|
The problem of Evil is a problem that many philosophers feel is the major account against the existence of a Perfect Being God. The two major theories that combat the Process of evil are the Augustinian Theory, which asserts that evil is the punishment for sin, and the Irenean Theory, which asserts that humans were not a perfect creation. I would rather have a combination of these two theories.
The problem of evil starts when we state two properties of a perfect being God and one fact that is true from our experiences from the world.
- God is Omnipotent
- God is Omnibeneficient
- Evil Exists
How can an all powerful, all good god create a world where evil exists? The answer lies in our god given gift of Free Will.
When we say God has given us the gift of free will, we have to look at the intention of God, and how to implement free will. If God is a god of love, then we must assume that God loves his creation. Wouldn't God like to be loved back? God created us for the purpose of loving him. Because he didn't want an army of robots to spout out his praises, he gave us free will so that we would have a choice to love him. When we make a choice to Believe in and Love God, then that choice has more meaning than a forced affirmation. This is why we as humans have the freedom of choice - so that we can choose to love God.
Now we know that we have a choice, but what is that choice between? If evil didn't exist, would we be able to choose good? This is where evil comes in. Every choice that we make has consequences that are eternal. For example, say I choose to throw an apple off a twenty story building. Not five seconds later, I decide that I want my apple back. However, I will not be able to get the whole apple back again, because it is now shattered into millions of pieces on the concrete below. Regardless of how much I regret my decision to throw the apple, it is already made and I cannot undo it. However, I can go and buy a new apple. This is what the Christian Theology offers: We choose to do evil (throw the apple). As a result of this choice, we will die and go to hell (not get apple back). However, if we ask for forgiveness, we can have a new life after we die (buy a new apple). We still don't have the original apple, but we do have a whole new apple that we can enjoy. In this way, consequences to our choices are eternal. However, how can a perfect god have a creation that includes evil?
To go strait to the point, God created Evil that was apart from him. "Of all the manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most." If God is all powerful, then surely God has the power of restraint. Suppose instead of God's power being limited, as some atheist arguments might state, God limited his own power to create an absence of God. And in this void, he created the evils that assail the human race, evil that was apart from him. Why does God do this? The answer lies in our freedom of choice. If evil doesn't exist, and we attempt to make a choice to love God, what is the alternative? In order to give us the power of choice, we must assume that God created evil as an alternative to Good. In this way, we are able to make choices that have eternal repercussions on our souls.
In our culture, we celebrate anniversaries. With the divorce rate now climbing to over 50% of all marriages, we celebrate the couples that "stand the test of time." In the same way, God allows people to go through trials and tribulations that test their relationship. Most couples that survive a time of difficulty or scandal find their relationship stronger then it ever was before. If we don't stick to God in the tough times, how genuine is our faith, or our love? From our human experience of love, we know that love requires trust. If we trust and rely on God, will not our love for God get stronger?
|
|