For this article, we will be dealing strictly with the idea of the Christian God (i.e. the God of the Bible, Yahweh) and no other conceptual deities.
Time and time again, one of the most noteworthy arguments against the existence of God is presented by suggesting this question: If evil exists, how can an omnipotent, loving God exist?
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Let's examine the concept in more detail. Is the existence of evil directly paradoxical to the God of the Bible?
The Origin of Evil
God did not create evil, nor does he need to stop it from happening if he is all-good, all-knowledgeable, and loving. God, in his being, is apart from evil. Evil stems as a production of human and angelic free will.
Specifically, free will is the idea that human beings are capable of making choices completely independent of external influences. To philosophically discuss the concept of freewill more in depth would be an entirely different post in itself, but for now, let's assume we have control of our thoughts and actions.
As beings with freewill, we are independent from God. What we do, what we say, and how we live is entirely up to us. Evil is a production of this independence. God created freewill and consequently made us self-governing people; the creation of evil comes from our ability to make choices and behave in certain ways (essentially either good or bad to varying degrees). The concept of wrong-doing/sin is completely inseparable from the existence of free-willed, finite beings. Without the ability to do wrong and produce evil, we would really have no freewill at all.
From a Biblical standpoint, God gave us free will in order that we can glorify and honor him by making decisions that put his will before our own desires. If God had created us with the intention to prevent evil from entering the world, we would merely be robots predisposed to choose rightly in every situation. People would never make "bad" decisions, but, instead, always choose to do good. This kind of puppet-like existence would contradict the very essence of what it means to be a human being. Certainly God could create beings of such demeanor, but they would certainly not be anything like humans. If such beings existed, could they even be capable of worshiping God? I doubt it. This kind of puppet-like existence would inescapably mean an absence of freewill, therefore, humans could not exist if the possibility of evil does not exist.
John Hick, a prominent English philosopher, once stated it in this way: "Saying that God should not have created beings that would be cruel and evil is to say that God should have not created people."
Now then, how does this explanation answer to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, animal attacks, tsunamis, and tornadoes?
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From a Biblical standpoint, even natural evil is a direct production of human freewill. The original sin was a choice that allowed sin to enter into and corrupt the world (Genesis 3:4-7 ) (Romans 8:12-13). We can see, through the context of these passages, that natural evil did not exist before this. Conclusively, all evil stems from human failure and wrong decisions. Just as we are capable of producing evil through our actions, Adam and Eve proved to be just as human.
Sad and disappointing? Yes, I would say it is. Unfair? Oh please.
We are not able to escape evil in our lives, and, in the same light, none of us are capable of choosing to do good all of the time. Thankfully, God has provided us with an example of someone who lived a life consisting entirely of sound decisions. The only person to make only right decisions with freewill was Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 4:15)
We all need to seek to identify who Jesus Christ really is and what his life means. From what I can see, Christ is God sacrificing himself in order that we can glorify him for eternity. It turns out, the supreme evil of this world, the murder of Christ, is dynamically the supreme good also. God is the only being where praising himself is the most selfless act (John Piper). Seems paradoxical, but it is profoundly true...
Conclusion
+God did not create evil.
+People are self-governed, independent from God.
+A person that always behaves rightly is self-contradictory of what it means to be human.
+Humans that were created to choose good and not act in evil ways would not be humans at all.
+Humans that were created to choose good and not act in evil ways would not be humans at all.
+Evil is a production of humans through our use of free will.
+All evil, even natural evil, stems from the decisions that we make/have made.
+Jesus Christ was the only person to live that never produced evil through freewill.
+God has provided Christ as a sacrifice to rescue us from evil. (Ephesians 2:4-7)
Great post, AJ! I love the depth and logical order of your explanations.
In your "Natural Evil" explanation to the question about "how does this explanation answer to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, animal attacks, tsunamis, and tornadoes?" are you saying humans actions like drilling for oil, farming, driving cars, etc. are the cause of natural disasters?
I don't believe he said anything about "humans actions like drilling for oil, farming, driving cars, etc."
Anonymous,
No - I am not saying that natural disasters are caused by human actions such as drilling, farming, and driving cars.... ALTHOUGH, those things may definitely be contributors to the severity of natural disasters; especially when examining recent scientific studies about changes in climate and environment. (And they may even cause some)
What I am saying is this:
From a Biblical standpoint, natural disasters would not exist if it was not for the sin of man. Moreover, I am saying that natural disasters are caused by man because man made the decision that introduced evil into the world. It was humans (Adam and Eve) that chose to do evil (sin), just as humans choose to do evil today.
From a Biblical standpoint, there is much more involved than oil drilling, agriculture, and other environmental actions - I hope this comment made that idea more understandable.
Greg: He was never quoted as saying any of that. I was using my own examples to help illustrate my question.
AJ: From your standpoint that does make sense. I don't read the bible so I would not have known that. I do think there is scientific explanation to the causes of natural disasters as well. Which a lot of that is caused by human action. Thanks for the response.
Thanks for your comments dude! Be sure to post back again!