Is God guilty? –

Of Evil?

To the victims of the deluge in Kenya (and worldwide), I empathize with your sorrow and I pray for you. Evil is the one thing I’m sure all humans have been acquainted with so at an emotional level, we are together.

what is evil? Does evil really exist?

This may be the first time I start my post without definition; But I truly believe we all know what evil or bad is. Forms of evil include pain and suffering for example from disease, moral evil e.g., between humans or natural evil e.g., floods.

The question, does evil exist?, especially after my statement above, may sound bizarre to some but it’s nevertheless one philosophers have written extensively about and we have to answer personally. This is my understanding of the problem of evil and suffering:

The discussion is between theists and atheists. Theists claims God exists, atheists claims that God cannot exist if evil exists.

Epicurus:

• Is God willing to prevent evil, but is not able? Then He is not omnipotent.
• Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent.
• Is He able and willing? Then where does evil come from?
• Is He neither able nor willing? Then why call Him God?

With consideration, I don’t see atheism bringing onboard any solution to this matter…let’s see why?

If evolution ‘created’ all things i.e., from nothing, a non-personal, unguided process, then all evil is a natural consequence, right? When we observe nature in the wild, do we see chaos or order? Chaos. Then why do we call it evil or bad when nature is just taking its course? Should we not just suck it up because that’s how it is? Is it because human beings are involved; as recipients/contributors? If so, why would you think humans are unique?

Richard Dawkins, “…at the bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference…”

Without belief in objective evil and morality, which I don’t think any atheist can claim without contradiction, I don’t see how atheism brings consistent arguments to the table. Do you? Does atheism even allow you to complain about evil/bad? Evil is either an illusion or just what is. Besides, why are atheists even discussing the issue? Should they trust their minds…ops! brains, if all of it came from no purpose, nor design, and a purely accidental process? And why should we, trust them: As opposed to monkeys’ brains? The same evolutionary process acted on both, right? I digress.

You need an objective standard or source of good and evil to even raise the challenge. CS Lewis, the literary genius, puts it this way in his book The Problem of Pain.

_{“My argument against God was at that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had i got this idea of just and unjust? A man doesn’t call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing the universe with when I call it unjust?…A man feels wet when he falls into the water because man is not a water animal…of course I could give up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too-for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it didn’t please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God didn’t exist- in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless- I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality-my idea of justice-was full of sense”}

Unless there’s a supreme, Divine standard, evil is a matter of opinion and if so, we can eliminate evil just by changing our opinion of it. Can we?

Note: Up to this point, I have not made reference to a personal God, just a creator God in general. This is where I make the distinction; I will now speak as a Christian, believing in a personal God, as in this context, I think we present reasonable discussion points to argue.

So, why evil, if God is able and willing to prevent or do away with evil?

1. Accurate view of eternity: If we knew in advance that we could live forever and have the guarantee of a painless existence for all eternity, then the way we view suffering on this side of the grave becomes very different. If we truly are eternal creatures, then suffering must be viewed in this lens.
2. The role of free will: Just like love, rationality requires free agency. Some people ask why God did not intervene in their points of suffering (He does at times). I believe God created us with free will to choose to love or reject Him and some evil are a consequence, starting with the scene at the garden of Eden and daily as humans choose to do evil. Also, sometimes evil is just a consequence of our bad choices.
3. Love: If your definition of love goes beyond affection, sentimentality, and romance to include correction or discipline then you would understand, just as parents do, that a loving God can allow some form of hardship to correct His children.
4. Character development: this should be self-explanatory. I will refer you to Joseph’s story in the Bible or one in your life where an evil was necessary to develop or refocus you.
5. Our limited understanding: I may give you some more reasons how evil is not inconsistent with a Divine and loving God however, it can never be exhaustive. If there is a Superior Divine being, why would we expect to understand all His motives? We can’t answer all questions that arise nor should we seek to. It’s okay that I sometime don’t understand or know why. For example: when a child is brutally assaulted and murdered, it’s tough to view it in eternity, or consider the role of free will in that, or see love defined or see any benefit to anyone’s character development. Believe me, i get it.

These explanations do not seek to answer all individual evils. Some can be explained by one, more, or none.

The question we should ask is; If the Christian God is true, and I believe so, what is God doing on a cross? As John Lennox asks. The epitome of suffering; and this is what makes Christianity so peculiar. The confidence we have is that God identifies with our suffering, and understands our pain. I rest in that.

^{– Just a thought, say God created ‘evil’… and us, who are we to judge Him? By which standards would we be doing so? Who’s to say what good and evil really is?}

Why do Christians believe in a personal God?