If God is Good, Why is There Evil
By William Shin
The question is often raised: If God is good, why is there evil in the world? My answer is that there is evil in the world because God is good. Ironic you say? Let’s probe a little further into this paradox.
Take for instance, a hypothetical leader, say the corrupt dictator of an impoverished nation. This bad leader would control every single detail of the lives of the people, micromanaging them with oppressive, self-serving policies. Rebellion is not tolerated; the corrupt dictator will wipe out anyone who deviates from his/her absolute rule.
So if God were a bad leader, there would be not even a hint of evil, because He would remove it before it appeared. We would not possess freedom to exercise our own will, but act as robots programmed to do only His. Because God is good, He allows evil to exist as a product of our free will.
Is it possible that there is evil in the world because over 2,000 years ago, an elitist group of scribes wrote a book, and the messages contained therein have been twisted to suit the whims of imperialist dictators ever since? Is it possible that a “jealous God” stimulates SOME sort of worldwide conflict, especially when so many leaders each believe the same, but about different gods? Is it possible that the evil stems not from one God trying to give His people a longer leash, but from those people believing there is a God holding a leash at all? Fundamentalism, of any faith, isn’t exactly the formula for compassion and worldwide love.
Finally, from the Crusades to our own George W., every leader, hypothetical or no, who used God as an excuse to rule has micromanaged his people with oppressive, self-serving policies, slaughtering all who rebel against Christianity. Hell exists to punish those who deviate from His absolute rule, doesn’t it?
Leave your response!