The problem with evil - Essay Example

The Problem with Evil The problem with evil or the argument from evil is an argument between the existence of theomniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and perfectly good God versus the existence of evil. It questions the Christian belief that if there is really a mighty God, why would He allow the existence of horrific and evil events? To logically prove the existence of God, we will use the four different forms of the argument from evil: argument from imperfection, argument from natural evil, argument from moral evil, and argument from unbelief.

According to the argument from imperfection, the idea that we have a Creator is false; however, it does not prove that God does not exist. Just as strong the God is, the existence of evil is also strong because the world is imperfect. God only permitted the best possible world so that creation could be improved. According to the Natural Law Theodicy by Bruce Reichenbach, God created a world in accordance with the natural laws to achieve higher good even if there are moral and natural evil (Evans, 11).

Argument from the natural evil states that evil exist as a punishment for our sin; thus, this proves the existence of God as evil is necessary for certain types of goodness to occur. Swinburne claimed that God allow the existence of evil as an omnipotent being (can do anything possible logically) because he wanted to bring out the logically necessary condition of goodness such as compassion and bravery (Sovik, 23; Frances, 9). On the other hand, argument from moral evil states that man is created by God with freedom.

The existence of evil does not disproves the existence of God as evil actions were the result of man’s abused of freedom (Sovik, 23). Lastly, the argument from unbelief supports the existence of God by using the concept of Divine hiddenness and faith as valuable tool. Evans supported this argument from unbelief stating that atheist does not believe in the existence of God not because of the lack of evidence but the inability and unwillingness to appreciate the evidence (74). To sum it up, God is an omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly good God because He allowed evil in an imperfect world to bring out the goodness among people or to remind people of their sins through punishments and to bring out faith from Divine hiddenness.

Works CitedEvans, Jeremy A. The Problem of Evil: The Challenge to Essential Christian Beliefs. Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishing Group, 2013. Online Book.Frances, Bryan. Gratuitous Suffering and the Problem of Evil: A Comprehensive Introduction. Oxon: Routledge, 2013. Online Book.Sovik, Atle Ottesen. The Problem of Evil and the Power of God. Massachusettes: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2011. Online Book.