The Problem of Evil

A detailed Summary of The Problem of Evil


The problem of evil in the world often raises many questions about God and whether he is actually omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnipotent. If God is so good, how can his world be so bad? Many people have even deserted their faith because of the problem of evil. Take September 11 as an example. How could God let more than 3,000 innocent souls die if he is so divine? "The word 'theodicy', derived from the Greek words 'theos' (God) and 'dike' (justice), is a word used in Christian theology to show that God is righteous and just despite the presence of evil in the world." 1 I feel that God gave humans the choice to make their own decisions and to have free-will. Therefore, he is not responsible for both moral and natural evil that occurs because of our independent choices.

The existence of evil is rationally incompatible with the existence of a good god. Therefore an outside force must be involved, which is called free-will. The actions of free-will led to two kinds of evil in the world; moral and natural. Natural evil consists of events that take place and cause suffering, such as diseases and natural disasters. Moral evil consists of the actions that people make due to free-lance behavior, such as murder or stealing.


The other evil is natural or environmental, which can sometimes exist and result due to moral evil. Pollution for example is a result brought about by humans and their misuse of garbage. Therefore, the air and the surroundings become contaminated and turn into an unhealthy place to live as a result of mankind's moral evil. It can be considered as both a punishment and a reflection of what we do to ourselves. But sometimes natural evil occurs without the

1 http://www.faithnet. freeserve.co.uk/astheodicyrevisionnotes.htm, Pelusa 2002.



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