How would you explain evil in a world with a good God?

Question

I am working on a paper on the problem of evil in the world, just wondering what other people think about the issue.

Answer 1

How would you explain all the good in the world with a non-existent God?

Answer 2

God is good and just. Humans are sinful/evil by nature. God is also loving and is allowing people to choose to follow Him or not and then, in His time, to destroy evil when this world comes to an end.

Answer 3

2 Corinthians 4:4 - "among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through."

It explains a lot, really; the evil in the world only stemming from sinful humans? There is something bigger and more powerful behind the evil in this world and the scripture listed explains logically.

Answer 4

we all have the potently to do good or evil, and a lot want to blame the devil and some is his doing but most is free will, and weather you believe in God or not that is true, we all are free to do and think as we want. I grew up in a not so nice neighborhood and have seen much wrong and did not join in and this was before I knew God, so it was my choice to not drink or steal or do drugs as many around me did. following rules is not something that we do just because of God but because we all want order for the most part. the true place to find it is in The Church (the true Church, not getting into which on that is not your point) out side the church what people see as order can be very different, and their are still meant that do not care that is the where the problems really come from the ones that do not care for anything and it is their choice to not care to do right. I have seen theses that do not care at all come to Church and God can turn them around again that is their chose to listen to God's call or not. We as the saint pray that the person will but we all know it is still their choice.
Why people choose to do wrong I can not say, why one murders, steals, lies, or any number of what anyone in or out of church will agree is wrong, just that it is still the choices they made, it was their free will to do so.

Answer 5

There are 2 standart solutions given in diverse procedures by utilising the main known theologians beginning from St. Augustin: a million. the evil would not exist because of the fact it is not an entity. that's barely a loss of being, and its in basic terms source is the aberration of the unfastened human will 2. All we expect of evil is that if actuality be told sturdy or leads to sturdy and in basic terms looks evil. God knows all the Universe as an entire yet it quite is impossisible for human finite minds. As for me, i discover the two solutions dissatisfying.

Answer 6

Attributing "good" to god and "evil" to man's free will seems to be logically problematic. Earthquakes and tsunami's are frequently denoted as evil and yet they are also called "acts of God".

How can you say that man is responsible for all the misery on the planet in the face of natural disasters?

How can you say that God is good when he allows these natural disasters to occur? Is his goodness contingent upon our behavior? If so, why not just single the evildoers out with lightning bolts and leave the innocents alone? Why send hurricanes to destroy the faithful along with the godless? Is it that he is not truly omnipotent? He can't aim? Is it that he is just a big ole meanie?

As some of the other posters have pointed out, evil/good are not substantive. They are subjective to the person observing the behavior/event. For instance, killing people by blowing yourself up in a crowd is considered good by Muslims and evil by everyone else. The Sri Lanka tsunami was considered good by several US evangelists because of it's divine cleansing of immorality in that part of the world.

I personally don't believe that God exists because of these quandary's and others. I believe that man makes his own good and evil choices and that the natural universe does not give a crap at all! This conclusion seems to be the best fit for the observable universe to me.

If you think that conclusion is empty and dark, think again. I find it to be wonderfully peacefull. I know that my actions are not being judged. I don't do evil things to others because I am not inclined to do so. That behavior is not acceptable to my moral framework. I make mistakes, dust myself off, appologize and make ammends because it makes me a more productive human being. I simply do not stress myself with cowtowing to some made up diety that wouldn't care even if it did exist.

Answer 7

It's an issue that religious people really dance around. The idea that a loving god would torture people forever for not bowing down to him is contradictory.

However, I do have one minor issue with your question. You're buying into the idea that "evil" is something that is "in this world". Evil is not a substance. It is a judgement. If I say something is evil, that is a quality of me, not the something. It is only my opinion. You can't objectively measure the evilness of a thing.

Answer 8

see this isn't God's world right now.........we're living in Satan's world........because if this was God's world apparently there wouldn't be this much evil in this world. 1 John 5:19 says: "We know we originate with God but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." In due time God will destroy all the evildoers of this world including Satan and his demons (read Psalm 37:19-22) and rid all suffering (read Revelation 21:3,4) Also read 2 Timothy 3:1-5, it explains the reasons for such bad traits in men because we live in "critical times hard to deal with". See the reason for so much evil in this world because Satan knows he has a short period of time in this world and he is doing the best he can to ruin for those who are trying to gain everlasting life in God's new order. If you have any other questions feel free to email me anytime.

Answer 9

Well I would argue that for god to be considered to be Good evil must exist and if god is the creator of all things then he would have to create evil. Without evil there is no way to define what good is.

Answer 10

1 John 5:19 - "We know we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the [power of the] wicked one."
Satan has the world in his power. People show his traits in the things they do. They are hateful, deceitful, liars, murderers, etc. God has nothing to do with what is going on in the world today. But it won't stay that way forever, he's going to step in and get rid of Satan and all those people who are like him very soon.

Answer 11

Good God!
There's evil?

My little sister saw a snake eat a mouse.
She cried to my Dad "Snakes are evil!"
Dad said "No dear life is cruel, the snake has to eat too."

People are animals, not saints or devils, and some are crueler than others.
I guess it's just easier to blame evil forces then to own our true nature as a species.
No amount of wishful thinking will change what we are.
It's the same kind of thinking that makes women marry men that aren't what they want, thinking they'll domesticate them later.