Since there is So Much Evil in the World and God Does Not Stop It, Does this Mean There is no God?
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After not so many votes...
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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines evil as the following: Morally reprehensible; arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct; causing discomfort or repulsion; causing harm. I prefer, however, the definition provided by J.P. Morland where he states that “Evil is a lack of what should be the case. Evil is when things aren’t the way they are supposed to be.” Another very important question that we must answer in this conversation, is how do we know what is evil? C.S. Lewis points out that when he was an atheist his “argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust…”, but he began to realize that he needed to figure out where he got the idea of just and unjust. He states “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.” And Lewis asked himself, “What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?” As believers, we are very aware of what is evil and how we have come to understand where evil comes from, however, when an atheist argues that there is evil in the world and therefore there is no God, it begs the question, “where do they think our idea of evil has come from?” If we are just a ball of matter and there is nothing more to us then wouldn’t our idea of evil be completely relative? I pose this question mostly because I do believe that it is important for there to be an understanding of what one believes to be evil and why they feel that way, what gave that idea?
Genesis 3:4-7 gives an account of when Adam and Eve (the first of mankind) made the decision to disobey God by eating the fruit that was on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Prior to eating the forbidden fruit, all Adam and Eve knew was of the good that God had created for them. At that time there was no evil among them or His creation of the universe. What is very important to understand, however, is that by God giving the one and only command of them to not eat the forbidden fruit, we see the initiation of free will. A choice was given to the first man and woman and they chose, by their free will to do what God had told them not to do and from that point on, things have not been the way they are supposed to be (Evil). Evil comes from the free will of mankind, therefore it is not God’s fault that we have evil in this world but simply mankind’s fault. You see, there can be good without the existence of evil but there cannot be the existence of evil without the existence of good.
But why does God allow it to continue? I do not have a definitive answer. But what I do know, is that in many peoples’ lives, when they are going through trials and pain, it becomes natural to question why, which in many ways can draw people to asking God why. When we are at our lowest points, we tend to cry out, and many times, yes they are in times of desperation, we cry out to a god that most of us have never believed in before. C.S. Lewis points out that, “God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” As time as gone on since the fall of Adam and Eve, our world has become more and more deaf to God, and have chosen through their free will to do things that are against the way things are supposed to be. We have corrupted what is good for our own pleasures and selfish desires. But, when one sees the hope that they can have in God even during our darkest times, there becomes an unexplainable peace. The fact of the matter is that God’s word tells us that there will be a day when He puts all evil to rest and that it will no longer exist on this earth, and that we can trust in Him because even though the evil that does exist in this world is because people have turned their back on Him, He still loves us and He wants what is good for us, just like any loving father wants for their children and He wants to rescue us. All we have to do is turn back to Him and hold tight to His promises.
“Evil is a lack of what should be the case. Evil is when things aren’t the way they are supposed to be.”
My argument has not been that everything in this world today is intrinsically good
- Defies Con´s definition of evil, because he is saying there is something (i.e. not a lack) that is evil (no intrinsic good)
- God, as understood as all-benevolent and the cause of all things would then have produced a being in evil thus contradicting the very notion of God.
- Thus, because evil is immediately apparent and God is not, we are forced to conclude that God must not exist because evil does.
how do you constitute what is evil? You speak of a tornado killing a hard-working, well-behaved farmer and his family and you deem that as an act of evil. What is it that makes you think that is evil? Where does your idea of evil come from?
Sure!
I would personally prefer a more private conversational form rather than a public platform. If you want here is my email: [email protected]
I am happy to help in any way I can.
Thank you so much for your incite and the challenge. I will admit, that you have given me a lot to think about in how I proceed in arguments like this. Thanks for playing devil's advocate, I would be grateful for any additional advice you might have.
Not a problem.
I think it is fine to do that. I would space out your main ideas though. It makes it easier to understand what you are saying when the format is more open.
Thanks. I think I was premature in my initial argument, so I reposted a lot of what I put in the description. Meaning what was in the description was my initial argument.
Not a problem.
I think the best way to debate is to find common ground with definitions and move on from there.
So it is best if you define your main words in your proofs. You normally do not need to define the words of your definitions, just clarify them if asked.
Normally also it is best not to forfeit, but I know very well unexpected things can come up. It has happened to me before. So dont worry about it. If you can come back to the argument after a forfeit I personally will not count it against you.
By all means, this is actually for my apologetics class, so I am up to the challenge. I may need some guidance on this platform though, this is my first time on here.
I would normally agree with you, but I want to play the devils advocate to see if you know what you are talking about.