Defending Theism: The Problem of Evil

 This is an atheist’s favorite. They conclude that since evil exists, God is not both Good and Powerful, as suffering should not exist. Since it does, there is no God.

The notion of God being evil is very fallacious because it assumes that the atheist’s standards for morality are above God.

Furthermore God has far more knowledge than any human being and thus has a reason for allowing anything to happen even if we humans don’t have the full picture. But here’s the major flaw in the atheist argument.

Atheists make a big fuss about the “problem of evil” and how they cannot in good conscience accept that God exists in the face of a world full of innocent people suffering.

Curiously, they are not equally perturbed by the prospect of innocent people suffering tremendously at the hands of the wicked who themselves live comfortable lives and will never have to face any consequence or repercussion for their crimes. And when you think about it, which scenario is more troubling? In the world of the theist, innocent people who suffered due to disease and poverty will ultimately be recompensed for the pain they endured.

But in the world of the atheist, evil is never requited. How ironic, then, for atheists to accuse the God they don’t believe in of being unjust when they are otherwise perfectly content with the idea of a world without ultimate justice.

·         Logical Problem of Evil

The argument that evil exists = god is not both good and powerful is weak for many reasons. Before going into the directly false assumptions it makes, I want to mention the 2 claimed sources for evil: evil caused by people and evil not caused by people (natural occurrences; God). It is argued neither should exist, so I’ll address both.

For the first part, why does God allow people to produce evil?

Before getting into it, it’s important to realize that evil AND good are defined on each other. The lack of evil is the possession of good, and vice versa. One cannot be all good and all evil at the same time

This is important because if we follow the logic, it concludes that if God disallows evil, He also disallows good.

Think of it like this:

If everyone by default always did the right thing, are they actually morally good? No, because the potential to do evil didn’t exist in the first place. It’s like giving a test but highlighting the correct answer for each question.

In this way, it isn’t truly a test, and a student who passes doesn’t necessarily have the knowledge.

In order to do actual good, there must be the potential to do evil.

With this in mind, the atheist’s actual question is: “Why does God allow for the dichotomy of good and evil to exist?” And from natural occurrences (God’s will), “why does suffering exist?”

In this new light, we can easily address the false premises in their argument

In the first situation (evil from people), God allows people to produce evil because it allows free will, which avoids injustice. As mentioned before, if all people were compelled to do only good, the good that they do is default, and not truly of their will. This means all people should be admitted to paradise, but not for any reason. God will know, had X and Y been given free will, X may have done good, and Y may have done evil. To have them both considered equal is unjust. Moreover, God—being All-Good—does not reward evil or compel actions This is one of the wisdoms, God allows free will so He can justly admit the inhabitants of paradise—people who truly do good.

Importantly, God allows free will, but He doesn’t partake in the evil that individual’s cause. If a dictator murders people, this is not God being unjust. It’s the dictator being so. And God will bring justice between the people:

“And be conscious of the Day on which you shall be brought back unto God, whereupon every human being shall be repaid in full for what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.” [2:281]

 

The first false premise is that they assume God is only All-Good and All-Powerful. If this were the case, their logic is sound. However, God has other attributes they ignore—such as being All-Wise—which allow for exceptions.

For example, a 7-year-old has been put in time-out and now hates his parents. He doesn’t understand that it’s to teach him good behavior, so he assumes evil of his parents, as he doesn’t possess the wisdoms they have.

Similarly, there is a divine wisdom as to why God allows good, evil, and suffering, and He also informs us why

In summary, God allows us evil because it allows us free will, and the evil that we produce will be dealt with justly.

There is no paradox in this, and it is supremely just.

As for the second part, why does God allow suffering at all?

It stems from the same divine wisdom that was mentioned before. The atheist’s mistake here is they assume suffering is only evil and serves no wiser purpose. This brings us to the 2nd assumption in the argument: that God doesn’t have a greater reason or wisdom to allow suffering.

This is false.

In fact, it allows for a greater good, known as second-order good.

First-order good is simple pleasure, bodily happiness, etc. First-order evil is physical pain, sadness, stress, etc. Second-order good, however, is the result of first-order evil. For example, benevolence, mercy, courage, generosity, etc.

These forms of good come from suffering; you need the first-order evil of fear to be courageous, poverty to be patient/generous, suffering to be merciful, and so on. God allows suffering to allow us to alleviate it, for our and other’s growth

A person who is grateful while also suffering from a life-long disease/disability is held in higher regard than a person who is grateful but has no difficulty. And a person born into struggle, but overcomes it, will learn second-order goods such as strength and patience. Without suffering, there is no real test to be made, and this worldly life would be pointless. In addition to second-order good, suffering allows us to grow, rely on God, understand our purpose, detach from the world, and so on. Imagine reading an adventure book where the protagonist had no struggle to overcome nor any greater purpose. It wouldn’t even be written. Thus the 2nd assumption in the argument is false. God has a greater reason to allow suffering

All in all, the atheist’s argument has stated an All-Good and All-Powerful God can’t exist.

God is not only those 2 qualities. They’ve disproved an isolated, unattributed version of God which is not found in scripture nor in theist philosophy.

It’s the same as taking the true equation below, cropping out the “-1,” and then claiming the original equation is untrue. Thus the argument isn’t only weak, it’s completely false.

1+1=3-1

There is more to delve into on the topic, but this should serve as a good summary as to why the “problem” of evil isn’t really a problem at all.

A more detailed analysis of this topic is present in the form of the work, A Systematic Approach to the Problem of Evil by Aishwari Krishna. 

Ø  The Problem of Evil (google.com)

·         Evidential Problem of Evil

This is the same as the logical problem of evil, but it differs in the notion that the amount of evil is way too much, above what is necessary.

Now, to counter evidential problem of evil.

1.    Free will. An all-good God must give free will to his creations. And it means that while he does educate them, warn them, threaten them a lot regarding the consequences of bad deeds, they can choose which path to adopt. While restricting free will could reduce the amount of evil by a large amount, it would also take away the attribute of all-good from him because an all-good being must not force his creation to do exactly as he pleases. The free will argument works for all types of problem of evil arguments.

2.    God allows evil to exist because it serves a greater purpose. For instance, suffering might lead to personal growth, empathy, or the opportunity for acts of heroism and compassion. In this view, God can bring about good outcomes even in the face of evil. And due to being given free will, the amount of suffering has evolved over time, becoming greater. This actually makes the victim more aware to their surroundings, and helps their mind and inner self toughen up enough to compete in this fast-paced world.

Islamic POVs

1.     Suffering is a gateway to Allah’s mercy and blessings

Quran 94:5-6: "For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.

Quran, Surah Al-Ankabut (29:69): "And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good."

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

If a person may lack in blessings or mercy, being the subject of trials could mean they could get an abudance of what they lack. More suffering = more blessings

 

2.     The second Islamic POV is being tested.

A difficult test / examination will assess your skills better than an easy test.

There’s nothing special in passing a simple examination.

Surah Al-Mulk (67:2): "He who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving -"

Surah Al-Kahf (18:7): "Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed." → (possible free will reference?)

Surah Al-Ankabut (29:2-3): "Do the people think that they will be left to say, 'We believe' and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars."

The verse above debunks your claims of every single person believing in Allah going to heaven (including radicals) while also proving the point regarding testing.

 

3.     The excess suffering is not excess at all; perfectly bearable for us, the perfect amount to test us / make us eligible for blessings

Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah (2:286): "Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear..."