Short Story: The problem of good and evil
By emptychair
@innertalks (23741)
Australia
December 9, 2023 11:28pm CST
Professor, Lugwig Trokleyson, was giving a lecture to his University students about the paradox of good and evil, both existing in our world.
Here is what he said to them:
“If God wants to prevent evil, but is unable to do so, then we could say that God is not in total control of his own world, and lacks the power to run it without evil in it.”
“If God is able to prevent evil, but for some reason of his own does not do want to this, how could we call him perfectly good?”
“And if God allows evil, but at any time can act to prevent it, is he the source of the evil, or is their another source, or maybe there is something wrong with his creation, that it can turn to evil like this?”
“These types of ideas came from the Greek philosopher, Epicurus. (341–270 BC).”
“If God is good, and if evil exists, the problem has always been that of why a good God would allow a bad evil to exist, and continue to exist.”
‘"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."’
“This quotation is from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 45, verse 7.”
“Why does God create evil, as stated here then?”
“Life is lived by God's creation, and evil, and good, exist because of God’s grant of free will to parts of creation to choose either love, or non-love, and so evil is created by bad choices, and as mankind is God’s creation, by implication then, God too is creating/allowing evil, when they do so too.”
“Man cannot love perfectly, because he has a disposition, and an evil inclination in him, from the taint of the first sin, remaining in him too.”
“The world is said to have natural evils within it, such as fires, flood and famine, and cancer, and other health diseases too.”
“Then, there are moral evils which come about my sinful acts being committed wilfully by sinning people, such as lying, killing, and committing adultery, for example.”
“Evil exists only when you let it exist because you are not fully loving, and so this results in something other than love, by definition, evil, existing then instead.”
“And so, it is our own imperfection, and our lack of lovingness, that creates evil in our lives.”
“God allows evil for now, as he knows that we are no longer perfect in our living of life here, since we left the Paradise of the Garden of Eden.”
“We are to strive, with God’s help, to overcome the urge towards evil, and live a life of love, from love, instead.”
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com
We can have both black and white sheep, but why do we have both good and evil, in our world too?
3 people like this
3 responses
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
11 Dec 23
God created a perfect world. Yet in all His perfection, His creation rebelled. Lucifer rebelled against God and brought sin into the world. Now, mankind sins because of Lucifer's rebellion and his temptation to Adam and Eve to sin against God. God hasn't changed. He is still a loving God. It is Satan who brought change in our lives through temptation to do evil.
2 people like this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
11 Dec 23
@innertalks I've had mixed thoughts about that. From what I've read angels were created for the sole purpose of doing God's will. Lucifer became jealous of God and wanted to be like him, Isaiah 14 and caused the rebellion and the war in heaven. Not since have the angels shown any sign of rebellion or free will.
What I know is that God knew what would happen. Sin would enter the world through Lucifer, and He would need to provide a Redeemer for mankind, His Son, Jesus.
Psalms says the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. God's creation plan is literally written in the stars. Each of the constellations tells another part of God's salvation plan.
Therefore, He knew Lucifer would rebel and take a third of the angels with him.
2 people like this
@innertalks (23741)
• Australia
11 Dec 23
Yes, when God first created, and perfection was achieved, it seems like that after that perfection, the created ones, created originally in perfection, can still move away from perfection, if they are tempted by evil, through the Devil.
God must have created his angels with an element of free will too then, as they also have the power in them to be able choose to, to rebel against him, it seems, if they want to do so.
John, chapter 7, verse 17.
"Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God, or whether I speak on my own."
We all have this choice to make, whether to choose to do the will of God, or not, then.
@innertalks (23741)
• Australia
11 Dec 23
@just4him "Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour. So, I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings."
Ezekial, chapter 28, verse 17.
This verse seems to be saying that Satan, also became puffed up with his own splendour too, and so he corrupted the wisdom, that was in himself, by his doing so.
The angels that followed Lucifer, also had the choice to do that, or not too, I would think.
Yes, God has a reason for all that he does, and for all that he allows to be so, too.
@yanzalong (19091)
• Indonesia
10 Dec 23
If all are good: All people are good, then who will be in hell in the hearafter? Good or bad things or people have been created by God. This is my thought only -- not to be debatable.
2 people like this
@innertalks (23741)
• Australia
10 Dec 23
We have night, and day, hot and cold, and other opposites, and everything is different with shades of differences.
So, l suppose with people, we need to have both good, and bad people too. But, we are complex, and sometimes the good can be bad, or the bad good.
We need to choose our action in every experience. God allows good, and evil, so we can become wiser in making our choices, over time.
@Shiva49 (28388)
• Singapore
10 Dec 23
God gives us choices and expects us to make wise ones to prove our worth.
God knows giving everything on a platter will curb our spiritual challenges and growth.
We see how some rich kids turn out to be spoiled brats.
We need to prove our worth both as individuals and as a species.
Bad choices will lead to our extinction and that is fair dinkum.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23741)
• Australia
10 Dec 23
The trouble here is though, that it can be seen that God is sometimes giving us bad things to be able to choose from.
Instead of giving us a stick to use as a walking stick, he sometimes gives us a snake, and so it bites us, into waking up then too, if it does not kill us first, that is.
"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger," goes the old saying too.
"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
From the Bible, Jesus Christ talking in Luke, chapter 11, verses 11 to 13.
So, perhaps the answer here is that we have to ask God for good things, as otherwise, we will always be given the wrong end of the stick, as only God can help us to open our eyes to the truth.
@innertalks (23741)
• Australia
11 Dec 23
@Shiva49 Yes, my mother, when just a child, reached down to the floor, to get some toilet paper, as she was in their outdoor toilet, and she nearly picked up a black snake instead, curled around the toilet paper.
She hightailed it from the toilet that day, very quickly.
We never know in our lives then, when God, or someone else, might spring such a surprise on us; we should always be ready for such happenings.
The Bible tells us that God sneaks up on the unwary like a thief in the night, so it warns us to be always vigilant, and careful, about our living our lives here.
@Shiva49 (28388)
• Singapore
11 Dec 23
@innertalks Australia is known as the lucky country but has some of the deadliest creatures on earth.
Some earnestly hope to be reborn there, and the wish could be granted, but as a member of a deadly species!
I think it cuts both ways - if one is very lucky, he/she has to watch out for pitfalls that can catch them unawares.
Yes, it is better to count our blessings while enjoying the largesse that comes our way. Some could well be well-packaged gifts but it is up to us to unwrap them with a loving heart.
I read about hikers looking for a walking stick and picking up a rattlesnake instead
1 person likes this
