If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to
Then He is not omnipotent.
If He is able, but not willing
Then He is malevolent.
If He is both able and willing
Then whence cometh evil?
If He is neither able nor willing
Then why call Him God?
2007-10-16 08:52:50 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes...as a Christian.
1) CHARGE NUMBER ONE: If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to...then He is not omnipotent.
Omnipotence does NOT mean that "God can do ANYTHING."
For example: God CANNOT sin.
Omnipotence refers to the all-encompassing power of God - He created all things and sustains all things. God commands that mankind obey Him, and He holds them responsible for their thoughts and actions. He is ABSOLUTELY SOVEREIGN - the Creator, Law-giver, and Judge of the universe and mankind.
Even so, in response to the charge, to prevent evil would not go against His character.
He IS able to prevent evil – and He has and does prevent MUCH evil.
He is omnipotent.
2) CHARGE NUMBER TWO: If He is able, but not willing...then He is malevolent.
Since evil does exist and God is omnipotent, then God was unwilling to prevent ALL evil.
But, does this make God malevolent?
That is, does the mere existence of evil make God evil...because He did not PREVENT evil from coming into existence and does not all prevent evil from continuing?
The answer is NO!
Hell is the definitive and JUST answer to all evil.
Hell glorifies God in a demonstration of His wrath, power, and justice.
Heaven glorifies God in a demonstration of His love, mercy, and grace.
One might dare declare it is “malevolent” to send ANY person to hell.
However, God is not “malevolent” in sending a person to hell, He is JUST.
For ALL of us disobey Him. ALL of us sin. Who can say they are perfect and holy, as God is perfect and holy? No one! Thus, it would be JUST for all of us to go to hell. Without even considering His specific Commandments, all of us were created with a conscience to live by and are thereby held accountable, are guilty, and are excuseless.
HOWEVER, even in this God is NOT malevolent...but astonishingly benevolent towards man!
Why and how?
Because instead of rejecting ALL of us and sending us ALL to hell, which we ALL deserve – God sent His ONLY Son, Jesus (the Messiah), to die a sacrifice (the Lamb of God) for the sins of those who believe in Him, so that instead of JUSTLY perishing, we are freely granted eternal life by HIS GRACE. The extent to which God went to save undeserving wretches is phenomenally benevolent!
And ALL who call upon His name shall be forgiven, redeemed, and saved.
He turns away NO ONE.
Therefore, His wrath is NOT malevolent, but JUST...and His MERCY is benevolent beyond all we could possibly think, ask or imagine – for His benevolence abounds more than the sins of any man. Jesus came to save sinners, and He even saved the WORST or CHIEF sinner in the world. (See 1 Timothy 1:15!)
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But some would still argue, “why did He not PREVENT evil in the first place? Does this not show that He is malevolent?”
Since GOD is the CENTER of God’s purposes (not man)...GOD decreed that evil exist. Evil serves to demonstrate and glorify His wrath and power through His just dealings with evil in hell. Not only this, but it even more so EXALTS and GLORIFIES His love and mercy through His graciousness towards man in providing a way for sinful man to go to heaven!
Therefore, His actions and inactions, and the existence of evil do NOT make Him “malevolent”, but only display the manifold perfections of His character – most ESPECIALLY His benevolence!
From MAN’S perspective (as if man was the center of God’s purposes), this is humbling! Man may dare to declare that even allowing the possibility for man to “sin” and the very existence of “hell” is “malevolent”. But the Bible speaks directly to this by saying, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to Him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Romans 9:20-21)
The BOTTOM line is this: His FREE gift of salvation is offered to YOU, and you can (even now) accept it. Why complain and on what grounds have you a RIGHT to complain if you reject such an inconceivably wonderful and free gift from God?!
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FINALLY, there are some who would ask “Why is there STILL evil, though...if He is so “benevolent”?
Answer: First off, He DOES prevent a GREAT DEAL of evil – more than anyone could even think up! AND, it is only a matter of TIME. Be patient, my friend, be patient. You will see the end of ALL evil. In Heaven, there will be no more sickness, no pain, no sorrow, no tears. No sin. No worries. He will “make all things new”...!
In the past and present, He was and is unwilling to prevent all evil.
Yet, He is omnipotent and He has and does prevent much evil.
Furthermore, He was, is, and will always be amazingly benevolent towards mankind.
In Heaven - both willing and able - He will prevent all evil.
3) CHARGE NUMBER THREE: If He is both able and willing...then whence cometh evil?
He IS able, and He does prevent a great deal of evil.
However, He was and is unwilling to prevent ALL evil.
What people (including most well-meaning Christians) “misunderstand” is the “will of God”...
Although ALL resist and “cross” the revealed will (Greek word – thelema) of God (i.e. Romans 10:9-23!)…
NO one resists or crosses the decretive will (Greek word – boulema) of God. (see Romans 9:19!).
What He decrees…IS!
What He does not decree…IS NOT!
On one hand: the very existence, activities, and extent of sin in believers and non-believers is decreed by God. This is His decretive will; His boulema. He is Creator and Sustainer of all:
GOD IS SOVEREIGN.
On the other hand: God’s will for man is that we be holy as He is holy. This is His revealed will; His thelema. He is Law-giver and Judge of all:
WE OUR RESPONSIBLE for our thoughts and actions.
SO, although He does not WILL (thelema) evil, yet the existence, activities, and extent of evil IS under His Sovereign authority and control in accordance with His WILL (boulema). And in this, He DOES prevent a great deal of evil!
Yet, He is not the author of evil, for He is holy. He CANNOT sin.
4) CHARGE NUMBER FOUR: If He is neither able nor willing...then why call Him God?
God IS able. He IS omnipotent. He IS God. Thus, we call Him God.
But, let’s just consider this with respect to the second premise alone:
If God is NOT willing to PREVENT the existence of evil, then why call Him God?
Answer: IF God IS, then He is God!
God IS...whether or not we believe in Him, love Him, and/or worship Him.
…so this aspect of the argument is illogical.
It would be analogous to say, “If your mom was unwilling to give you candy before dinner, then why call her ‘mom’”?
Or better yet, “If your mom was so mean as to hold you down while you cried and were afraid (when the doctor gave you a shot that saved your life), then why call this supposedly malevolent woman your ‘mom’”?
Or even most poignantly, “If your mom was and is malevolent and abused and abandoned you, wouldn’t she still yet be your mom…even if you disowned her?”
Of course!
Your mom is your mom because she gave birth to you.
God is God because He Created you.
Whether or not you acknowledge or believe this, it is an inescapable truth.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
CONCLUSION:
God is sovereign, and we are responsible creatures, created by Him for His glory.
God is omnipotent and He has and does prevent much evil.
God is not the author of evil; God is holy; God cannot sin; God cannot be malevolent.
Hell glorifies God in a demonstration of His wrath, power, and justice.
Heaven glorifies God in a demonstration of His love, mercy, and grace.
God was and is unwilling to prevent all evil, yet He is still amazingly benevolent.
In His perfect time, He will be willing to prevent all evil: there will be no evil in heaven.
Contrary to the charge against God of being “malevolent” in these truths above:
God is amazingly benevolent towards man in that while we ALL sin against Him, and ALL deserve to go to hell, yet He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the sins of those who believe in Him so that we won’t justly perish for our sins in Hell, but instead, by His grace, have eternal life in Heaven!
And this gift from God is freely offered to ALL men. He turns NO man away. ALL who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved!
Thus, His wrath is JUST, not malevolent…and His MERCY and LOVE is benevolent beyond all we could possibly think, ask or imagine!
Given all of this, we would be FOOLS to deny His existence and/or to reject His grace, His FREE GIFT of eternal life through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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2007-10-16 09:51:37 · answer #1 · answered by yachadhoo 6 · 4⤊ 2⤋
If you were a parent, and you found out your child was, say, a rapist.... would you castrate him? Or would you attempt to guide him to a better way, to a healthy way? Is it malevolent to attempt to guide?
If everything is handed to us, then we cannot grow. The purpose of God, it seems, is to help guide us in our development spiritually. I'm not Christian or whatnot... but I am pagan.
If he did not allow for evil, then he has taken away free will. Without free will, there can be no true development of the spirit. So it seems he chooses to guide us, teach us, and love us so that we may develop as we are intended to do. But those that choose to not grow, and choose to do evil things wreck havoc on the rest of us. But they are given a chance, too.
Truly, which is the stronger person? The naive person raised in a wealthy home, in a good, clean neighborhood, hardly ever heard any curse words or whatnot, never saw any evil for the most part... and as a result, did virtually no evil... or, the person who was raised in poverty, constantly had to pit morality against survivability, surrounded by evils and constantly in temptation, and emerges from the chaos a good person who has fallen to some bad things in the past?
Just because person A has done fewer bad things doesn't make him/her a stronger person. I say person B is stronger.
Without the allowance of evil, the special strength of person B could never have been made. Thus, the allowance of evil is not malevolent. It is another of the sacrifices God has made for the ultimate benefit of humanity as a whole.
2007-10-16 09:05:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have a good question, asked by many. The problem with that question is that you simplify it too much. For example to prevent evil, let's say a murderer, from murdering what would God need to do? He'd need to take away our freedom of thought and choice. God didn't want us to be mindless beings, programmed to do his will. No, he wanted us to have the will to do his will. If everyone on Earth did his will, we would have no evil. So it is our fault, not God's. In addition, if you recall the Book of Genesis(if you're familiar with it), God originally sets out to create a perfect paradise for humans: untainted and unexposed to sin, and therefore without evil or suffering, but Adam and Eve were tempted by the Devil and damned us. So now the only time we will be free from sin and evil is when we die and ressurect to Heaven, or living in the post-apocolypse thousand year reign(Book of Revelations).
2007-10-16 09:08:46 · answer #3 · answered by da1andonly936 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He is both willing and able to prevent evil. He is willing to prevent evil and does for those who believe in Him and call upon His name for miracles or assistance. He does not always prevent evil because that would take away our freewill and then you would be quoting something like...
If God is willing to give freewill, but not able
Then He is not omnipotent
If He is able, but not willing
Then He is a dictator
If He is both willing and able
Then why don't we have freewill?
If he is neither willing nor able then why call Him God?
You can't have it both ways, freewill or no evil. Which do you prefer?
2007-10-16 09:03:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, He is Omnipotent. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is explained that but Evil is created due to attachment. Attachment arises due to indulging in material desires. This occurs due to the Minute Independence that Lord Vishnu has given the Soul.
Eg: Lord Krishna says, be not attached to Material Desires. But a Man who loves wealth, will work hard to earn it, and when he doesn't earn as much as he wants, he will suffer from depression and tread an evil path.
Thus, he is ignoring what the Lord is saying. The Lord sees it and resolves to give the man another birth in this world, where he will fulfill his desire and attain wealth. But in that birth also, most likely he will have another unfulfilled desire and once again, everything will be repeated.
This is Samsara, the Cycle of Birth and Death.
Thus, Lord Vishnu is able and willing, and has provided instructions to attain him. Ignoring it, brings Attachment, which leads to suffering and sorrow. As one must reap the fruits of one's labor, the Lord does not prevent the sorrow, just like he won't prevent good results from happening. But He is omnipotent in the sense that He knows and feels pity for the sufferer and out of His causeless mercy, gives the soul not liberation, but another birth in which incomplete desires are fulfilled. But new desires will arise again out of it.
The way out is to meditate on Lord Vishnu and surrender to His will. You lose emotion and become detached from both happiness and sorrow. This will liberate you from Samsara.
2007-10-17 22:03:06 · answer #5 · answered by Blind Guardian 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
gertrude....I have heard similar things as accusations in reference to myself as a parent/Mom from my children.
Do you have children?
You are looking at God through a tunnel and repeating words that were not of your own creation.....
Same thing with kids...they expect a parent to be whatever they want him/her to be and when confronted with a behavior/discipline not to their own liking, they start spewing out what other people say is supposed to be what a parent does or doesn't say or do....
Lessons learned by experience are NOT "easy".... unfortunately, mankind does not like to follow other people's advice and want to find out on their own...good or bad....what will actually happen when they do something.
The Bible is written with that in mind....however, God hopes, just like any parent would, that by seeing or hearing the testimony of others....even first hand experience....would keep enough people from having to learn the hard way....
The Bible's OT also shows how often God warns people before He acts on His warnings....You see a CONDENSED version of time in the OT....and you only see what you want to see.
It is a matter of seeing a glass half full or a glass half empty.
NOT my own words....but....seems sufficient at this time. :)
***Khana...just read your answer.... Your insight is true... I question why you have chosen to be of pagan belief...but then again...I have often been told that a person walks a fine line between on Spiritual matters....I chose Christianity for what God had graced me with....much more fullfilling in what God brings me then what the other side offers.... Just a thought I wished to offer you.... if you have a call to do so, e-mail me any time....I do not offer this in a social way but a sincere way. May you find Peace. :)
2007-10-16 09:19:22 · answer #6 · answered by ForeverSet 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't speak for the other religions, but the Jewish answer is that God told Abraham "I am good, I am evil". It's in Genesis, I don't have the line numbers, you need to have the right translation.
Since God created everything, he created evil as well. Without evil, how can we know good?
2007-10-16 09:11:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Read the book of Romans, chapters 1 through 11. They will pretty much answer all of your questions and stand up to the argument you're making with those statements.
2007-10-16 09:24:41 · answer #8 · answered by Becky S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the problem lies in the second statement, which declares that in order for G-d not to be malevolent he MUST end evil.
ending evil in itself would be evil, because that would mean taking away all of human freedom and turning us all into divine puppets, incapable of free will, doing only what our master says we can do.
a malevolent parent rules with absolute power and command, but a benevolent parent allows his children the freedom to make their own mistakes, and then to live with consequences of those mistakes.
2007-10-16 11:44:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That would be true if we knew what was evil.
imagine an uneducated individual seeing an operation being preformed. From his perspective it looks like the doctor is savagely cutting the poor person apart. While in actually he is saving his life.
It is very difficult for us who live in this world to step back and understand why things that appear bad and evil happen. In particular if they are personal.
It is only often hundreds of years after the fact when we can look back at history somewhat objectively do we understand why these things happened and the positive outcome that emerged.
2007-10-16 08:59:18 · answer #10 · answered by Gamla Joe 7 · 6⤊ 2⤋
First you must show that evil exists. I have no idea whether any event would seem "evil" to an all knowing being, only that some events do appear evil to me. Certain forms of Hinduism take this stance (agnosticism about ultimate good and evil), but the others cannot reconcile it with their theology.
2007-10-16 09:01:24 · answer #11 · answered by neil s 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋