Problem of Evil from an Orthodox Perspective

I am not going to answer for the Church.

But because of what the Church has taught me, in a tiny way in my own life I have discovered something to be true. Just like Joseph languished in prison, having been sold by his own brothers into slavery and might have been tempted to think evil had overcome him, but in the end he was able to say, "you meant it for evil, but God used it for good and saved many people" ...

I have learned that sometimes even terrible circumstances - a cancer diagnosis, having a child stolen away, murder of a young mother - these things can in the end be used to bring about great good. I don't think the evil is ever sent by God. But the world is fallen and evil infests it. No doubt God prevents some evil that would otherwise befall us. Maybe protecting us from far more than we realize. After all, the enemy delights in destroying us utterly, and suffering as much as possible in the process, if he could have his way. But I think God permits some - because He can let a greater good come about because of it.

It probably sounds like a platitude, but I've seen it happen, and been amazed. That doesn't make the pain we go through less while we go through it, but that understanding has at times now finally turned trial into a blessed time. To the degree that God has allowed me to know this. I'm sure I fall short in being able to apply it in greater degree. But God knows all of this as well.

In the end, if we can trust Him enough to know that whatever happens, it is for good (salvation) for someone, it is a stepping stone to trusting Him more.

Evil I think is only permitted to the degree He can redeem it. That's kind of the summation of all of human history, and we can see it in the microcosm of our own lives as well, though it might take decades to come to fruition.

That's what I think. And I have learned this because of what the Church has taught me, and the lens she has given me with which to view my own life.

to the OP, it's because only God sees the end of all things. He could know that this suffering the kid is going through is what will ultimately save him, and others. so God uses suffering to bring as many folks to Him, just like when He blesses.

The orthodox understanding of evil is the fall of man in the garden of Eden. It is the reason we die in the first place. It is the reason why evil occurs because the very ground we walk on was cursed by God. So everything "evil" follows from that one disobedience. As Christ said,

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” ~John 5:14

Bad things happen because we do bad things and everything is connected. Therefore one person's evil can spread into another person's life, just as it says here:

Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. ~Ecclesiastes 10:1

So evil spreads itself beyond the scope of where it was committed and causes us all to be ensnared together in our sins. We must understand the communal responsibility of sin as Daniel did. He prayed for forgiveness for the sins of his people and took responsibility for them even though he was blameless before God. Just read his prayer and walk in his example. We are all together in this struggle against sin, which is why we must serve God as a community and not by ourselves alone.

Kevin Snow said:

The orthodox understanding of evil is the fall of man in the garden of Eden. It is the reason we die in the first place. It is the reason why evil occurs because the very ground we walk on was cursed by God. So everything "evil" follows from that one disobedience. As Christ said,

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” ~John 5:14

Bad things happen because we do bad things and everything is connected. Therefore one person's evil can spread into another person's life, just as it says here:

Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. ~Ecclesiastes 10:1

So evil spreads itself beyond the scope of where it was committed and causes us all to be ensnared together in our sins. We must understand the communal responsibility of sin as Daniel did. He prayed for forgiveness for the sins of his people and took responsibility for them even though he was blameless before God. Just read his prayer and walk in his example. We are all together in this struggle against sin, which is why we must serve God as a community and not by ourselves alone.

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Orthodox meaning Eastern Orthodox. your post is close, but not exactly what we believe.

ttcmacro said:

When I was an undergraduate, I wrote a paper for my philosophy of religion course on the problem of evil. At the time, I had no knowledge of Orthodoxy, and cited a lot of Roman Catholic and Protestant philosophers and theologians. It is one of the issues that ultimately led me to become pretty agnostic about belief in God (even as a Protestant Christian) especially after a friend passed away at a relatively young age.

A couple of years ago I discovered Orthodoxy. I could no longer deny the existence of God, as the theology seemed to fit reality, and 2,000 years of saints, miracles, and changed lives seemed impossible to ignore. As an Orthodox Christian, I still am challenged by the problem of evil, but accept that evil occurs and a good God exists, even though I don't totally understand it. Sometimes the problem of evil is actually magnified by the fact that we believe that God is everywhere present. As a deist, one can say that God isn't active in the world. Orthodox cannot say that. I often hear Orthodox saying that they prayed to a particular Saint which led to them finding their car keys or making it to a job interview on time. Whenever I hear something like this, I cannot help but think about children dying of cancer, the Holocaust, or some other great evil that is allowed to occur without divine intervention stopping it.

I guess my question is this- Is there an Orthodox response to the problem of evil? Or is it something we simply do not fully understand?

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Permit this if you will - research what they knew of cancer BEFORE 1950. See the book IF you can find it "World Without Cancer" - they actually knew they could eliminate cancer, then it was quashed, buried, hidden.

i.e. the evil perpetrated was by men, against men. Oh, the devil might be blamed, but men in their own free will, God Given Free Will, did that.

I think it is the same with a lot of the evil (that has grown substantially in the last 40 years, as written "the wicked will be more wicked" (not redeemed) ) .... free will - again as written in Revelation - they will refuse to repent of serving demons....

Read the prayers of the Optina Elders and you have your answer.