Why is there so much evil in the world?Surely it must be to "challenge" GOD?

Question

Surely there must be a battle between good and evil going on around us?

Answer 1

There is evil in the world because people are evil... Take responsibility for your own actions and forget about blaming scapegoats

Answer 2

This is a big question, one I don't feel I can adequately answer without in depth research.
I'll give it a go anyway.
First of all, mankind has some degree of free will. As the story of Adam and Eve shows, we all have a choice whether or not to obey our conscience. If God had not given us this gift, we would be like machines, not able to love freely. And if we don't love of our own choice, what kind of love is that? Not worth much. If God created a 'perfect' world [whatever that means] love would be meaningless, our positive feelings towards others would be compelled. Some people believe angels are without free will, and thus mankind is the only creation with free will.
So, when we are faced with the choice whether to love God and do good, we will sometimes choose the right path and sometimes the wrong. But this tendency to choose the wrong path is a NECESSARY consequence of the gift of free will; and it is one of our greatest gifts! Furthermore, one could not KNOW how beauty unless there was something ugly to contrast it with; so, we could not recognise the Good without Evil to compare it with; the Good would lose its essential nature otherwise.
Finally, there is the question of the afterlife. The point here is not the nature of the afterlife, there always have been and always will be different opinions. Those of us who believe in God, we believe that those who have unfairly suffered will be recompensed. Sometimes we also suffer because of what we have done, and this is a kind of purging; it brings us to repentance, when we recognise we have done wrong and turn from our wrong paths. Of course some people also suffer innocently.
Some people may say, "How do you know the afterlife exists?" Well, it's not something I can prove. But the lack of proof does not mean something does not exist. Would an ancient person have believed you if someone told them of the existence of X rays or television?
And the existence of the afterlife is nothing like an 'invisible pink unicorn.' We have the [almost] universal testimony of ancient man, who was often very much more spiritual than most modern people.
Hope that helps, I don't claim to have explained this adequately, but maybe there are one or two useful thoughts there.
Peace

Answer 3

I seem to remember being told as a youngster that God created man in his own image. He must therefore, surely, have an evil side within Himself and is well able to keep it under control, unlike the vast majority of us who fall foul of the 'best' way through life because of our greed for material things and / or power.
I am certain that all human animals have made 'mistakes' during their lifetimes, many through ignorance of a particular law for example, or by telling a fib to get out of trouble at school or at work. These are human failings and, as we are not God, will continue to happen.
The real evil ones amongst us, however, are driven by greed in some form and do terrible things to their fellow creatures. They are the ones we should sort out. They are the ones who are OUR challenge. We should endeavour to cut off the serpent at the head then the small or large body supporting it would also die.
If there is a God, and I don't think that we'll ever prove that He exists, He must have noticed that since the beginning we, as human beings, continue to make massive and terrible mistakes. Surely He must want to help His own creation, us?

Answer 4

I like to think of evil as solely the absense of good. There is a constant battle between good and evil but not necessarily as two components. I think to God his challenge is not to defy evil, but to make people believe in Him and follow him and his teachings which would make them "good". Make sense?

Answer 5

There is bad (evil) in the world. There is also a lot of good in this world. A lot of wonderful people doing wonderful things for other wonderful and sometimes not so wonderful people. If "God" doesn't like it then I guess it should have thought of that before it made it that way.
Peace to you.

Answer 6

We all have to take responsibility for our own actions, it all starts with 'us'.

Jesus said:
"..That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
Mark 7:20-23

God knows the hearts of men but wants all to repent and be baptized.

Jesus came to show us what sort of people his Father wants us to be. And as he told his disciples, we should be going and teaching others so that they may have an opportunity of salvation through the grace of God.

Answer 7

Christians are poor defenceless humans clinging so desperately to falsified gospels passed down from hallucinated apostles and in turn these enrapture the worshipping of thieves. What they need is courage to stand on there own without the feeling of a false God or higher power watching over them. People with a religion are weaker than atheists. We all need to come to release that there is no God's and that after we die there's no afterlife.

But sadly, this would destroy the world as we know it...

Answer 8

You have it the wrong way around, it is to challenge man to do good and not take the easy way out.

Answer 9

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:12

Answer 10

No. All evil is man's doing. God has given man all he needs to do good. God is very forgiving, he will forgive you anything if you repent with sincerity.