ipl-logo

Law And Rowe's Argument For The Existence Of God

1123 Words5 Pages

There are a plenty of mysterious things that happen in the world, which have contributed to the debate of whether there is God who is all-powerful and wise or whether the numerous alarming evils show that there is no God at all. Stephen Law proposes an argument that presents an analysis of if there is a good god or there is an evil god. Therefore, this paper is written to support Law’s challenge to theists to explain why the good-god hypothesis should be considered significantly more reasonable than the evil-god hypothesis (Law, 2010, p360). I also support William Rowe’s arguments, which are in the same line as Law’s, which claim that God does not exist because of the existence of ubiquitous and horrendous evil in the world.
The good god hypothesis …show more content…

Both Law and Rowe are curious about why a good god should allow human beings to suffer without his power to interfere. It is important to note that evil has been for a long time associated with what is not godly. The history of mankind has been connected to evil, good and god. Evil has been widely associated with the lack presence of a god. There are a plenty of arguments and assertions show that there is no god in the areas where evil exist. In connection to the argument presented, it is clear that a great deal of evil things that happen in the world can reflect the lack of a god. This is in line with the core argument about god that has been in presented for many years. For instance, Rowe gives an example that a fawn gets hurt because lightning causes a fire in a forest. The fawn suffers the pain for five days and then it dies (In Peterson, 2017). The question that arises is why the God lets such an animal to undergo through such pain? Many natural disasters have contributed to the destruction of properties and loss of lives of people. Theists claim that god has some good reasons for allowing evil to take place. We, therefore, have not seen the good reasons that the good god has provided us after allowing the great deal of evils to take place in this world for millions of …show more content…

Furthermore, they claim that many of the evils that happen in this world can be dealt with. Theists have provided three explanations on why evil things happen. First, Law explains that they claim is because God created people with a will that is free to find solution for the problems occur in the world (Law, 2010 p354). This means that God created human beings with minds to differentiate between what is good and what is bad. This free will enable human beings to realize that some are evil behaviors while some are not. Furthermore, theists insist that if god wants evil things happen unlimitedly, he would have done by creating people in a robot-like manner so that he could control their actions. The good god therefore wants people to be responsible for their behaviors and makes this world become a better place. Therefore, the existence of runaway evil that is threatening the basic survival of mankind should be proof enough of the perceived lack of god in all this. The second explanation is called character building solution which explains that god lets human beings to suffer so that they can grow from spiritual and moral aspects. Moreover, god wants us to suffer so that we can learn and change our behaviors to be better, therefore we can be noble. The last explanation is that for something good to happen then an evil must first be done.

Show More
Related
441 Words | 2 Pages

Eleonore Stumps starts her paper by explaining what the problem of evil is. The problem of evil is that the claim God is omnipotent and omniscient is contradicting to what is evident in the world, that evil exist. Many philosophers who are agreeing in this claim believes that if God is all powerful and all knowing he would have diminished the evil that exist in the world. For this to be true there must be evidence that God is morally incapable to do what is right. However, Stumps takes a different turn to prove that there is another reason why evil exists in the world, by looking at different Christian beliefs in details.

Read More
992 Words | 4 Pages

We can posit that God allows evil to exist because the existence of evil is a necessary condition for individuals to develop or complete their moral souls. Accordingly, the world is seen, instead, as a place of “soul making in which free beings, grappling with the tasks and challenges of their existence in a common environment, may become children of God and heirs of eternal life.” We can learn what morality is about and develop proper virtues. We cannot learn what morality is and how to develop proper virtues in a vacuum nor do we know morality a priori. The suffering of others is essential for individuals to learn lessons about morality and virtue, because without the opportunities offered by suffering and evil, individuals would not have

Read More
943 Words | 4 Pages

Does God indeed exist, and if so, why would God allow moral or natural evil to be present? One question that can be asked is, “What is God really?” How is there to be a solid definition of God listing his attributes if human beings deduce God to being only good and morally perfect? This is part of the problem presented by Peter Van Inwagen in his argument “The problem of evil,” as he calls it a purely intellectual challenge to understand this paradox. In this essay, I will

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

The deductive problem of evil defines omnipotence as having no bounds to power and being all-good as having the will to prevent and stop any evil that one possibly can. Furthermore, Adams presents how much this problem is amplified when considering horrendous evils that would push the average person to “doubt the positive meaning of their lives”(Adams 300). Adams acknowledges that this definition of God’s qualities alongside the definition of horrendous evils hinders the existence of the Christian God. God is one who is supposed to hold love for all of his creations, but allowing for his creations to suffer needlessly doesn’t align with this love. This problem causes people to question not only God’s love for them but also God’s reasoning in their suffering and their living.

Read More
459 Words | 2 Pages

Bert Ehrman's book "God's Problem" is a thought-provoking exploration of the problem of evil in the world. Ehrman asks the question of how an all-powerful and loving God can allow suffering and pain to exist in the world. The book is divided into several chapters, each examining a different aspect of the problem of evil. Ehrman begins by exploring the biblical accounts of suffering and how they have been interpreted throughout history. He then looks at various philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God in light of human suffering.

Read More
1496 Words | 6 Pages

A philosophical and theological idea known as theodicy which Collins mentions in his article, attempts to explain how a good and all-powerful God can permit evil and suffering to exist in the world. Theodicy seeks to answer the queries and challenges raised by this apparent contradiction between the existence of evil and the concept of a loving and righteous God. In relation to the story, the religious controversy over theodicy can be seen as depicted in Le Guin's creation of Omelas. The story poses important questions to think about in relation to the character of God and the nature of suffering in the universe.

Read More
1284 Words | 6 Pages

Natural evil is not man-made, comes through no fault of our own, and is caused by outward, worldly forces; so an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God would have no need to create natural evil. Tornadoes, earthquakes, diseases, etc. would be natural evils since they are not created by moral or immoral actions. According to the deist conception of God, God set the universe in motion and has not interfered since creation. It is then possible, that since God has not intervened in the world since the creation, that all of these things could have come through natural evolution and changes in climate and weather patterns. If God is not seen as a proximal cause for these events, and is instead viewed as a creator who set the universe in motion to be governed by natural laws and things like evolution, then it seems illogical to blame God for these types of events that follow natural law.

Read More
2349 Words | 10 Pages

He also refers to the cosmological argument to show that God is an all-powerful being who created the universe out of nothing. Furthermore, he claims that suffering in the world is moral in the sense that suffering inflicted on innocents is genuinely evil. Without a God, there would be no objective morals, thus, evil proves God’s existence, as things would not be considered good or evil without a God (Craig, p. 126). In conclusion, evil proves God’s existence and thus the question as to why God permits evil does not work to disprove His existence.

Read More
628 Words | 3 Pages

There is a consistent factor in the argument of evil and its existence and that factor is God. Despite the problem, evil is questioned in the image of God. The problem with evil is why does it exist, why is suffering and pain necessary? The title of this chapter “God and Evil” perfectly depicts my understanding of the problem of evil. I don’t believe evil would be viewed the same without the knowledge of religion and spirituality.

Read More
1934 Words | 8 Pages

If everything must have a cause, there is no reason that God would not be subject to this rule as well. This is sometimes countered with the argument that God is self-causing, which is a circular and strange argument. Addressing the search for a cause, those who argue against the existence of God may say that

Read More
1372 Words | 6 Pages

Rowe forms his argument starting with his first premise, “There exists instances of intense suffering which an omnipotent, omniscient being could have prevented without thereby losing some greater good or permitting some evil equally bad or worse.” Then, the second premise states, “An omniscient, wholly good being would prevent the occurrence of any intense suffering it could, unless it could not do so without thereby losing some greater good or permitting some evil

Read More
1758 Words | 8 Pages

If god is so powerful and controls everything then why is there pain, deaths, natural disasters and so much sadness all over the world? That’s something an atheist would say but what if god lets these events happen for a specific reason. for example, David had a bad car accident, he is at the hospital in critical conditions. He comes from a family that believes in god, right before he passes away David tells his mom not to worry that god has called upon him and he is going to a better place. As a Christian looking at it this way it shows god working towards a greater good, in this situation death is not evil and in David’s case not feared.

Read More
959 Words | 4 Pages

The Problem with Evil “The problem with evil” brings an important question that “if God is all powerful, all knowing all good, how can that same God allow evil to exist and for bad things to happen to good people?” I believe that one first has to acknowledge the existence of God to first ask this question. Religion is a sacred belief in “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods” according to Webster’s dictionary. So when asking this question of evil and God two things come to mind.

Read More
877 Words | 4 Pages

On the other hand, theists like Swinburne, believe that evil is necessary for important reasons such as that it helps us grow and improve. In this paper I will argue that the theist is right, because the good of the evil in this specific case on problems beyond one’s control, outweighs the bad that comes from it. I will begin by stating the objection the anti-theodicist gives for why it is wrong that there is a problem of evil. (<--fix) Regarding passive evil not caused by human action, the anti-theodicist claims that there is an issue with a creator, God, allowing a world to exist where evil things happen, which are not caused by human beings (180-181).

Read More
2202 Words | 9 Pages

God is Great. This is a well known phrase that many religions preach to the believers. The term "great" should refer to righteous aspects such as positive things, helpfulness, kindness, and many other attributes of justice. However, if God is all good then why does he allow evil and human suffering? Faith in God, shouldn't be affiliated with human suffering.

Read More

More about Law And Rowe's Argument For The Existence Of God

Related Topics

Open Document