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Bond · 08-17-2007, 03:36 PM

The Problem of Evil

Is Elektra's violent nature problematic?

The Most Potent Objection

There is one powerful objection to those Christians, Jews and Muslims who believe in an all powerful all good god. This, is the problem of evil.

What is the Problem of Evil?

There are two cores problems when we examine evil:

The Logical Problem. Some would argue the existence of evil itself is logically incompatible with the existence of god.

The Evidential Problem. The evidential issue deals with the quantity of evil and suffering. It is rational to assume an all good and all powerful god would have the ability to produce a world without suffering, or at least without quite so much suffering. And surely he would desire this.

The quantity of suffering is certainly a problem if it is to believed that there is an all good and all powerful god.

Dealing with the Logical and Evidential Problem

For theists, the evidential problem poses quite a challenge, but the logical problem can be dealt with fairly easily. An all powerful all good god would create some suffering if that suffering results in some greater good that outweighs it. Hence, the world would be a better place with this suffering. In example, compassion and sympathy are great virtues, but these virtues can not be exhibited without someone or something to feel this sympathy for.

The evidential problem is more difficult. Logically, an all good all powerful god would not produce a world in which so much suffering exists. For many, this makes the belief in god unreasonable.

Reasonability

There are certain degrees of reasonability – those beliefs that are very reasonable, somewhat reasonable and highly unreasonable. For example:

Very reasonable. Mars exists – though I have never been to Mars myself, I have ample evidence to assume that Mars does indeed exist and have no reason to think otherwise.

Somewhat reasonable. Existence of intelligent life on other planets – we know intelligent life has evolved on Earth and that there are countless planets like Earth, but we have no conclusive evidence to prove this.

Highly unreasonable. Fairies and goblins exist – there is very little evidence for the existence of these beings, and there is ample evidence against their existence.

With this in mind, it is logical to believe we can not conclusively prove or disprove the existence of god. But, even if the existence of god can not be proven either way, it is still possible to believe that the existence of god is very reasonable or highly unreasonable. In this sense, it is not an issue of there being proof for the existence or nonexistence of god, it is an issue of reasonableness.

Is Belief in God Reasonable?

There are two issues that cause the belief in god to be unreasonable. The first, is a popular argument for the existence of god:

It is highly unlikely for Earth to have formed the exact distance away from the Sun to flourish by chance, therefore there must be some type of intelligence behind the universe. This may be true, but the flaw with this argument is that you cannot draw a conclusion to do with the morality or goodness of this creator. All that can be drawn from this argument, and many others like it, is that there is some kind of intelligence behind the universe.

The second problem, is the evidence against the existence of god – this would be the problem of evil.

Responses to the Problem of Evil

There are several theological responses to the problem of evil:

Free will. God gave us free will, he did not wish us to be his puppets. He cut our strings and set us free. Unfortunately, often times we choose to do the wrong thing, which causes suffering. But, that suffering is outweighed by the good of free will.

This, is a good argument, but fails to explain a great deal of natural suffering. Such natural suffering includes tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes. It is difficult to reason these natural atrocities in light of an all good all powerful god. Surely this can not be explained in conjunction with free will, as we have no control over such natural disasters. These reasons lead us to explore an often overlooked scenario.

Is there an all Powerful all Evil God?

Interestingly, the argument for an all powerful all evil god is supported by many of the same arguments for an all powerful all good god. Of course, the belief in a supremely evil god is not reasonable, as there is too much good in the world for there to be an all powerful all evil god. This could be referred to as the problem of good. This of course can be countered: Why would an all powerful all evil good give us the feeling of love? Only so that it can be taken away.

Is Jennifer Garner the Philosopher Queen?

Conclusion

On the scale of reasonableness, the all powerful all good god and all powerful all evil god are highly unreasonable beliefs. A somewhat more reasonable belief would be that there is a form of intelligence that is neither all good nor all evil. An examination of daily life on Earth would lend itself well to this argument.

08-17-2007, 03:36 PM	#1
Bond Cheesehead Bond is offline Location: Midwest Now Playing: Posts: 9,314	The Problem of Evil The Problem of Evil Is Elektra's violent nature problematic? The Most Potent Objection There is one powerful objection to those Christians, Jews and Muslims who believe in an all powerful all good god. This, is the problem of evil. What is the Problem of Evil? There are two cores problems when we examine evil: The Logical Problem. Some would argue the existence of evil itself is logically incompatible with the existence of god. The Evidential Problem. The evidential issue deals with the quantity of evil and suffering. It is rational to assume an all good and all powerful god would have the ability to produce a world without suffering, or at least without quite so much suffering. And surely he would desire this. The quantity of suffering is certainly a problem if it is to believed that there is an all good and all powerful god. Dealing with the Logical and Evidential Problem For theists, the evidential problem poses quite a challenge, but the logical problem can be dealt with fairly easily. An all powerful all good god would create some suffering if that suffering results in some greater good that outweighs it. Hence, the world would be a better place with this suffering. In example, compassion and sympathy are great virtues, but these virtues can not be exhibited without someone or something to feel this sympathy for. The evidential problem is more difficult. Logically, an all good all powerful god would not produce a world in which so much suffering exists. For many, this makes the belief in god unreasonable. Reasonability There are certain degrees of reasonability – those beliefs that are very reasonable, somewhat reasonable and highly unreasonable. For example: Very reasonable. Mars exists – though I have never been to Mars myself, I have ample evidence to assume that Mars does indeed exist and have no reason to think otherwise. Somewhat reasonable. Existence of intelligent life on other planets – we know intelligent life has evolved on Earth and that there are countless planets like Earth, but we have no conclusive evidence to prove this. Highly unreasonable. Fairies and goblins exist – there is very little evidence for the existence of these beings, and there is ample evidence against their existence. With this in mind, it is logical to believe we can not conclusively prove or disprove the existence of god. But, even if the existence of god can not be proven either way, it is still possible to believe that the existence of god is very reasonable or highly unreasonable. In this sense, it is not an issue of there being proof for the existence or nonexistence of god, it is an issue of reasonableness. Is Belief in God Reasonable? There are two issues that cause the belief in god to be unreasonable. The first, is a popular argument for the existence of god: It is highly unlikely for Earth to have formed the exact distance away from the Sun to flourish by chance, therefore there must be some type of intelligence behind the universe. This may be true, but the flaw with this argument is that you cannot draw a conclusion to do with the morality or goodness of this creator. All that can be drawn from this argument, and many others like it, is that there is some kind of intelligence behind the universe. The second problem, is the evidence against the existence of god – this would be the problem of evil. Responses to the Problem of Evil There are several theological responses to the problem of evil: Free will. God gave us free will, he did not wish us to be his puppets. He cut our strings and set us free. Unfortunately, often times we choose to do the wrong thing, which causes suffering. But, that suffering is outweighed by the good of free will. This, is a good argument, but fails to explain a great deal of natural suffering. Such natural suffering includes tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes. It is difficult to reason these natural atrocities in light of an all good all powerful god. Surely this can not be explained in conjunction with free will, as we have no control over such natural disasters. These reasons lead us to explore an often overlooked scenario. Is there an all Powerful all Evil God? Interestingly, the argument for an all powerful all evil god is supported by many of the same arguments for an all powerful all good god. Of course, the belief in a supremely evil god is not reasonable, as there is too much good in the world for there to be an all powerful all evil god. This could be referred to as the problem of good. This of course can be countered: Why would an all powerful all evil good give us the feeling of love? Only so that it can be taken away. Is Jennifer Garner the Philosopher Queen? Conclusion On the scale of reasonableness, the all powerful all good god and all powerful all evil god are highly unreasonable beliefs. A somewhat more reasonable belief would be that there is a form of intelligence that is neither all good nor all evil. An examination of daily life on Earth would lend itself well to this argument.