what is a good response to someone who say there is no God because so much evil? A good all powerful and loving God would not allow so much evil.
Discussion
51 comments
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How would you know good without evil and how would you know evil without good? God did not create a world where there was evil or pain. God created a perfect world, but a world with freedom to choose. The reason we are living in this pain and evil world is because of the fall of man. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God then sin came into the world. Sin created a fallen world. The good news is that God is fixing all of that in the end.
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I would say “how do you know what evil is?” In order to deem something evil, there has to be an understanding what good is. Very basically, since there is good and evil, these concepts are not just arbitrary, meaning they had to originate from somewhere. For us Christians, that somewhere is God. This argument is much more detailed, something that this post is going to fall short on. However, I hope it helps – even if it is just a little.
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Jump on youtube and look up “evil”, along with the name ravi zacharias and Evil with frank turek. They both have several great responses.
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A good and loving God must destroy sin and wickedness, even so evil. We are the sinful and evil the problem is we just don’t realize just how Holy this God we serve is. The biggest problem in all of Scripture is God is good and we are not. Fair wud be sending us all to hell. Tell them they don’t want fair
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Free will makes real love and real evil possible
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God’s love for us requires He grant us free will. So that means God does not create evil but allows us to choose it. And that is where all the sin in the world comes from.
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The simplest response that I can think of is “your question alone already proves that there is a moral giver beyond human opinions whom we derive morality from, and it’s no other than God”. Otherwise, the question should have been “how can God exist if the world doesn’t behave according to my preferences or opinion?”. The reason why evil exists is it’s either because God allowed it (though He doesn’t desire it and has a plan to eradicate it for good) by allowing human freedom to coincide with it, or, God doesn’t know the future (I don’t believe this is the case)
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“These amateur philosopher-students love to catch me alone and ask me standard questions such as, “I just wanted to ask you if you believe in a God that is omnipotent and omnibenevolent, and if so, how do you reconcile those beliefs with the issue of theodicy?” to which I respond, “You just took a semester of philosophy, right?”
“Well, yes. How did you know?”
“Because if you hadn’t, you’d have just said, ‘If God’s so powerful and so good, how come bad stuff happens?’ But I’m not going to answer the question until you ask it correctly.”
“I worked on that all week! What do you mean, ‘ask it correctly’?”
“You’re not asking the question properly.”
“What do you mean ask the question properly? It’s my question.You can’t tell me how to ask my question.”
To which I patiently respond, “I will answer your question when you ask it properly.”
When they are ready, I tell them how to ask that question properly:
Look me in my eyes and ask me this: “How on earth can a holy and righteous God know what I did and thought and said yesterday and not kill me in my sleep last night?” Ask it that way, and we can talk. But until you ask it that way, you do not understand the issue. Until you ask the question that way, you believe the problem is out there somewhere. Until you ask the question that way, you believe that there are some individuals who, in and of themselves, deserve something other than the wrath of Almighty God. When you ask me the question that way — when you say, “Why is it that we are here today? Why has he not consumed and devoured each and every one of us? Why? Why, O God, does your judgment and your wrath tarry?” — then you truly understand the issue.
The problem with the world is me. The problem is the fact that I do not acknowledge the supremacy of Christ in truth. The problem is that I start with myself as the measure of all things. I judge God based upon how well he carries out my agenda for the world, and I believe in the supremacy of me in truth. As a result, I want a God who is omnipotent but not sovereign. If I have a God who is omnipotent but not sovereign, I can wield his power. But if my God is both omnipotent and sovereign, I am at his mercy. (Voddie Baucham, Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymh5PdvS-S0 )
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Just simply ask them, how do you know something is evil?
In order to know something was/is evil we’d have to have some standard of good to compare it to.
start there! Plant the seed let God do the rest through the Holy Spirit
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“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.
What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”
– C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity -
satan is called the “god of this world” for a reason. We are behind enemy lines in a world controlled by satan. If God was in control of everything that happens, why should we bother praying about anything? If God is already in control, why would Jesus need to come back? John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I heard a very clear word from God about 20 years ago. One simple statement- “It grieves me when I get blamed for acts of satan”
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Thanks for all the great responses!??
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I would try to emphasize his belief that evil actually exists, because if it does, then there must exist some objective standard to appeal to in consideration that such a thing or act is evil, and if such an objective moral standard exists, then it follows inescapably that God exists, for without such a standard God must not.
https://www.reasonablefaith.org/images/uploads/The_Moral_Argument.mp4
https://www.reasonablefaith.org/images/uploads/Suffering_and_Evil__The_Logical_Problem.mp4
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Without God who gets to decide what evil is?
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Evil doesn’t disprove God, but is evidence for God, for without God there is no objective good, and without objective good, there is no objective evil.
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I think its not that there is no God. But that we have forgotten God. If He does not really care, then what is His Son doing on the cross? This only meant that God is not distant to us but we dont call on Him…
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God doesn’t allow evil he eradicates it but gets no credit. He took the eunuchs to destroy Jezebel. Destroyed the city Nimrod built. Used Joshua to eradicate the canaanites after killing children for 400 years. And the allies in modern to destroy evil in both world wars.
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GOD did not allow evil! Its like this GOD will not force HIMSELF no where where HE is not invited! Example people cry about school shootings and wonder where was GOD! HE said you kicked ME out so how could I stop it!!!
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I think who was asking that have a small picture of who God is! If he could really understand who God is he could understand that what poeple deserve is the wrath of God upon them!! But look from the beginning after the first sin with Adam what did God did instead to the first family instead of God’s wrath right there an immediate death, He killed an animal and covered their nakedness and gave them a promess! Why did God? S
So, sometime because of our Ignorance of who God and who we are these will be the kind of questions we will always ask.We don’t deserve the grace and love of God and his Mercy, Rather than his Justice!
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Free will.
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Whatever you believe in works for you. There’s no neutral kingdoms. Either you are for God or for Satan. We all have discretion to make wise and wrong decisions. The best way to help such an individual is to talk Christ to him and also pray for him.
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I struggled with the same question!
I have come to understand that evil here in mortality comes from people mis-abusing their agency.
God is not the cause of child abuse or neglect, He does not cause our wars or fuel hatred and injustice. He Does love us, but He gave us free will and He keeps His promises. If we turn to Him, as He desperately wants us to, He will provide healing and hope!
The adversary, Satan, does influence evil. — Again though, we have to choose to let him. -
He who commits sin is a slave to sin. That slavery includes our loves,
Our motives, and the desired of our minds. Our will is a function of our minds, and is free to do what our fallen, corrupted minds desire. Until God opens our heart we will only have a limited freedom, and no desire to seek holiness or to please God. 1:Cor.2:14, Rom. 8:7,8. -
There’s no soap! Look at all the dirty people.
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How do you know evil without a counter point. Same as there is no north
without south, poor analogy but I’m tired. -
If there is no God, then evil is just their opinion, since it is subjective and applies only too the atheist asking. But Frank Turek of Cross Examined does a great job of explaining this, along with William Lane Craig, John Lennox, Lee Strobel, just to name a few.
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First off ur friend needs to come to the realization that at the core of their believes, if they are rational about them, to those who do not believe in God, there is no such thing as “good” or “evil” at the root of their rationale, all morality is subjective to the individual rendering adolf hilter no different than those who serve in homeless shelters or animal shelters.
However if they a knowledge good and evil in the world, they must acknowledge good and evil forces, because the secular view of “evolutionary law of the jungle” does not permit good and evil, just survival of the fittest.
If there is good and evil in the world, there must be a moral arbiter of the universe because all other possibilities are irrational.
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The presence of evil doesn’t eliminate the presence of God. If anything, it further proves His existence: how do we know what evil is unless God did not already reveal it to us? Why do we demand justice, or even have a sense of what justice looks like? Because God is a just Judge who will recompense evil, whether in this life or the afterlife.
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Why is there so much evil? Because the devil has changed the meaning of evil. Allowing for an increase of what evil was for.
Study Scripture to try to learn/understand why God created evil. L&P -
Mandkind cannot conceived the existence of a being who doesn’t exist, so, God exist and the existence of evil doesn’t negate or nullify God’s existence coz evil comes within the heart of man.
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In a world of free will which is a gift, problems can arise but God sent a solution to the problem
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“So do you want God to stop ALL evil? He’s pretty thorough…”
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Free will he’s not a tyrant. He gives the benefit of the doubt.
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I think in Molinism, or Middle Knowledge, God allows evil because he a morally good reason for doing so. For example, some people would not become Christians were it not for some evil, either moral or natural, that turned them to God.
It would also be impossible for us to really, truly understand goodness without seeing and experiencing badness.
I’m not sure the same perspective holds for Arminianism and Calvinism, but it might. -
a god of their own imagination.
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God respects consciences. He gives us many evidences that he is real but will not force himself on us. Here enters free will to listen or not, to the still small voice within .
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A good all powerful loving God would give His creatures their freedom to choose between right and wrong and instead of judging everything right now let the consequences of their actions take care if it for Him.
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The evil in the world is caused by people. God’s got nothing to do with that. People love their choices but not keen always on the consequences.
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what about the simple contrast, if one can accept there is such a thing as evil then can’t they also accept that there is also Good? how does one exist without the other? all of this being considered without even going into according to whom.
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God’s judgement against all sin and evil is coming, however, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
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The angels in heaven say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty.” They don’t say, “Good, good, good, is the Lord God Almighty.” Because He is holy, He will someday judge and demand an accounting of your life. Every knee will bow to the name of Jesus. Also, He does not promise you won’t suffer or that bad things won’t happen to you. He promises to be with you and to help you in times of trouble. Suffering brings forth much fruit and causes you to rely on God as well. It also separates the faithful from the unfaithful.
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If there is no God, there is no evil, it just becomes a human construct then. Bad things aren’t then really bad (not in an absolute sense if there is no God) but just part of the Darwinian “survival of the fittest “ mechanism that keeps us “evolving.” Frank Turek has some good explanation on some videos and books of his concerning this.
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Read the book of Job.
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If evil is the reason there is no God, then where did good come from? The pain and suffering we see around us is only that which is necessary to bring a new heaven and new earth into being. Evil has been defeated in eternity and the evil we now experience is the dying of evil. Evil has lived out its life and now has been overcome and eliminated by Christ.
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As Christians, we believe that evil is that which fails to reflect the beauty, goodness, or will of God. As Augustine said, evil is “deprived of good”.
When an atheist points to the evil in the world as proof that God doesn’t exist, he faces much bigger problems: If not for God, what constitutes evil? A person who rejects God still lives in a world with suffering and evil, only he cannot explain why suffering and evil are bad. A person who rejects God lives in a world with suffering and evil, yet without any hope of future redemption and salvation. A person who rejects God still lives in a world with evil and suffering, yet without any future reward for the righteous, punishment for the wicked, and vindication for the abused.
One aspect of the foolishness of unbelief is that apart from God, the evils of abuse, suffering, persecution, and injustice fail to be evil. If not for God, evil ceases to be evil. If not for a perfectly just Creator revealed in Christ, the very idea of injustice becomes meaningless. If there is no God and no Imago Dei, then moral outrage is reduced to collective emotionalism, social posturing, or political maneuvering.
The problem of evil makes us realize just how much we need God.
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If evil = no God; then good would have to = God. They might want to think it through.
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Then why would God allow you? Be careful what you wish for.
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It was Adam and Eve that broke the Word of God and brought forth sin into the world, even though it was the Serpent that tricked Eve, it was still humans decision to go against God’s Word. So it has always been humanity’s action that brought sin or Evil into God’s Creation. As I’m sure many has said, there is light and darkness and good and evil, as long as this is a world governed by humans these two will always exist, that is until Jesus comes back to reign. For all those who believe in the Rapture and Tribulation, you understand it will only get much worse before it gets better. You may think we live in a horrible time now, but compared to the seven years of the Tribulation, our time now is but a relaxing vacation.
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