A Question on Evil

[AmericanCatholic]

If God is perfectly good and created evil, is evil good? If evil is good, then does evil even exist?

 

[Hentenza]

Evil was not "created".

 

[squint]

The Old Testament is filled from one end to the other with GOD Himself performing/creating RETRIBUTIVE EVIL.

All EVIL exists within the OMNIpresence of God.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

If God is perfectly good and created evil, is evil good? If evil is good, then does evil even exist?

The Old Testament is filled from one end to the other with GOD Himself performing/creating RETRIBUTIVE EVIL.

All EVIL exists within the OMNIpresence of God.

I found this interesting concerning the word "evil" in the NT.
Seems YHWH uses the evilness itself against the evil

#2556 used first time in Matt 21......last time in Reve 16:2

Matthew 21:41 They say to Him `evil ones/kakouV <2556> evilly/kakwV <2560> he shall be destroying them and the vineyard will give out to other husbandmen, who will give back to him the fruits in their seasons.'

Reve 16:2 And came forth the first and he pours out his bowl into the land and became a sore, evil/kakon <2556> and wicked/ponhron <4190> on the men, ........

2556. kakos kak-os' apparently a primary word; worthless (intrinsically, such; whereas 4190 properly refers to effects), i.e. (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious:--bad, evil, harm, ill, noisome, wicked.

 

[DArceri]

If God is perfectly good and created evil, is evil good? If evil is good, then does evil even exist?

For man, evil does exist and is the cause of his destruction. That being said, God is not restrained by evil that exists. He allows it because He can use it for His purpose of Glorifying His Name. For example, God reveals Himself to be a God of Love through His acts of Grace, Mercy, and Justice.

 

[freeport]

If God is perfectly good and created evil, is evil good? If evil is good, then does evil even exist?

Yes, evil exists, and you can think about that the next time something goes wrong. Look around. People are suffering. It is real.

"Does evil exist"... plainly so.

Now, you have a good question, however.

It is like this: a good author writes a book. He makes a background. He makes a plot, and "oh no", he creates villains and adversity. And heroes and heroines. Because the good author has created villains and adversity, does that then make him evil? Of course not.

The whole point of the villains and adversity is for the heroes and heroines.


No joke. You can notice this with Moses. A lot was not printed with Moses, for instance, when Moses saw God, God replied to what was clearly in Moses' heart, "I have indeed seen the suffering of the Hebrews". And Moses had that in his heart and by God saying that he knew he was speaking to God.


Later, Moses says, "Blot me out of this Book you are writing, then if you will not save them". That means, yet again, Moses had information that he did not write into the Law. God had shown Moses God was writing a Book. And that was before He had Moses write the books of the Bible.


That is, all of Creation is as a Book.

 

[SeekTruth4Glory]

If God is perfectly good and created evil, is evil good? If evil is good, then does evil even exist?

That all depends on how you look at it. Some people prefer to think of evil as, nothing of substance, but rather the absence of substance (i.e. God). Much like darkness is not a substance of its own, but rather, the absence of light. Light, of course, does not create this darkness.

 

[Kristos]

If God is perfectly good and created evil, is evil good? If evil is good, then does evil even exist?

evil is not a creation.

 

[AmericanCatholic]

Yes, evil exists, and you can think about that the next time something goes wrong. Look around. People are suffering. It is real.

"Does evil exist"... plainly so.

Now, you have a good question, however.

It is like this: a good author writes a book. He makes a background. He makes a plot, and "oh no", he creates villains and adversity. And heroes and heroines. Because the good author has created villains and adversity, does that then make him evil? Of course not.

The whole point of the villains and adversity is for the heroes and heroines.


No joke. You can notice this with Moses. A lot was not printed with Moses, for instance, when Moses saw God, God replied to what was clearly in Moses' heart, "I have indeed seen the suffering of the Hebrews". And Moses had that in his heart and by God saying that he knew he was speaking to God.


Later, Moses says, "Blot me out of this Book you are writing, then if you will not save them". That means, yet again, Moses had information that he did not write into the Law. God had shown Moses God was writing a Book. And that was before He had Moses write the books of the Bible.


That is, all of Creation is as a Book.

If a perfectly good God requires evil to provide context for His goodness, how is said God all-powerful?

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

If a perfectly good God requires evil to provide context for His goodness, how is said God all-powerful?

HUH?

 

[CalmRon]

evil exists because freewill exists. God gave man freewill and satan (at that time lucifer) freewill; why didn't he strike down satan before the evil in his heart spread? he would have been well within his right as creator to erase all deviation but maybe he let it flourish to prove how destructive sin could be and to demonstrate his right to destroy it. if he had just wiped it out would he be worshipped out of love or fear?

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Evil, antithesis of Creation.

Forgive me...

 

[AmericanCatholic]

HUH?

Why does an all-powerful perfectly good God require that which He is not (evil) to justify His goodness? In other words, why do people claim that the purpose of evil is to demonstrate good without addressing the inherent assumptions that contradict the fundamental nature of God as all-powerful and perfectly good?

 

[BrendanMark]

"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." Isaiah 45:7

God creates evil as something outside of Himself: God is not evil in Himself. That God's eternal and all-knowing sense of love and Goodness transcends our finite human conception is entirely natural and unavoidable. Christians have faith that God is good, even when we suffer evil, and that eternal, infinite good and divine love will transcend the finite evil I experience (or even do!).

 

[DArceri]

Why does an all-powerful perfectly good God require that which He is not (evil) to justify His goodness?

God does not need to justify His goodness. He is who He is!!!!! He chooses to grant mercy out of Love for His created.... It is not unjust to grant mercy....No injustice has taken place....... Now that being said, to answer your question, since mankind is still in existance after the cosmic treason, God's grace just reveals to us one of His other attributes of who He is as a whole. Just be grateful that Love is one of His other attributes..... Rather than questioning God's character, you need to be on your knees praising God for allowing you to take your next breath of air.
.

 

[AmericanCatholic]

God does not need to justify His goodness. He chooses to grant mercy out of Love for His created.... It is not unjust to grant mercy....No injustice has taken place....... Now that being said, to answer your question, God's grace just reveals to us one of His other attributes of who He is as a whole. Be grateful that Love is one of His attributes.

.

If a perfectly good and all powerful God does not need evil to justify his goodness, then why does evil exist in the first place?

 

[BrendanMark]

Some creatures with free will choose to reject God and His infinite mercy and love - or not believe in Him or His mercy and love.

 

[SeekTruth4Glory]

If a perfectly good and all powerful God does not need evil to justify his goodness, then why does evil exist in the first place?

Several people have already addressed this question AC.

 

[DArceri]

If a perfectly good and all powerful God does not need evil to justify his goodness, then why does evil exist in the first place?

Because God created us in His image. He did not create robots. We have the been given the attributes of thought, emotions, and will just like God has. In return for a personal relationship with God, His only command for man was to love Him with all his heart, soul, and mind.

 

[freeport]

Why does an all-powerful perfectly good God require that which He is not (evil) to justify His goodness? In other words, why do people claim that the purpose of evil is to demonstrate good without addressing the inherent assumptions that contradict the fundamental nature of God as all-powerful and perfectly good?

"Why do people claim"... big fallacy right there.

If you want to talk about what people claim, you should talk to those people.

I am sure in some High School somewhere there are some kids out there claiming they know some famous person or another and can speak for him or her... and they do not. And, I am sure some poor saps are actually believing them.


God... does not... require evil... to justify Himself.

That is absolutely absurd.



God IS. He Is Who He Is.

He is good, He was good, He will always be good: "Good", in fact, is God and God alone. 'No one is good but God'.

Before creation God was good, and long after creation God is good.


If you get two toys... and play a game with them, making one bad and the other good, are you then equal to the villain? Are children villains if they have their toy villains be bad people? Are writers villains if they write in their books villains? Are script writers villains if they write in their scripts villains?


All of these are matters we all deal with and understand perfectly well on a daily basis being made in the Image of God.


The point - just as in the above situations - is not for God. The point is for the heroes and heroines of "The Book".

God is love.


As for the villains? Well, that is the real story, now isn't it? Let's hope and pray for our enemies and do good to them that they might repent! Who knows. Maybe they will.


As for you, you have a choice: hero or villain. Which way to go. A bit of a false choice there, of course, but one can always try and believe and beg God for mercy.