Problem Of Evil Research Paper

What kind of problem is the Problem of Evil for a non-believer?
Word Count: 2,430
Believer or non-believer, we all appear to suffer from the problem of evil. Perhaps in the highly economically and technologically developed countries we live in now we are faced, on a day to day basis, with far less evil, than those 90 years ago on their way to fight in WW1. But there is always a presence of evil. Although it may not be first degree, we see it in the news on a daily basis. Natural, Moral and Metaphysical evil will affect all of us in our lifetime, whether it be a natural disaster, violence or are eventual death, these three different types of evils will be discussed in further detail later in the essay. The problem of evil only seems to affect
That people knowingly and willingly commit evil acts. For non-believers the problem of evil presents a social, ethical and moral problem. If we accept that evil is a part of the human condition, and arises out of greed and self, to what extent should we value another person who has the capacity for such extreme evils. It becomes a large concern for atheists because how do they know others will not act out on them in an evil manor. If there is no God and our actions in this life have no consequence, then what need is there to act good and avoid evil. If people believe that there actions have no consequence they may feel free to roam around doing whatever they please, disregarding others well being. The problem for atheists is that without religion the problem of evil would be far worse. Religion plays an important role in controlling society and controlling our actions. For the non-believer trying to distinguish between evil and good is difficult if a list of rules have not been imposed by your religion. But even for none-believers there is a still a set of laws that deter them from committing evil acts. The Judicial system imposes lengthy prison time for what the country deems as an evil act. But even the judicial system takes a lot of its laws from religion. If religion did not exist society would not be as morally good as it is now, the judicial system that is a creation of a developed society would not be the same, our perception of evil and good would also be different. Earlier we explained that Hobbes thought we were all selfish creatures, only trying to better our position.x Without religion what would stop are evil impulses from being the dominant choice. Religion is not just as Marx said, “the opium of the masses”,xi but it is also the suppression of the masses. it commands people to act in a good way for fear of eternal damnation. The