The Problem of EvilSaint Leo University
The Problem of Evil: Evil and Omnipotence
The argument of whether God exists is an age-old debate, both sides attempting to prove their viewpoint, but neither having factual proof. Those that argue for the existence of God claim that He is wholly good, omnipotent and omniscient. However, if that were true and God did possess all three of these attributes, how is it that evil exists in the world? There is pain and suffering, crime and natural disasters that occur daily. With that being said, why does evil exist?
Religious folk claim that God is all-benevolent. If this is the case, then why is evil permitted to exist? When faced with this question, believers state that evil exists to promote “the greater good”. The greater good is the idea that some pain and suffering must exist in the world for us as humans to access our second and third level “good” platforms. These levels consist of human qualities such as courageousness, charity and sacrifice. Believers claim that life would not be as good, or as whole, without knowing these feelings, however, I argue that if we never knew any of the “higher level” qualities, then we wouldn’t miss them. If, from the beginning, we only knew the first level good, and knew no pain and suffering, then we wouldn’t know any different. Could it not be a better life, a better world, with absolutely no pain, suffering or evil? So, the question remains, if God is wholly good then how does evil exist? It is possible that God is not completely good, it may be that He permits some evil to exist so we can reach our “greater goods.” On the opposing side of that theory, is it actually that there may not be a God and that evil is a product of our human nature, as well as the good in the world.
Another attribute that God is accredited with is being omnipotent. Omnipotence implies that one is “all powerful”. God may be all benevolent, but what if he is not omnipotent? God may have the best of intentions, but what if He cannot control
The argument of whether God exists is an age-old debate, both sides attempting to prove their viewpoint, but neither having factual proof. Those that argue for the existence of God claim that He is wholly good, omnipotent and omniscient. However, if that were true and God did possess all three of these attributes, how is it that evil exists in the world? There is pain and suffering, crime and natural disasters that occur daily. With that being said, why does evil exist?
Religious folk claim that God is all-benevolent. If this is the case, then why is evil permitted to exist? When faced with this question, believers state that evil exists to promote “the greater good”. The greater good is the idea that some pain and suffering must exist in the world for us as humans to access our second and third level “good” platforms. These levels consist of human qualities such as courageousness, charity and sacrifice. Believers claim that life would not be as good, or as whole, without knowing these feelings, however, I argue that if we never knew any of the “higher level” qualities, then we wouldn’t miss them. If, from the beginning, we only knew the first level good, and knew no pain and suffering, then we wouldn’t know any different. Could it not be a better life, a better world, with absolutely no pain, suffering or evil? So, the question remains, if God is wholly good then how does evil exist? It is possible that God is not completely good, it may be that He permits some evil to exist so we can reach our “greater goods.” On the opposing side of that theory, is it actually that there may not be a God and that evil is a product of our human nature, as well as the good in the world.
Another attribute that God is accredited with is being omnipotent. Omnipotence implies that one is “all powerful”. God may be all benevolent, but what if he is not omnipotent? God may have the best of intentions, but what if He cannot control