Why the Problem of Evil Suggests There is No God
The typical definition of God is an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good being. A perfectly good God is expected to protect His creations from evil and/or stop any form of it from happening, but that is not the case in our world. People are responsible for so much pain and suffering today that the problem of evil as John Hick explained is the most believable explanation as to why I do not think there is a God. Hick states that God is universally described as omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly good. These three facts should make the world seem like paradise, but that is obviously not the case. With murder, hunger, pain, and countless other harmful factors in the only life we know, Hick
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This paper aims to demonstrate the validity of the Problem of Evil by the excessive amount of violence towards people, the unnecessary evil placed on animals, and the reasons why God should intervene when something bad is about to happen.
There are two main arguments that attempt to solve the Problem of Evil. First, there is punishment for humans’ wrongdoings. James Rachels says this idea goes all the way back to the beginning of God’s
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Some people argue that if God saw someone about to make the wrong decision He would intervene to stop harm on someone else. For example, when James Holmes, the movie theater shooter in Colorado, was about to fire his weapons God should have stopped him and therefore would have saved the lives and injuries of the movie-goers that day. One might argue that God had nothing to do with that crime because those involved may have been atheists and therefore not welcomed by God. That does not excuse what happened in the Charleston, South Carolina church shooting when innocent lives were shot while worshipping the God that didn’t stop the
He argues that if God is perfectly moral, then he must always act in accordance with the moral law, even if this means causing suffering. However, if God is perfectly loving, then he must always act in the best interests of his creation, even if this means breaking the moral law. Rutledge concludes that we must choose between a God who is perfectly moral and a God who is perfectly loving. Rutledge's argument is thought-provoking and challenging. He raises important questions about the nature of God and the relationship between morality and love.
“The Problem of Evil” by Peter van Inwagen, is a series of lectures that that presents van Inwagen’s various responses to problem of evil. In this essay, I will present “the local problem of evil” (from chapter 6 of the book), the solution van Inwagen proposes for this problem, and my critique of his solution. “The local problem of evil,” according to van Inwagen, is the hypothetical response an atheist would have towards van Inwagen’s solution of “the global problem of evil” which is, “If god existed, then why is there so much evil in the world?” The argument of “the local problem of evil” is “If god existed then why are there specific horrors that occur in the world, like children dying in a horrific car crash?” The argument that is drawn
The problem of evil is a logical problem that creates a contradiction in the theist’s belief that God is both omnipotent and wholly good. If God were all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good, he would be conscious of all the evil that is present in the world, he would be able to cure the suffering that occurs in our world, and he would want there to be only goodness. However, we are a population encompassed by wickedness and cruelty; thus, we cannot logically agree to a God. This conflict, identified as the problem of evil, is a logical
Over the years, opinions on God have changed. Some people believed that God is terrifying and vengeful while others disagreed saying that He is loving and accepting of all. Jonathan Edwards was a Calvinist, who argued that unless one never sins, he or she is most likely doomed to hell. Edwards believed that humans are powerless in comparison to the power of God. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards, the author achieves his purpose of arguing that in order to be saved from an afterlife in hell, one must ask for forgiveness and accept Christ, through the uses of intense imagery, a terrifying tone, and understandable metaphors.
JL Mackie was persuasive in his argument by showing that belief in an almighty God is not rational. He proves this by posing the problem of evil. According to JL Mackie, if God exists and is omniscient, omnipotent, and good then evil would not exist. However, evil exists in this world, sometimes in the form of undeserved suffering (diseases that affect humans, earthquakes, famines ...) and others perpetrated by man (murders, wars ...). If God exists and has the capability to be powerful, good, omniscient and omnipotent, why would he let evil be perpetrated?
The existence of God has been presented by a multitude of philosophers. However, this has led to profound criticism and arguments of God’s inexistence. The strongest argument in contradiction to God’s existence is the Problem of Evil, presented by J.L Mackie. In this paper, I aim to describe the problem of evil, analyse the objection of the Paradox of Omnipotence and provide rebuttals to this objection. Thus, highlighting my support for Mackie’s Problem of evil.
“The Problem of Evil” is simply the question, why does God allow evil to happen? God is omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving, and rational, therefore why does evil exist? There is either no God or he is not what we think he is, since evil could be prevented by him with no risk. Atheists and anti-theodicist see a problem with the idea that God could prevent evil. They believe that because God is so powerful and perfect, that he would not allow such immoral actions to be done.
(Muncaster – Religion Lecture, 2016). Meanwhile, Christianity states there is only one god oppose to other religions that state the opposite. Due to the various amounts of moral disagreements between religions, it makes it quite difficult to believe in universal truths as everyday we encounter contradictions that exist within religions in explaining the meaning of good and
In this reading reflection I will be discussing Richard Swinburne’s argument on “Why God Allows Evil” which starts on page 254 in “Exploring Philosophy: An Anthology” by Steven M. Cahn. This was also discussed in class on 9/15/16. In his argument Swinburne states that “An omnipotent God could have prevented this evil, and surely a perfectly good and omnipotent God would have done so. So why is there evil?”(Swinburne, 254).
Questioning if God is not omnipotent, the entire idea of God creating the world can be called into question. Another issue is that if it is said that God is no longer entirely good there is the possibility to say that God has evil or bad intentions, and we should denounce him. Lastly, if one says that evil does not exist, then there is no possible way to separate those people who are considered to be deviants of society. This would mean that those who commit crimes that are evil in nature like murder and rape would be considered to be normal and acceptable.
Through this constant buildup of good deeds and righteousness, he makes himself a worthy candidate for heaven. Or he can choose the latter, simply indulge in the world’s sinful nature and slowly descend into sinfulness himself and be sent to hell. Therefore Hick does not believe that man was originally perfect and that the world was made perfect. The environment in which man would grow in is not for their pleasure but to bring out the necessary qualities God is looking for.
The presentation of Good vs. Evil is one of the main themes in the novel, Dracula. The portrayal of good and evil is seen in each character throughout the book. The characters considered “evil” in the novel are Dracula and his vampire brides. Dracula converts humans into vampires and has immense power over certain individuals. Everything he does demonstrates that there is no good in him at all.
A lot of arguments have been known to prove or disprove the existence of God, and the Problem of Evil is one of them. The Problem of Evil argues that it is impossible to have God and evil existing in the same world. Due to ideal characteristics of God, evil should not have a chance to exist and make human suffer. In this essay, I will examine the argument for the Problem of Evil, a possible theodicy against the argument, and reply to the theodicy. First of all, to be clear, the Problem of Evil is an argument that shows that God cannot be either all- powerful, all-knowing, and/or all good.
Phenomenon of evil in the human heart Evil is a sin, it is a force in nature that presides over, and gives rise to wickedness and corruption. Some may think of evil as a separation from God and usually can be personified by the form of Satan. Phenomenon of evil can exist in many forms that can be hidden within ourselves and others. In the short story "Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne writes about a man whose faith cannot save him from the evil that lies around him and others. In "The Cask of Amontillado" Edgar Allen Poe illustrates that evil can be revealed through revenge, and it only brings malice and cruelty to this world.
Assess this statement: “God is the cause of evil.” God is the uncaused cause of everything. God is all good and therefore could not cause evil, it is contrary to His nature. If God can not create evil, and God created everything, then nothing created by Him is evil.