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JimB

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Did God create evil?

We discussed this at a recent round table discussion and I wondered how you might answer it.

Here is one view from GotQuestions.org:
Question: "Did God create evil?"

~Jim


The first 90% of project takes 90% of the time, the last 10% takes the other 90% of the time.

 

jrlinz

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As good an answer as I have heard, I guess. In a sense, God did create creatures with free will, so I guess he created the possibility of the existence of evil. Looking at it (evil) as purely the absence of good, if we agree that God is everywhere, does he purposely vacate, say, a jar, so that it is filled with evil?
 
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Questioning Christian

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Stating that the Holy Spirit is responsible for evil - that's blasphemy.

God is good.
Satan is evil.

God is light.
Satan is darkness.

God is righteousness.
Satan is sinfulness.

Never the twain shall meet. And God is not bi-polar.

_________________________


God creates no voids or darkness. He indeed does not create spiritual vacuums or moral evil, but he did create night as distinct and distinguishable from day, meaning that God created the revolution of the earth around the sun, whereby earth experiences "darkness".

"Darkness" really is not its own entity, but is contextual when defined as "the absence of light". Therefore, even "darkness" has no identity, but that which is separated from, or absent of, light.

Lucifer went away from the Son, and he saw "darkness" due to the absence of Light. The earth turns away from the sun, and it sees "darkness" due to the absence of sun light.

If darkness were a true entity, rather than being the state of light-absence, then when you walked into a dark room and turned on a light, the darkness would not disappear. Darkness is only a place where light has once happened, or has yet to happen. I don't know if this story is factual or fictional, but the points in the story very well summarize what I am stating here:


 
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Questioning Christian

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He said, "I am the vine and ye are the branches". The vine does not create withering. Withering only occurs when the branch has broken itself from the vine. The vine only concerns itself with life and connectivity.

Living apart from the vine is a decision one makes, but the withering is completely separate and distinct from the vine itself.
 
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JimB

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Medieval theologians argued that evil is the absence of good just as darkness is the absence of light and cold is the absence of heat and a vacuum is the absence of matter.

~Jim

The first 90% of project takes 90% of the time, the last 10% takes the other 90% of the time.
 
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Trish1947

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I dont think evil was created at all. I think it's the by product of given choice. When Adam and Eve we're in the garden, they didn't know what freewill or choice was at all. All they knew was Gods voice. They were guided by His voice and knew no other. Not until Satan entered the garden and presented them a choice was freewill exercised. God said if you eat you shall die. That was the only voice they heard. It was the only voice they knew. Choice wasn't even issue. But when Satan said "You shall not surely die" then was a choice suddenly presented. So is the evil the ability to choose?? God didn't want them to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But to be able to respond to His voice.
If the evil is the ability to choose. Then Christianity is not about everything that is good and evil. But about eating from the tree of Life. Jesus.
Apparently Satan found that He was able to make a choice when He was dazzeled by his own beauty. It drew Him away from only hearing Gods voice to hearing His own, "I will exault myself above the Throne, 'I will be like the Most High". The by-product of being able to listen to another voice, and make a choice.
 
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