The Problem of Evil: Religious and Apologetic Way

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Introduction

The problem of evil is simply the disagreement of how such a great God can exist and evil still dominates a greater part of the world he created. It seems quite logically incompatible the extent of evil and the existent of a benevolent God. According to John Scott (2008, 2), the fact of suffering with no doubt is one of the greatest challenges for the Christian faith. The authenticity of evil and anguish is the biggest obstacle faith.

For the Christians themselves it becomes hard to comprehend how the great good God who created them allows them to suffer, and to some deep and hurting ways. The disillusionment increases with multitude of Christians been fed with information on exaggerated expectations of wealth and health.

Evil can be classified in to two major categories: the moral evil and natural evil. Natural evil are the consequences of natural happenings like the floods and earthquakes. Moral evil are the actions of human being that bring about this results for example rape, theft and others.

The problem of evil can be viewed into broad ways: the religious way or the apologetic way. The apologetic way analysis skeptically, challenging the possibility of the existence of God who cause people to suffer. Religious is the problem of evil approached from a believer’s point of view whose faith many a times has been tested through temptations (Clack, 2008, 127)

Is the presence of evil in the world compatible with the existence of a benevolent God?

The compatibility of presence of evil and the existence of a great God has been logically and evidently challenged by philosophers. According to Rood (1996, 1), a good and an all powerful God is able to do away with evil, and if evil cannot be destroyed then there is a possibility the good and powerful God exists not.

His statements show of how difficult it is for a good God to exits alongside or together with evil, for it is certain the powerful God should destroy the evil. David Hume, a philosopher in the 18^th century, ‘God might be willing to prevent evil, but have not the ability? Is he able but not willing? Or is He both willing and able? The nature of God as depicted in history, his existence and power should not allow evil to subsist.

I would argue out that the existence of an all powerful God and presence of evil compatible for the possibility of evil makes the munificence of God whole. The completeness of the compassion of God calls for a freewill among the human beings which necessitates the existence of evil. From a glance the existence of evil is a great challenge to the existence of God’s compassion.

This is because evil in the lives of God’s people shows lack of humanity in God’s benevolence. Evil is the opposite of good and so if evil would not exist, it would mean there would be no good hence people would be denied the opportunity of freewill and making choices; for there is no good without choice.

Man is one creature that has the ability to chose good, and also he can decide to choose the opposite. The absence of good in a man replicates to absence of good in the world. This cannot be termed as absence of God or him being all powerful for out of his infinite goodness that he has poured upon man, man has decided to choose evil.

Taking the completeness of God’s benevolence and compare with Aristotle’s argument on completeness of justice which is a virtue; its completeness is found in its full exercise. Therefore complete benevolence of God will be achieved by allowing full practice of choice which will mean there will be existence of evil.

The presence of evil should not be measured by the existence of a great God in the world. For God’s plan was to peacefully and with complete unity exist with man. The freewill God gave man was a replication of what exactly he had and wanted for man in order for his to accomplish the good intended for him. The existence of God allows man to be able to accomplish good in the presence of another option.

Therefore evil should exist as a possibility for humans but should not be actualized in their lives. Many a times that Humans choose to do evil and God chooses not to intervene and remove the evil; yes indeed he watches to see the consequences for if he would interfere it means choice is not good and could no longer be free. Therefore i strongly believe that the existence of evil is purely compatible with the presence of a benevolent God; for God’s completeness in his benevolence depends on the human actualization of what is good.

According to Genesis, everything that God created was good, and all things existing in the world are either creatures of the creator. And God is creator of all things; therefore we can say God is the creator of evil.

But according to Kreeft (1988, 58) evil is not a thing but it is a choice that human beings make therefore, God is not the ultimate creator of evil as it would be argued but God created choice men made wrong choice which consequently makes evil. For no evil will or has ever existed as a thing but always as wrong choice or the aftermath of those wrong choices.

The situation at hand implies that God does not exist but this is more so a conflict which can be resolve. Rich (1996, 2) in his view suggests that one of the key solutions is to understand that the fact that God is all powerful is not a suggestion that he has the ability to anything imaginable.

The reality in the scripture is that ‘with God all things are possible’ (Mt 19:26). But the same scriptures identifies that some things God cannot perform. Good example is Tit. 1:2 which clearly states that, ‘God cannot lie’. Things that are way out of God’s character of righteousness he cannot do. God cannot do something absurd for the sake of a rational world.

The responses to the problem of evil are quite a number but not many are satisfactory. The first response is freewill defense this is because we are the creators of evil. Indeed most evil are those imposed by men. When God created the earth he gave human beings an ability to make choices on their own without manipulation.

Men have in return paid it back with misuse of this freedom. God would be able to finish evil by making an automated human being or world which he would control as per his wish. Having in mind some evils are natural it brings us to another solution for the problem of evil (Kreeft, 1988, 58).

Some traits in the society would not be evidence if evil was wiped out of the world. Compassion is of so much value in our society but it cannot be seen or experienced without suffering. Bravely is also only evident in the presence of danger. God created us in a way we would create room for each other in our lives.

Suffering and some evils in the world has taught us to have a heart of self sacrifice. Some evils act as stabilizers of the state of the nation hence without them the world would be at a miss.

Having in mind God would not undo the past for the sake of this rational world. From his argument he concluded that God would not have eliminated evil for its existence is more so a way of letting the world exist on a stable platform. God’s creation was done in his own image, which gave room for an interpersonal existence with him, choice is therefore vital in this case to allow human beings to freely love him and without being force.

Those who disbelieve in the compassion of God due to the evils that exist in this society Hick says, they are people under a great misconception that God have created the world that we may exist like animals in a zoo. This implies he created to make us pleasant and comfortable as possible; however God was not creating a paradise where humans would enjoy minimum pains and maximum of pleasure (Clack, 2008, 127).

To some extent people may argue out that the moral evils are human creations but the natural evils goes way beyond human understanding. Why would a great and caring God full of mercy allow his children so severely suffer to points of losing their lives? This sounds interesting especially being a question to a father from a child.

The human nature over the years has changed from thankful and obedient beings to forgetful and disobedient humans. Some of these evils we have no control over are ways that God is using to remind us of his existence when we are home and dry, contented in our comfort areas he strikes to remind us of his existence.

Conclusion

In conclusion the existence of a benevolent God and existence of evil though many a times they look incompatible and their reality no as expected, they are very much compatible. In relation to the argument above the existence of evil makes the benevolence of God complete. For compassion is not extended neither is it seen without suffering.

Evil brings suffering which in return attracts the compassion of God. The ability of Human beings to make choices which God fully designed in his creation cannot be fair if God restricted human to good only. If you can make a choice it means there exists something of a lesser quality of bad which in other terms is evil.

Reference List

Clack, B., 2008. The Philosophy of Religion: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press

Rick, R., 1996. The Problem of Evil: How Can A Good God Allow Evil? Plano, TX: Probe Ministries

Kreeft, P., 1988. “The Problem of Evil.” Chapter 7 in Fundamentals of the Faith. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.

John, S., 2008. The problem of evil. US: WordPress. Web.

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The Problem of Evil: Religious and Apologetic Way

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