The Problem of Evil “Evil has no positive nature but the loss of good has received the name of evil” said St. Augustine.The problem comes from the fact that if there is a deity that is all good, all knowing and all powerful, how can evil exist? The problem of evil (or argument from evil) is the problem of reconciling the existence of the evil in the world with the existence of an omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and perfectly good God. The argument from evil is the atheistic argument that the existence of such evil cannot be reconciled with, and so disproves, the existence of such a God. Therefore, the “problem of evil” presents a significant issue. Mackie theorizes there is no possibility all three facts can be true and coexist together.
Argument Because of imperfections in the world and humanity, evil exists. God created humanity to be imperfect; Therefore, God and evil co-exist. Hick’s theodicy states that in order for humanity to improve on their soul and growth, we need pain and suffering to aid us in this process. He suggests that evil and God can co-exist since
Yet, from Christian point of view, these questions lead man to see suffering in a positive way rather than negative. This is because what is evil is should be known from the essence of good. Every nature tends its own being and its own perfection, which is a good. It follows that evil cannot signify being or any form or nature. And when man experiences suffering in his life, he automatically starts to search for a cause in order to get deliverance from it, since it does not belong to his nature.
David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion Part XI tried to explain why there is so much evil in the world we live in if we have and all powerful God that can stop all evil if He wanted to. So Hume begs the question well, if God cannot stop evil since evil in inevitable to happen, then God is not all-powerful. From this question, since God is all-powerful and does not stop evil from happening, then we have a malevolent God who is evil. But, what if God does not know when evil is going to happen? This means that God would not be all knowing and not omniscient.
That is, Buddhism also significantly considered about their actions in the present life about good deeds because after life is matters for them. Similarly, as Hindus yearn for the Moksha, Buddhism concerns the enlightenment. So both of the religion considers the good deeds for all living beings in their life according to their
He states what he believes to be the solutions theists give to solve the problem of evil. These solutions include the fact that the pain is unreal, God’s punishment for sinning, what makes the world better, and is God’s way of reminding men of his existence while also warning them to repair their ways. He argues that atheists are not affected by evil like theists are, which is why life is more comfortable for atheists. Evil does exist in the world, but evil also makes the world a better place. McCloskey claims that the presence of evil in the world argues against “the perfection of the divine design or divine purpose in the world.” (McCloskey, 52) This is not reasonable, however, since evil does not discriminate between theists and atheists.
Mackie says the only way to believe that evil exists, if you do believe that evil does in fact exist, is to either say God is not wholly good or not as omnipotent. The other possible outcome is to say that good is not opposed to the kind of evil that can exist or that an omnipotent
The problem of evil is one of the most serious difficulties confronting traditional Christianity, and it has been a focus of heated philosophical and theological discussions for centuries. Epicurus was the first to formulate the problem of evil as a philosophical dilemma (341–270 B.C.E. ): If God is perfectly good, He must want to abolish all evil, if He is ultimately powerful, He must be able to abolish all evil. But evil exists; therefore, either God is not perfectly Good or He is not ultimately powerful. John Hick, Evil and the God of Love (Macmillan, 1966, p. 5).
In this case, Good is God, and Evil is the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. In the Christian religion, God is the most heavenly and free-from-sin being in the world, so it is obvious why he represents what he does. God even created the world (see Gen. 1-2). The forbidden fruit, on the other hand, led to curses, sin and a whole lot of trouble, which blatantly refers back to the idea of Evil (see Gen. 3). In the Bible, Good/Evil is represented by material beings or objects instead of ideas or feelings, which is now a common recreation.
EVIL AS AN INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY IN LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING INTRODUCTION There is a constant tension or conflict between good and evil in the world. At times evil appears to be so dominant and powerful that we may even think evil to be supreme. But, sooner or later the momentary supremacy of the evil gives way to the ultimate triumph of good. We often blame the society or the political system for the evils that are being perpetrated in the world. But a close analysis will tell us that it is not the political system or the society that is responsible for the evil, but some individuals within the society or in the political system that perpetrate evil.