reason I gave above. 3. There is evil in the world because man sins. God gives them free will and man chooses to go against God. 4. God is able and willing but as I said before He is patient and wants us to come to repentance. There will come a day where God will eliminate evil and sin and we will be judged. Are you ready for that day? God bless.

Answer 6

Answer for me these questions please:

If humans are able to prevent evil, but aren't willing...does that make them evil?

How much of the suffering that exists today is caused directly by the way humans treat each other? How much of that could be prevented by humans?

The real answer to your question is that God put humans in charge of this world. It isn't His job to babysit us or lead us along holding our hands every step of the way. There is evil here because people choose to be evil, or at least apathetic. This isn't God's fault, and it isn't up to Him to fix it. It's up to us.

Answer 7

He is both able and willing. The reason that there is evil is because of free will. Everyone has their own choice. God could eliminate evil by eliminating free will, but then no one would really have the choice to follow God and can never truly love God.

Answer 8

This is not a riddle, its a series of setup questions.

1. God may or may not prevent evil. He may allow it to happen for his purposes. He does not create it though.

2. If he is able to prevent it but not willing, he is not necessarily evil.

3. refer to above.

4. He is able and sometimes willing depending on his choice.

Answer 9

God can prevent evil and will...very soon.
Psalms 37:10,11. " Evil men will soon disappear;
you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. But the oppressed will possess the land
and enjoy great prosperity."

And there's evil now only because Satan and his demons are here on earth now.
Revelation 12:9. "So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him."

He is God cuz he has the Power to do ANYTHING!!

Answer 10

He is both willing and able. The problem is called free will and if God stopped all evil then the choice to pick evil would be removed so the will would not be free.