The God and Evil Problem Essay - 2279 Words

The God and Evil Problem A strong argument against the existence of a Christian God is contained in the theodicy problem. The existence of suffering is not compatible with an omniscient, omnipotent, omni benevolent superior being. An all-knowing being would be aware that suffering is and always will be in existence; an all-powerful being would be able to prevent suffering; and a perfectly good being would desire to end suffering. Many Christian thinkers have sought to justify this contradiction, and one of the most common counterarguments to the theodicy problem is contained in the free-will defense. Through interpretations of St. Augustine, J.L. Mackie, and David Humes arguments in reference to the God and evil problem, the†¦show more content†¦Augustine blames evil on the mans free will, yet does not blame God for having given man free will. Throughout his Confessions, St. Augustine takes full responsibility for his sins, essentially because he solely places the blame on himself for consciously deciding to turn from God and commit them. As a result of the sins of Adam and Eve, man is no longer has the propensity toward good. The Fall left man unable not to sin. But, the free will defense actually argues that Gods decision to do this was a good thing. Instead of creating beings which were predisposed to good, he made man equally capable of both good and evil. In doing so, God made man morally free. But, because God created the possibility for evil to exist, He also cannot prevent its coming about. As is very evident, some people do choose evil. For Augustine, one can only be saved from the evils of sin through Gods grace. As is prominent throughout the Confessions, as long as a sinner confesses, expresses true sorrow for his wrongful acts, and vows to amend his ways, he will be forgiven. Augustine supports the notion that God is warranted in bringing good out of evil. It is through the commission of evil and even more so the reaction to that commission, that God discovers his true believers. This concept, along with much of the remainder of Augustines support of the argument proves faulty. Inherent in Augustines support ofShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Evil And The Existence Of God1636 Words   |  7 PagesThe Problem of Evil is one of the most influential and common arguments in modern philosophy against the existence of a Greater Being, God (Trakakis, 2006). Both Theist, those who believe in the existence of God, and Atheist, those who don’t believe in the existence of God, argue that evil exists in the world. The Problem of Evil explores whether the existence of evil and suffering constitutes significance evidence for atheism. 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