ipl-logo

What Does It Mean To Say That God Is The Cause Of Evil

668 Words3 Pages

Assess this statement: “God is the cause of evil.”

God is the uncaused cause of everything. God is all good and therefore could not cause evil, it is contrary to His nature. If God can not create evil, and God created everything, then nothing created by Him is evil. Everything created by God is is therefore objectively good. Evil therefore is only a lack of good. Since evil is a lack of good and and God is all good then the rejection of God is inherently evil. “For what is that which we call evil but the absence of good? In the bodies of animals, disease and wounds mean nothing but the absence of health; for when a cure is effected, that does not mean that the evils which were present—namely, the diseases and wounds—go away from the body and dwell elsewhere: they altogether cease to exist; for the wound or disease is not a substance, but a defect in the fleshly substance,—the flesh itself being a substance, and therefore something good, of which those evils—that is, privations of the good which we call health—are accidents. Just in the same way, what are called vices in the soul are nothing but privations of natural good. And when they are cured, they are not transferred …show more content…

He created everything in existence and therefore is the first cause [material cause] of everything in existence. God also creates the fourth and final cause for everything in existence which is the purpose for the creation of the being or substance. Our final cause as humans is to know love and serve God in this life and too be with him in the next. God also creates our third cause [formal cause] for us that is specific plan He has for us it is unique to everyone and can be rejected do to our free will. We can choose to reject this third cause with our freewill which gives us control of the second cause [ Efficient cause]. When we choose to reject God with our freewill we are causing a lack of good and so creating

Show More
Related
262 Words | 2 Pages

If “evil” cannot be understood simply, then similarly, its opposite --“good”-- cannot be comprehended plainly either. For that reason, it can be said that the

Read More
1121 Words | 5 Pages

Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?” In a similar vein: If God exists, he is all-knowing, omnipotent, and ethically flawless. If God were all-knowing, God would know about all the terrible occasions that occur in our reality. If God were omnipotent, God would have the capacity to do something.

Read More
490 Words | 2 Pages

The problem of evil philosophy has been a long debated topic. The idea that God is almighty, God is perfectly good, and evil exists has many different sides, which sparks many different explanations. During Candide, Voltaire addresses the topic with multiple examples applying to both moral and natural evils. However, the problem of evil to me is not as simple as one answer. I believe that there needs to be a certain extent of evil to bring out good and that is why God created it.

Read More
1272 Words | 6 Pages

“The Problem of Evil” by Peter van Inwagen, is a series of lectures that that presents van Inwagen’s various responses to problem of evil. In this essay, I will present “the local problem of evil” (from chapter 6 of the book), the solution van Inwagen proposes for this problem, and my critique of his solution. “The local problem of evil,” according to van Inwagen, is the hypothetical response an atheist would have towards van Inwagen’s solution of “the global problem of evil” which is, “If god existed, then why is there so much evil in the world?” The argument of “the local problem of evil” is “If god existed then why are there specific horrors that occur in the world, like children dying in a horrific car crash?” The argument that is drawn

Read More
1530 Words | 7 Pages

“It is probably the same in the universe. God created things which had free will… if a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why then did God give them free will?” I agree with this concept, if something is a free to be a good it is also free to be bad.

Read More
1026 Words | 5 Pages

The roots of evil are either logical or evidential problem of evil. For example, the first logical argument is that evil is a necessity in our world. Hank explains the the purpose of evil in a sense that “good can’t exist without its opposite….. You can’t understand the concept of pleasure without experiencing pain first” (Crash Course #13). Hank’s first argument hints that God is aware of the evil and powerful enough to prevent it but chooses not too.

Read More
666 Words | 3 Pages

Therefore, God is responsible for all things good and bad. Bradstreet states, “A price so vast as is unknown Yet by his gift is made thine own/ There's wealth enough, I need no more,/ Farewell my pelf, farewell my store/ The world no longer let me love/

Read More
933 Words | 4 Pages

Questioning if God is not omnipotent, the entire idea of God creating the world can be called into question. Another issue is that if it is said that God is no longer entirely good there is the possibility to say that God has evil or bad intentions, and we should denounce him. Lastly, if one says that evil does not exist, then there is no possible way to separate those people who are considered to be deviants of society. This would mean that those who commit crimes that are evil in nature like murder and rape would be considered to be normal and acceptable.

Read More
436 Words | 2 Pages

In this reading reflection I will be discussing Richard Swinburne’s argument on “Why God Allows Evil” which starts on page 254 in “Exploring Philosophy: An Anthology” by Steven M. Cahn. This was also discussed in class on 9/15/16. In his argument Swinburne states that “An omnipotent God could have prevented this evil, and surely a perfectly good and omnipotent God would have done so. So why is there evil?”(Swinburne, 254).

Read More
2349 Words | 10 Pages

The problem of evil takes into account three defining features of God: all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful and questions whether such a God would permit evil and not interfere. Sinnott-Armstrong discusses his stance by countering responses he coins as the Glorious Response, the Modest Response, and the Overriding Response. Whereas, Craig counters the arguments made by Sinnott-Armstrong. The Glorious Response Thus response suggests evil is

Read More
1372 Words | 6 Pages

Although God’s existence and the validity of the experiences that may imply God’s existence is still not known, it is enough to say that logically, evil can exist along with God and his properties, even in today’s

Read More
1457 Words | 6 Pages

The concept of good and evil is subjective. Good and evil is just as much of an illusion as a magic trick or a lack of reflection in a mirror. In Bram Stoker’s epistolary, Dracula, Count Dracula himself stands as the natural order of humanity that isn’t influenced by what is considered good or bad and challenges established rules and practices used to control society in religion, science, and moral law, through the interaction with his victims. Through Dracula, he exposes society’s denial to accept what it truly means to be human. Dracula vs Moral Law Growing up, we’re introduced to what is right and what is wrong; what is good and evil.

Read More
877 Words | 4 Pages

“The Problem of Evil” is simply the question, why does God allow evil to happen? God is omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving, and rational, therefore why does evil exist? There is either no God or he is not what we think he is, since evil could be prevented by him with no risk. Atheists and anti-theodicist see a problem with the idea that God could prevent evil. They believe that because God is so powerful and perfect, that he would not allow such immoral actions to be done.

Read More
929 Words | 4 Pages

A lot of arguments have been known to prove or disprove the existence of God, and the Problem of Evil is one of them. The Problem of Evil argues that it is impossible to have God and evil existing in the same world. Due to ideal characteristics of God, evil should not have a chance to exist and make human suffer. In this essay, I will examine the argument for the Problem of Evil, a possible theodicy against the argument, and reply to the theodicy. First of all, to be clear, the Problem of Evil is an argument that shows that God cannot be either all- powerful, all-knowing, and/or all good.

Read More
431 Words | 2 Pages

“What goes around comes around” -Eddie Stone I’ve heard the saying “what goes around comes around” many times throughout my life. I first heard it in the song by Justin Timberlake that came out some years ago, however, the quote originates from Eddie Stone in a book that he wrote in 1974. I remember one time when I was younger, I had went with my mom to Hollister and there was lip gloss laying in a chair and I took it.

Read More

More about What Does It Mean To Say That God Is The Cause Of Evil

Related Topics

Open Document