PDF Necessary Evil or Unnecessary God? Evaluating the Problem ... History's most famous statement of the "problem of evil" comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus: Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? These attributes are part of what make God, God. If God is morally perfect, then God has the desire to eliminate all evil. P3. Epicurus, a 3rd to 2nd BC Greek atheistic philosopher, wrote the following about God and evil: Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Yet, there is evil. So why should there be any evil? Problem of evil - Wikipedia The problem stems from the concept of an omnipotent, omniscient and perfectly good and just God; that if such a God exists, then evil should not exist. Second, we cannot reach up into heaven and require that God give an account for His actions. If God does exist then how come evil exist as well? Part of understanding God's omnipotence is to recall that he dwells in eternity. What if our "free will" was against God's will? We serve an omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent God. An Omnipotent, Omniscient, And Benevolent God - 1663 Words ... Then whence cometh evil? Then why does evil exist? Part of understanding God's omnipotence is to recall that he dwells in eternity. The greater difficulty is to determine whether omnipotence is of the first or second variant. Then why call him God? PDF The argument from evil - University of Notre Dame If an omnipotent, omnicient, and omni-benevolent God can ... Evil . Then whence cometh evil? If God is both willing and able to prevent evil, t. Then why call him God?" This is one of the most common arguments used against God's existence. God is omniscient 3. Is he able, but not willing? If he is omnibenevolent, then he is of a nature to relieve suffering where it occurs. Then whence cometh evil? Epicurus. Then why call him God? (2,3) 7. "If God is omnipotent, omniscient and wholly good, whence evil? [4] But we might, nevertheless retain faith in a Non-omnipotent God. Is he both able and willing? For if God does exist, and if he allows suffering in the world, then he would be neither benevolent, omniscient or omnipotent. The inconsistent triad suggests that if God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent, he would not and could not allow evil to exist on earth, as this would remove either or both of those qualities. If an all-powerful, all-loving, benevolent God exists, why does He allow so much evil and suffering in the world? However, there is evil in this world. Then why call him God? Evil exists. Of course, I'm referring to the classical problem of the existence of evil. 3. If God exists, then God is omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent. If God is omnipotent, then God has the power to eliminate all evil. Though He sets limits on all of creation, He Himself is limitless in strength, wisdom, love, holiness, and the ability to perform His sovereign will. 1. Is he both able and willing? Then why call him God?" By the way, you completely skirted my question about your two children. God does predict the future. 3. Is he neither able nor willing? Secondly, it is used for circumstances and . 2 Why would God wait 9.2 billion years after creating the universe to . Then why call him God? Is he both able and willing? And if God is omnipotent, then he would be able to eradicate suffering. But if we preserve human analogy then we cannot reconcile the evil in the world with infinite attribute. 2. The first would If God is omniscient, then God knows when evil exists. Or God does not know when evil exists. Second, Epicurus offers no definition of evil. Evil Exists 4. If God is omniscient, then God knows when evil exists. If God is omnipotent, He would be capable of stopping all evil. The Riddle of Epicurus: The Problem of Evil. Rowe defines God as O-God. This assumption is a misinterpretation of the Islamic concept of God. Read more quotes from Epicurus. Evil is defined by suffering. Besides the philosophy of religion, the problem of evil is . Then why call him God?" This is one of the most common arguments used against God's existence. 34% Yeah You Are 66% No Way. The word 'Evil' is generally used in two separate connotations. If God is just and holy and good, then how do evil and misery exist? Epicurean Paradox The problem of evil, also known as the Riddle of Epicurus , states: If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to Then He is not omnipotent. Then he is malevolent. God seems to act in the present as if He does not know the future. Then comes the question of whether God exists and if he does, then why is there still evil and suffering in the world? Then he is not omnipotent. If God wills to prevent evil but cannot, then He is not omnipotent. (Also, the definition of evil is questionable. The word 'Evil' is generally used in two separate connotations. Evil exists. Is he able, but not willing? He created us all in his likeness giving us dominion of the earth and knows our every move before we even make it. An omnipotent God could eradicate evil. And he said, "God has put these sort of conundrums and paradoxes in so that we are forced to seek a deeper meaning." Matt 7; So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. God does not live in serial time like we do. If God exists, then God eliminates as much evil as God can. Is he neither able nor willing? Or, if God is not omnipotent -- if, for example, God has a God to answer to -- then he may not have a choice in the matter.In the movie The Craft, Fairuza Balk's character describes the supreme . Atheist argued, if God exists, then as an omnipotent, he is able to prevent the evil occurrence. tags: atheism , god , religion. The overall view of God is that he is a theistic God. If God is not omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent, then He does not exist. If God is omniscient, then God knows when evil exists. I know i haven't written anything about the problem of evil yet but it's been hard to find the time. Is he both able and willing? He knows that He will act in answer to prayer so He knows what the prayer will be. God is not watching creation and human history unfold like a movie that ticks steadily by. Then he is malevolent. Importantly, for the theist, this raises . 4. Then whence cometh evil? It is impossible for God to be all three and evil to exist, and yet there is obviously evil. The often quoted argument goes: "if God is all good (all benevolent) then God has the desire to end suffering, and if God is all-powerful (omnipotent) then God has the ability to end suffering. Epicurus was right (This is in reference to the ancient Greek philosopher who argued that "If the gods could not prevent all evil, they were not all-powerful; and if they could do so but did not, then they were not very good"). 2. For God, past, present and future are all the same. If He is able, but not willing Then He is malevolent. For example, one of His attributes is that … Continue reading If God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Just, why is . One of the earliest uses of the trilemma formulation is that of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, rejecting the idea of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent god (as summarised by David Hume): If God is unable to prevent evil , then he is not all-powerful. "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? If God exists, then God can do anything. If God is omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good, and the creator of the Universe, then we cannot say that he gave man free will, for in so doing, he would have to give up his omnipotence--because if man has free will in any real sense God cannot step in and make man act differently than he chose (Rowe 89). 1 People have always held God responsible for the prevalence of evil and Epicurus Sums It Up Quite Well Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Once we clarify these, there is no dilemma. If God exists, he must be omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnibenevolent (all good). This solution does not work because it implies that God's power is limited (Miller, 205). God is omnipotent 2. P2. Then why call him God?"" And more recently the late philosopher J.L. (12) If evil and suffering exist, then God is either not omnipotent, not omniscient, .. such as Anthony Flew and J. L. Mackie have argued that an omnipotent God. The argument from evil 4. It may explain why God allows men to choose to be evil, but not why he allows evil to happen to the inocent. Yet in the in the midst of the Garden of Eden, evil entered into our world. Is he able, but not willing? If God is benevolent then he cannot be omnipotent. First of all, if God is willing to prevent evil but not able, then it would be true that he is not omnipotent. If He is neither able nor willing Then why call Him God? (premise) If God is morally perfect, then God has the desire to eliminate all evil. All powerful =/= Can create "square circles" or "free will without the potential for evil". Is he able, but not willing? The argument for the problem of evil assumes that God does not have any reason as to why evil and suffering should be permitted. Is he both able and willing? The best known presentation of the problem is attributed to the Greek philosopher Epicurus. If God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent (all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, respectively), then why is there evil? The problem of evil has been addressed by philosophers for centuries. "If we abandon all analogy to humanity, then we retain no conception of the great object of our adoration. This sounds like a malevolent God. Is God willing to prevent evil but not able Then he is not omnipotent? If God exists, then God is omnipotent. Then, being perfectly God has the power to eliminate evil but doesn't. If God were both benevolent and omnipotent then evil would not exist. When one says God is omnipotent (omni-all, potent—power) they are proclaiming that He not only has ultimate power over all things but He is also the source of all power. 1:11 ). Either, God is incapable of stopping evil. =Omnipotence= Omnipotence implies that he is in control over everything. If it was in God's will for us to have free will, then he cannot be an omniscient . an omnipotent tling can do, then the problem of evil will not arise for you. Evil exists. It teaches that God created evil as a means to achieve well because of the limitations of His power. Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Second, God already has done something about evil. The idea of God being omnipresent, that He is present in all places at all times, is often associated with similar ideas of the nature of God, that He is also omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (all-powerful). I think Mackie is right because if God is omnipotent, then He should eradicate evil. If God is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not all-good. Then he is not omnipotent. " Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? If God was omniscient he would know about evil and how to prevent it 7. Therefore, how can his assertion be validated? Then he is malevolent. Is he neither able nor willing? But Cleanthes resolves the matter by lessening the attributes of God. If He is both able and willing Then whence cometh evil. The Mystery of Evil by RC Sproul. If He were unwilling to prevent evil, then He would be malevolent. One way theists have responded is by pointing to the narratives in the Bible that teach that God is willing to prevent (or end) evil but does not. Theists say: Since we don't know if the goods we know of are representative of all the goods there are, here or in heaven, we cannot know if it is likely that there are no goods that justify God in permitting. This problem is, by far, the most discussed subject in the philosophy of religion. If God decrees something, then if he is sovereign, what he decrees will be done. Philosophers such as John Stuart Mill have argued that the existence of evil demonstrates that God is either not omnipotent or not good and loving — the reasoning being . Epicurus. If God is omnipotent then he cannot be benevolent. (premise) If God is omniscient, then God knows when evil exists. God is said to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. If God can do anything (if He is truly omnipotent), why did He take six days to create the universe, when He could have done it instantly? If he is omniscient, then he is knowledgeable of all that occurs. But this would mean that he is not the God of the Bible since the God of the Bible does whatever he desires to do ( Eph. Share this quote: He knows all the things that He is going to do and tells His prophets. Nothing that is aside from his will can be done. Is he able, but not willing? as if God is the omnipotent creator He would be the origin of these laws of the universe and thus surely be able to violate them if He so wished. - Epicurus [341-270 B.C.… God is not watching creation and human history unfold like a movie that ticks steadily by. Answer (1 of 147): Why would a subjectively chosen God be an objective moral authority? God is omnipotent. The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God. Now, this is the most modern form of the logical problem of evil: If God exists, then God is omnipotent, omniscient, and morally perfect. If God is willing but not able to prevent evil, then He's not omnipotent (therefore not God). [W,A,I,M,E,G] Argument II. If God exists, then God is wholly good. Firstly, it is used for reference to the bad deeds of people; for instance lying, injustice, oppression etc. The doctrine of God's sovereignty proposes that God's will is always done. Then he is not omnipotent. In Mackie's Evil and Omnipotence, he argues many points to support why it should be believed that god does not exist. Either God does not want to prevent evil or God is incapable of preventing evil. Then he is not omnipotent. There are many stories in the Bible which reveal the power of God. God does not live in serial time like we do. Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? God has all power over all things "You can do all things and that no plan of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). 3. I think it is reasonable to believe that if God exists, that He has a morally permissible reason for allowing evil and suffering to exist . If God is unable to prevent evil, then he is not all-powerful. Therefore, God does not exist. Then he is not omnipotent. Is he both able and willing? Is he neither able nor willing? If God allows evil to exist, then He is not all-good. Then he is malevolent. Then why call him God?". It was popularized by David Hume. If God is omnipotent, then God has the power to eliminate evil. Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Philosopher Alvin Plantinga called the problem of suffering "the only good objection to God". Is he neither able nor willing? Then he is malevolent. Whence then is evil? Then he is malevolent. Mackie begins the article by saying that he thinks that all the arguments for God's "God is omnipotent; God is wholly good; and yet evil exists. If God were omnibenevolent, he would want to elimi-nate evil. Is he able, but not willing? If God was omnipotent then he would be able to stop evil 6. If he is omnipotent and omniscient, he knows it is happening and he has the power to stop it, therefore, not doing so means that he is not omnibenevolent. ― Epicurus. (premise) If God exists, then God is omnipotent, omniscient, and morally perfect. Then he is malevolent. If God is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not all-good. If God is morally perfect, then God has the desire to eliminate all evil. If God were omnipotent, he would be able to eliminate evil. 1. "Suffering" works better in these arguments.) Then he is malevolent. An Omnipotent, Omniscient, And Benevolent God. For God, past, present and future are all the same. And whatever He can and wants to do, He will do (Psalm 135:6). Is he both able and willing? Is he neither able nor willing? Then he is not omnipotent. Answer (1 of 22): You are citing part of an ancient paradox known as Epicurus' Trilemma, which reads in full: 1. To quickly address #3, a natural life completely exempt from evil, mishap, or tragedy is not part of any religious or non-religious belief system. Then why call him God? There are currently differing definitions of these concepts. If God is morally perfect, then God has the desire to eliminate all evil. If God was omnibenevolent he would want to stop evil C. Therefore, there is no God of classical theism Then he is not omnipotent. IF GOD IS OMNIPOTENT AND GOOD, THEN WHY IS THERE EVIL IN THE WORLD _____ A positional paper Presented to Dr. Stephen J. Wellum The Southern Baptist Theology Seminary _____ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for 27070WW _____ by Fazhi Zeng zengfazhi@gmail.com 12/10/2016 IF GOD IS OMNIPOTENT AND GOOD, THEN WHY IS THERE EVIL IN THE WORLD I think it is reasonable to believe that if God exists, that He has a morally permissible reason for allowing evil and suffering to exist . Then is he malevolent. If God cannot help but allow evil to exist, then he is not all-powerful. According to traditional theism, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. Is he able, but not willing? Therefore if God does not end . If God allows evil to exist, then He is not all-good. Irenaeus disagreed. An example of God's omnipotence is found in Genesis chapter 1 that describes the creation of the world. IV.—EVIL AND OMNIPOTENCE. He is the sovereign Lord who has not seen fit to reveal his motives for taking six days to create when he could have done it in a moment of time. Is he able, but not willing? 1. That's the question theodicy wrestles with. There is some debate 5. Is he both able and willing? Then he is malevolent. Instead, being omnipotent means that God can accomplish whatever he desires. more atheist quotes. If God exists, then God eliminates all evil. If God is omnipotent, then God has the power to eliminate all evil. If God is omnipotent and omniscient, then God cannot be omnibenevolent at the same time. P1. If God is omnipotent, then he has power over everything. Since the theistic God is omnipotent and wholly good then there should not be evil because of the fact that good tries to cancel out evil as much as it possibly can. The first possible solution is to attack the premise that, "If God is willing and unable, then he is not omnipotent." This is because God is willing that there be no evil, but given libertarian freedom, this places only a logical limit on God's power, and thus omnipotence is preserved. Is he both able and willing? (5,6) 8. For example, a few have been prepared to deny God's omnipotence, and rather more have been Then whence cometh evil? A benevolent God wants to eliminate evil but apparently God cannot. Evil exists 5. It can't. Is he both able and willing? 5. If God were unable to prevent evil, then He would be impotent. Then why call him God? Secondly, it is used for circumstances and . Although God is good, and All-Powerful, He has many other attributes as well. Is he able, but not willing? Astronomical data indicates that the universe began 13.8 billion years ago, 1 but the earth was not formed until 4.5 billion years ago. Is he neither able nor willing? P4. For omniscient, it implies under any circumstances evil will occur if he does not act. Is he neither able nor willing? Evil can exist in the world only if God is either unwilling or unable to prevent it. If he is omnipotent and omnibenevolent,. If God cannot help but allow evil to exist, then he is not all-powerful. 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