Preview

Why Does God Exist

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
940 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Does God Exist
In the world of philosophy there are many unanswered questions. One such question is whether or not God exists. Philosopher Thomas Aquinas attempts at logically reasoning through this question. In doing so, he combats an objection to the existence of God, which is known as the problem of evil. The problem of evil states that no omni benevolent being would will that evil exists, and whatever an omniscient, omnipotent being wills must be accomplished. Evil exists so, according to the problem with evil, God can not exist. When analyzing whether or not the presence of evil in the world is compatible with the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, omni benevolent God, I follow along with some of Aquinas's thoughts. Like Aquinas, I do not think …show more content…
This premise assumes that all people believe that God is all powerful, all knowing, and perfectly good. If one denies that God is all powerful, then evil might exist due to God's inability to prevent it. The same can be said if one denies that God is perfectly good. If God is not perfectly good, evil might exist due to God's willingness to let it. Although this argument raises good reason to doubt premise two, it is unattractive to most theists who believe that God is indeed omniscient, omnipotent, and omni …show more content…
Premise one being that If God is omni benevolent or all good, He would not allow evil. I plan to provide strong argument that it is possible for God and evil to coexist. Let me being by saying, If God is all good and all powerful; one could argue that the world in which we live in presently is the best possible world because an all good, all powerful God would not create anything less than the best possible world. Secondly, the world as it is now contains evil. I believe there are two kinds of evil, one being natural evils (i.e. floods, tsunamis, and other natural disasters) and the second, I will call ethical evil or the evil in which people inflict upon each other (i.e. murder, rape, physical abuse). If the world we live in is the best possible world and it indeed contains natural evils, one could question how this can be so. How can God make a world that is the best possible world while still containing natural evil? To address this question, suppose that there is some greater good that comes from every instance of natural evil. For example, there are forest fires every year that wipe out entire areas of land. This land contains many plants and animals that when consumed by fire, die. Also, it can be supposed that the killing of these plants and animals removes a food source for many human beings who live near this area resulting in the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    A comparison of Augustinian Theodicy and Irenaean Theodicy
    • 1488 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A comparison of Augustinian Theodicy and Irenaean Theodicy

    The problem of evil is a significant and enduring philosophical and theological debate. A question is often raised and discussed: if God is both all-loving and all-powerful, then how can evils-including natural evil and moral evil---exist in our world? In response to the charge that the evils of the world are incompatible with God's omnipotence and perfect goodness, the word"theodicy" is coined to deal with the problem of evil. Usually it is an attempt to show that it is possible to affirm the omnipotence of God, the love of God, and the reality of evil without contradiction. Two of the most well-known and most frequently discussed theodicies are the Augustinian theodicy and the Irenaean theodicy.…

    • 1488 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theology 202 Essay 1
    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Theology 202 Essay 1

    The question of evil is a common hot button topic among atheists and non-Christians who attempt to disprove Christianity. They argue that an omnipotent and omniscient God cannot exist in a world with so much evil. The argument is used by them to try to prove that Christianity is “internally self-contradictory and thereby to be rejected.” Many claim that a benevolent and caring God would certainly not create evil or allow it to flourish in the world that He created. So, the problem of evil is how to explain that there can be a perfect, all-powerful, and all-loving God that exists in a world with so much moral and natural evil.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Irenaean Theodicy - Theory
    • 867 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Irenaean Theodicy - Theory

    Epicurus, an ancient Greek Philosopher, stated: ‘Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?’…

    • 867 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Problem of Evil
    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Problem of Evil

    This argument purports or tends to show a logical inconsistency between Gods existence and evil existence. Therefore, this argument starts with three ancient features that many theists believe in as true of God. The logical problem, hence, argues that such a being cannot allow or tolerate any evil. There being evil then it is automatic that there is no such being. In the simplest form of this argument is that God is omnipotent, he is wholly good and yet evil exists (Rowe 30). These three propositions specks up contradictions, as if two are true then the other one is false.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Bayle's Paulicians And Candide: A Comparative Analysis
    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Comparing Bayle's Paulicians And Candide: A Comparative Analysis

    Evil, how did it happen and why is it still here on this earth? There is this belief that the Christian God is good and all-powerful. He has the power to create worlds and beings, yet there is still evil in the world. Both Pierre Bayle and Voltaire address these questions in their works “Paulicians” and Candide (respectively). They both believe the Manichean philosophy as a more rational thought process than the contemporaneous Christian view. This belief is that there is not one, but two gods in the world; a god of good and a god of evil. I myself believe in a world of balance and like the two authors listed above, accept this as more rational thought than a single omnipotent god. My reasoning is that without evil, there is no concept of good,…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Problem with Evil Existence of God
    • 2572 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Problem with Evil Existence of God

    Today the news is filled with coverage on various natural catastrophes and other related causalities that people face daily. Anyone can look into their lives or even their neighbors and see the presence of misfortune that surrounds our world. This problem has brought up the issue of God’s existence in religious philosophical discussions. For centuries, many have tried to dismiss the existence of God on the basis of the existence of evil. Let’s consider where God has been placed in people’s lives throughout our history. For the Greeks and Romans gods were thought to personify wisdom, war, and other actions that human beings took (Spitzer 5). As knowledge continued to progress god was thought to live in heaven, beyond the realm of the planets. He was believed to have created life thousands of years ago. Soon as human knowledge progressed even further we’ve learned about the Big Bang, DNA, and evolution (Spitzer 14). It seems that the more humans know, the further back God gets pushed. Often, it appears as if humans use God as a placeholder for the unknown, but as we learn more, he gets redefined. Philosophers question whether or not there can be a wholly good God that would create such a world where evil exists. This pursuit is known as the problem of evil. “According to the ‘problem of evil’, the extent of evils in the world seems to conflict with the existence of an omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnipotent God. Theodicy is a study where theists are able to get together and make their arguments disclosing information on the compatibility between God and evil. This seems to be one of the most perplexing problems theists have to face. In today's…

    • 2572 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Worldviews Reflective Integration
    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Worldviews Reflective Integration

    Many atheists consider the problem of evil as proof that God does not exist. From this viewpoint one may argue that just as God is null to exist, there is no such thing as evil. For an atheist evil is simplified to occurrences that naturally exist. This is better described as stated in Making Sense of Your World, “Some people are going to get hurt, others are going to get lucky and you won’t find any rhyme or reason to it” (Phillips, Brown and Stonestreet, 2008, p.151). The dilemma here is that we live in a world often void of positive outcome and one might find that they are hopelessly and helplessly waiting for luck to come their way. Consequently this mindset leads to the lack of moral boundaries for good and evil and one can find themselves living life out of control and hoping to be luckier than the next guy in beating the odds of natural causes and processes.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Augustinian Strengths and Weaknesses
    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Augustinian Strengths and Weaknesses

    |Evil as the result of free-will and not divine will can be supported. Freedom necessarily entails the |nothing. Either the world was not a perfect creation or God enabled it to go wrong. |…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Problem of Evil
    • 2698 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The Problem of Evil

    The Problem of Evil coined by Epicurus states that: “Either God wants to eradicate evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can but does not want to he is wicked. If God can eradicate evil, and He wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?” This problem has long bothered many theologians and philosophers, even St. Thomas Aquinas stated that it is a major objection to the existence of God. Undoubtedly, evil exists and its mere existence is so evident that it would be preposterous to deny it and since we cannot deny its existence, we must then try to prove that its existence would not oppose the existence of God. In this paper, I will try to explain the problem of evil through our free will, and the causes and consequences that are brought by natural evil then I will also attempt to enumerate the root causes of evil and the possible purpose of its existence. On the first part of this paper, I will explain that moral evil is just a byproduct of our wrong choices and it will be followed by the relation of natural evil to the design of our world. Writings of post-modern philosophers were mainly my guide in conducting this research because their studies are applicable and relevant in our modern world, and the books that I referred to were compilations regarding the existence of God and not primary texts of ancient or medieval philosophers.…

    • 2698 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explain the Problem of Evil
    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Explain the Problem of Evil

    The problem of evil refers to the nature of God. Many assume that God is benevolent but hardly anyone really considers the possibility that God is not all good but rather an all evil, malevolent God. The question is if God is all good and all powerful, then why did he create a world full of evil and suffering? There is so much suffering in this world that a lot of people find it hard to believe that, if God does exist, he is good. There is the argument that an all good, all powerful God would create some suffering in the world to perhaps allow people to achieve greater goods. However, in all honesty, there is more evil than good in the world and so the likely hood of that isn’t very high. So in order to explain the nature of the problem of evil, then one has to consider the possibility of an evil God as well as a benevolent one. Is God willing to prevent evil, but unable to? Is God able to prevent evil, but unwilling to do so? Or is God able to prevent evil and willing to?…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nature of Evil
    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nature of Evil

    The first way that I look at this problem of evil is form the vantage point of it being a "logical" problem this means that the theist must look at the several beliefs that he or she may hold and be able to clarify and if possible come to reconciliation between these different beliefs. This is the initial method in which I use to understand the nature of the problem of evil. If one can some how surrender one of the propositions that comprise the problem, this problem can be…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Existence of God and Evil
    • 2241 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Existence of God and Evil

    The problem of evil has been around since the beginning. How could God allow such suffering of his “chosen people”? God is supposedly all loving (omni-benevolent) and all powerful (omnipotent) and yet He allows His creations to live in a world of danger and pain. Two philosophers this class has discussed pertaining to this problem is B.C. Johnson and John Hick. Johnson provides the theists’ defense of God and he argues them. These include free will, moral urgency, the laws of nature, and God’s “higher morality”. Hick examines two types of theodicies – the Augustinian position and the Irenaeus position. These positions also deal with free will, virtue (or moral urgency), and the laws of nature. Johnson decides that God is either evil or both good and evil. Hick believes that the world is the grounds for soul-making and indirectly defends God in the face of evil. Hick’s argument is stronger than Johnson’s. I believe that evil exists in order to teach humans virtue that God has created. I also believe, like Hick suggests, that God, the universe, and His creations are inherently good, and that evil comes from the corruption of the good.…

    • 2241 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Problem of EvilSaint Leo University
    • 690 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Problem of EvilSaint Leo University

    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.…

    • 690 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    George Elwell The Problem Of Evil
    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages

    George Elwell The Problem Of Evil

    To present the topic of “the problem with evil,” without acknowledging there is a God can be confusing. I think one of the best questions that you could ask is, why does God allow evil being a perfect and loving God (Elwell, pg 413…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    John Hick's the Problem of Evil
    • 2551 Words
    • 11 Pages

    John Hick's the Problem of Evil

    John Hick discusses in his essay The Problem of Evil, the objections to the belief in the existence of God is the presence of evil in the world. He begins by posing the traditional challenge to theism in the form of the dilemma: That if God was perfectly loving, he must wish to abolish evil, and being all powerful, is able to perfectly do so as he will its. He then proceeds to present some views regarding this issue, giving insights from three point of views, that of contemporary Christian Science, the Boston Personalist school, and the theologian Augustine. The first opinion takes evil as an illusion, as a construct of the human mind. The second confers upon God finity, God as a struggling ruler, making do with what he can. The third hold the rational that Evil is merely the corruption of the good, the going wrong of something primarily good.…

    • 2551 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics