Is god evil as well as good? ...and... Is god omnipotent?

Question

Is god incapable of being evil?
and therefore not omnipotent

Thanks farnsworth,
saw that quote before.
I've studied scripture,
but I don't believe in god.

Mmmm ..kpety ..makes a good point.

So is Satan as Lucifer (the bringer of light) to be considered as an agency of God?

Answer 1

Good news everyone!

Careful research done in a controlled environment has shown that this line, taken from an ancient text known as the Bible, proves this "god" character to be both good AND evil:

Isaiah 45:7 (KJV) - I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Answer 2

From a purely Abrahamic Theological perspective, evil is living in sin (performing sinful acts) and sin is . According the the doctern of the Roman Catholic Church, sin can be either mortal (depriving the soul of grace) or venial. (Accidental or unintentional sin that does not deprive the soul of grace.) In all Abrahamic traditions, sin is the disobeying of the will (and law) of god. Therefore, god can not be evil since god can not sin.

As for god's omnipotence, (unlimited authority, power and influence) according to the bible, god created everything, can destroy anything and can make anything happen. He is omniscient (knows everything) and is omnipresent (is everywhere at once.) But that's only if you believe the bible.

That said, if you read the bible cover to cover, study the contents and do a little research into what you read, you will find all sort of inconsistencies, contradictions and obvious flaws. Not to mention claims that belong more in the real of Sci-fi then in a book of religion. Then there are all the acts perpetrated by or in the name of god that are without a doubt vial, heinous and wicked. After reading and learning all of this, how can anyone: A) believe the bible to be more then a book of fiction? B) Believe god is real? C) Willingly worship such a being as that which is described in the bible?

Let's just look at a few of the more prominent point.

1) Time lines: If you trace the lives of the biblical figures and events you can date most of the events that take place in the old testament. (note: I use a timeline that is generally agreed upon by bible creationist proponents. )

According to the timeline, god created the heavens and the earth and all creatures thereon around 4095 BC (Some say 4000 BC exactly) either way, that's between 6007 and 6102 years ago. Man was created 8 days later. Yet through scientific study, we KNOW that the earth is around 4.57 billion years old and that modern man (Homo sapien sapiens) has been here for at least 130,000 years. That's more then 124,000 years BEFORE the bible says god created everything. Hum...

The bible talks about the great flood. According to the timeline, the great flood takes place 1645 years after the creation of the world. (around 2450 BC or about 4557 years ago.) Geologist now know that there was never one all encompassing flood, but rather several flood throughout the world at different times in different locations. The last geological flooding in the general vicinity of biblical events took place around 7,600 years ago, some 1,500 years before the biblical creation story, over 3,000 years before the biblical flood supposedly took place.

In 2 Samuel 24:9 and 1 Chronicles 21:5 Davis counts the number of fighting men in Israel. According to 2 Samuel there were Eight hundred thousand men. According to 1 Chronicles, there one million one hundred thousand men. According to population estimates, the world population at that time was 50,000,000 people. So there would have been about 25,000,000 men in the world. So, ignoring the fact that the bible gives two distinctly different accounts of the same event, the bible is saying that about 1/50th of the worlds population at that time were Israeli fighting men? When you figure that Egypt, Asia and the rest of the African continent had far greater populations then Israel at that time this is highly unlikely.

2) Major biblical contradictions.

God sent his prophet to threaten David with how many years of famine?:
2 Samuel 24:13 - Seven
1 Chronicles 21:12 - Three

The chief of the mighty men of David lifted up his spear and killed how many men at one time?
2 Samuel 23:8 - 800
1 Chronicles 11: 11 - 300

Did David bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem before defeating the Philistines or after?
2 Samuel 5 and 6 - After
I Chronicles 13 and 14 - Before

How did Judas die?
Matthew 27:5 - Hanged himself.
Acts 1:18 - He fell, he burst open and his intestines spilled upon the land.

When Paul was on the road to Damascus he saw a light and heard a voice. Did those who were with him hear the voice?
Acts9:7 - They heard the voice but saw no man.
Acts22:9 - They saw a light but heard nothing.

And there are many more...

Anyway, my point is a simple one. The bible is a book of fiction and the Abrahamic god described therein, in a myth...NOTHING MORE. To believe otherwise is foolish!

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Well the Christian definition is that God is good therefore anything against God would be evil. Forget what you think about morality, if God does it it's moral. Therefore, no, he's not evil.

I'm not saying I ascribe to that view necessarily, I'm just saying when you deal with God the concept of ethics is much different than the one in our heads.

I personally don't think God is omnipotent ("all" powerful), but I do think he is the "most" powerful being. I think.

Answer 4

god is not the same as G-d....

god are demi-gods which can be just about anything ... i.e. we can make anything or anyone into a god ... this effectively could be evil....

But G-d (i have removed the 'o' out of reverance to Him) could never be evil as it is not in His nature. He is Omnipotent and Omnipresent... Everywhere at the same time..... and Eternally....... forever and ever...
He exists outside time and space ...and has so much love and goodness in Him it is impossible for the human mind and heart to understand..

He will remain 100% good whether we choose to believe it or not...

hope this helps a lil' ...


nai nai xx

Answer 5

Someone above quotes Isaiah 45:7, which says God causes good and evil, but this is not in reference to the 'evil of sin' because we know that God doesn't sin because it would take away His Holy Nature. So, so is not 'evil' in regard to sin, but can cause things that we perceive as evil/calamity. Yes, God is omnipotent.

Answer 6

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
jtm

Answer 7

Whole world is an illusion (maya) within God. Its a play of God within God. Good and evil including all other opposites r part of this illusion.

Almost all human beings r engrossed in this illusion and for them this illusion seems as real truth. Whereas who cross over this illusion only know the truth.

Answer 8

That's the benefit of being an omnipotent deity. You have ability to pass off both good and evil as just a "good" thing.

Isn't that just dopey, omnipotence?

Answer 9

If god is omnipotent then I want to see him microwave a burrito so hot that even he can not eat it.

Or something as simple as create a being more powerful than himself.

The idea of god would make him neither good or evil he would simply be the judge of what is good and evil. so he would be more neutral.

Answer 10

God is omnipotent, yes. He can do anything that is logical. Because God is good, He cannot be evil, because that is the absence of good.