dbarmstrong

no evil is not a created thing it is the absence or total privation of good

Transplanar

Even if you were to argue that evil wasn't directly made, that doesn't change the fact that the capacity for evil was not made. I mean, no one designs a car to have it's engine spontaneously explode, but cars have that capacity. The advantage God has over car makers is that he can see that happening before the car is ever made, and can fix it accordingly so that never happens (being all-powerful and all).

ISVfan

God created evil so we wouldn't have to be mindless slaves to Him. God is actually fairer than you guys would have Him be. He isn't going to force you to serve Him. This is known in theology as free will of man.

Transplanar

It's also known as a topic I already addressed.

Free will as you describe also implies that God is okay with some people being tormented for eternity for making a bad choice.

lenrek

The problem of evil will always be logically incompatible with "God exists and is omnipotent, omniscient, and wholly good."

This will always lead us to assert, such god does not exist.

John A. Broussard

Since you are an advocate of free will, I wonder if you would be so kind as to critique the following argument regarding free will:

Assumption one is that there exists an omniscient, sentient being.

Assumption two is that that being has written all that has happened, is happening and will happen in a large book. Since the book includes the entire universe, every quark and quasar, every real and virtual particle, every thought of every thinking creature--everything in fact--it is necessarily a rather large book. (This second assumption isn't vital to this discussion, since an omniscient sentient being would have all these events already written in its mind. The big book just makes for easier discussion)

The third assumption is self evident. Human beings either have or do not have free will.

Given assumptions one and two, let's assume that human beings do not have free will. Will their actions differ in any way from what is written in the book? The answer inevitably seems to be "no."

Given assumptions one and two again, let's assume that human beings do have free will. Will their actions differ in any way from what is written in the book? The answer seems necessarily to be also "no."

If the above reasoning is correct, then--given the existence of an omniscient, sentient being--it doesn't matter whether human beings do or do not have free will. Such a being simply makes free will irrelevant.

I look forward to your answer.

FatherMithras

Because not believing in God is worth an eternity in HELL. Yeah, very fair. Being a mindless robot for one lifetime and then going to heaven is much more benevolent then giving someone free will, hiding all the evidence of your existence, and then sending people to hell for making the only conclusion based on logic.

mikem

Bet he never had a toothache then?

guy_683930

Isaiah 45.7
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."

Yep, it seems God does create evil (at least he used to, pre-exile and slightly post-exile) But later on that wouldn't fly:

1 John 1.5
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."

Lamp Of Light

All things that exist eminated from God. God doesn't look at anything He created and say its evil.... rather it is called good. Although , as others pointed out, and as we are all aware, evil obviously is present in our reality. God surely made the capacity in the very least.

I would suggest to you all however, that proper understanding and perspective is needed. For example, look at WWII, the japanese suffered and atomic attack that killed an extraordianrily large number of people. Certainly they thought it was a horrific evil that befell them. On the other hand, the americans dropped the bomb, and they all celebrated this evil as greater good. So God , for example, could reign down a storm or somthing, and kill an entire city of wicked people in a rather violent fashion, and certainly everyone in the city would think it was a tremendous evil that has fallen upon them, yet they were wicked people, and so those who were being oppressed by the wicked people of the city would probably be cheering at the prospect.
Yet my own opinion is all things serve Gods purpose. Both good and evil. Evil wouldn't exist if God didn't have desire for it to exist. I suggest that evil exists because it is necessary to bringing a whole or complete knowledge and understanding via experience. It is one of the means whereby which God becomes magnified and glorified. Much like a light bulb does not give off alot of light in a burning daylight, yet the same light bulb in a pitch black night will stand out like a shining beacon.
Satan surely serves God purpose. It isn't as if God made a mistake, or couldn't destroy him whenever He wanted. He is even called the angel of light, and I say that is preciesly because of what I said above... if there were no evil to provide a point of reference, there could ultimately not be a complete understanding provided. So just liek the dark makes the light bulb shine like a beacon, so does satan make God shine like a beacon, hence why i say he is called the angel of light... but that is just my own speculation and opinion really, in regards to why he is called that. the more traditional view is that is his name because he was the greatest of Gods angels and fairest before the fall. I of course would agree with that he is the greatest, and that is why I say he was made first.... because he was essential to Gods plan... to build the kingdom God desires to build. If there was no satan, or evil, then I suggest that there could be no point of reference for a true experiential understanding and appreciation of God Himself, and that is frankly one pf the primary reasons we are here.

Anyways, I am tired, and off to bed. Just thought I would offer that up for consideration.