Reconciling the Idea of a Perfect God and the Existence of Evil
Reconciling the idea of a perfect God and the existence of evil is vital in understanding the problem of evil. There are various arguments used in expounding the problem of evil amongst the theistic point of view. One of the cases originates from theodicy. In the debate, God is existing and allows the world to experience evils (Surin, 38). To defend the argument, it suggests that the presence of evil does not depend on the fact that God exists. It further says that if a perfectly good God existed, then there would be no evil in the world. Therefore, because evil exists in the world, then there is no God since the existence of a good Supreme Being would mean that good will always prevail. These arguments beg the question as to whether people should justify evil in comparison to God’s existence or refuse God’s presence to qualify evils. The analysis of this essay will revolve around the two contentions.
The Complexity of the Issue of Good and Evil
The issue of evil and good is such a complex philosophical topic. There is no definite answer to the questions of evil and good because it goes past the sphere of the physical world and the knowledge of humans which is always limited. However, that is not to conclude that the limited capacity of the knowledge possessed by humanity is too inadequate to comprehend the evil versus good topic. The finite human mind can still come up with plausible explanations that can be accepted whenever responses are made to the issues surrounding the problem of evil.
Individual Explanations for the Presence of Evil
Consequently, if an individual can offer a logical explanation of the problem with evil, then a person’s analysis is critical but it should be tied with claims from philosophy experts. Every person has their explanations concerning the presence of evil in the world. An evil act is perceived as something that is harmful and destructive to the standard order of operation that is either caused by nature or man himself.
The Role of Morality
Morality is also another fundamental issue that needs to be looked at in line with the problem of evil. Therefore, it is inevitable that the idea of good or bad human actions must be explained. Also, the occurring natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods, typhoons, tsunamis, and others are judged by the harm they do to humans, other creatures, and the world (Davis, 15). Most likely, harm resulting from natural occurrences is usually attributed to evil. Also, the physical actions of primitive animals like sharks, lions, tigers, and similar wild animals could somehow be perceived as evil actions. The reasoning behind such claim is that the actions of these ferocious animals sometimes cause more harm than good to the victims of their actions. However, if it is looked at keenly, the action of these animals is a clear manifestation of the survival for the fittest in the world of these creatures. Despite being part of the evolutionary process as claimed by natural scientists, the actions can be equated to evil such that subduction of other inferior beings is the norm.
The Arguments for the Existence of Evil
There is a claim that if God is perfectly good the He has the authority to remove all evil actions on earth. Consequently, God allows the occurrence of evil actions but only the ones which man freely chooses. Therefore, this reinforces the proposal that denies the existence of God since the world undergoes evils on a daily basis. On the flipside of the debate, the argument of theodicy has experienced various criticisms from philosophical experts. Many experts have surfaced the flaws of the theodicy argument. Other people claim that suffering is a result of the sins committed by man. Therefore, by sinning, the suffering man undergo is some punishment. Hence pain is unavoidable and should be allowed. However, the argument flaws because it does not show the reason why God accepts evil and why even the innocent people are not left behind when suffering strikes.
Other Explanations for the Existence of Evil
Another theodicy claim states that suffering resulted from the fall of humankind. The reasoning behind this claim is that man has to suffer since the first man committed the initial sin of disobedience. Similarly, this argument also faults because there is no reason to justify why God allows evil actions to occur. Another case along the same line is that suffering is a result of the resistance from God caused by Satan. The argument is invalid since it is difficult to establish whether the situation was real. Even with such a case, no reason explains why God allows evil to continue happening in the world years after the rebellion of Satan.
The Christian Perspective on the Problem of Evil
The basic motivation of God allowing evil to happen is based on the Christian point of view (Snider, 15). The argument’s premise is that God created humanity in His likeness and image with absolute free will. God created man and gave him a choice to make; to be righteous like him or not. Theists front this argument. They claim that God created man in his image or righteousness, but the same man has the free will to do what is good or bad. Righteousness is not an instantly natural process, but it has to keenly calculated and intended by man. There must be the knowledge and will to undertake righteousness from man.
Man's Free Will and the Purpose of Suffering
Moreover, the theists claim that man is created with a similar will as God because they share the same image. Without the free will, man will lack the image of God. Incidentally, the only way to righteousness is absolute obedience to the law of God. Therefore, suffering is the results of man’s free will to carry out bad motives, exercise ignorance and misjudged intentions.
The Role of Suffering in Faith
The argument by Snider (15) further claims that suffering makes man believe in God. That man undergoes pain to attain faith in God. Also, the knowledge of man is limited to understand why God allows evil to occur and humankind is not in the best position to question God’s intention. Since the actions in the physical world will judge a man, the option is to obey God and not to question his intentions. Therefore, God allows evil since it is His benevolent intention for man. Also, the free will is offered to man to use it to obey God. Therefore, suffering is just a temporary test that helps man attain the righteousness path.
Individual Moral Standpoint on Good and Evil
The existence of good and evil ultimately boils down to individual moralist standpoint. A human being is more rational than other animals. Hence he or she can critically think about their actions. The concept of evil and good can be reduced to right and wrong, with right being good and evil being wrong. That way, a human being can gauge the consequence of their actions on his fellow human being and make an appropriate judgment on whether to pursue it or not. Evil does not exist for the sake of it. It is a consequence of man’s actions that arises from his failure to make morally just decisions.
The Imperative to Do Good
Immanuel Kant came up with a theory that it is imperative to do good. Human beings must do good to others. He argued that human being should act in such a manner that the consequences do not harm others and that the actions of man are geared towards making the ideals universal (Paquette et al., 35). Based on this argument, the justification of evil in whatever means is misplaced. A man must do good in the best way he can. Doing good means not harming others in any way.
The Consequences of Man's Actions
The suffering of man is as a consequence of man’s action. The existence of evil is a result of man’s failure to think through his actions. Driven by greed to accumulate wealth, man neglects the environment and ends up destroying. Greed does not make a man stop and ask the question: who gets affected by my actions? Therefore, the argument that human suffering is a result of man’s disobedience to God does not hold. In a bid to conquer nature, human beings have destroyed their environment, their source of livelihood. The brutality of man towards his fellow man is no way connected to a path to righteousness, especially to the victim. However, natural disasters happen because it is the order of nature, just as animals are brutal to each other.
The Role of God and Man's Free Will
Lastly, the idea that God is a benevolent God, and that he made out his image and likeness should be enough to deter a man from doing evil. Man’s free will is not enough to justify evil since he can reason and emulate the actions of the creator. The inverse is true, and man has continually perpetuated evil on his fellow man. It is not an act of rebellion, as Satan did to God but rather man’s attempt to normalize evil, subdue and conquer nature to his benefit. Man’s pursuit of wealth and power makes him act like an animal. That’s not the way God intends of man.
The Limitations of Human Understanding
The theodicy arguments enable the understanding of the problem of evil. However, wisdom and knowledge of God are above men. Therefore, it is extremely rational to assume that God had reasons for accepting evil to occur which we cannot grasp. Man can figure out certain plausible reasons for the existence of most evil actions, but there still exists more evils. That should be the reasoning behind why man cannot discern, and that should be an expectation of man if they agree that a powerful and all-knowing God exists. Thought it seems there are no better reasons to allow evil actions, it does not actively support that these evils occurring today are unjustified since God is more significant than man’s imagination. Eventually, man is promised a new world where people will realize the problem of evil.
Works Cited
Davis, Stephen T. "The problem of evil." The Palgrave Handbook of the Afterlife. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2017. 371-389.
Paquette, Michael, Erich J. Sommerfeldt, and Michael L. Kent. "Do the ends justify the means?
Dialogue, development communication, and deontological ethics." Public Relations Review 41.1 (2015): 30-39.
Surin, Kenneth. Theology and the Problem of Evil. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2004.
Snider, Eric. "Are causes of belief reasons for belief? Silver on evil, religious experience, and theism." Religious Studies 44.2 (2008): 185-202.
