The Problem of Evil

A good summary on the existence of Evil.

The question often asked is if there is a God why is there evil in the world. Would not a God of love eradicate evil? It was H. G. Wells that said that, faced with what we see around us in the world, we are forced to conclude either God has the power and does not care, or that God cares but does not have the power. So many take this discouraging position. Evil is a foreign intrusion upon mankind it is allowed but does not flow from God as he is love, evil is not the opposite of good but devoid of anything good. The question of evil has puzzled philosophers for centuries. If there is a God why does he permit it? If God does exist, why is He so remote and not involved in our situation doesn't he care?

If God is all powerful (which he is) why can’t he get rid of the evil in the world? Just because someone doesn’t exercise all their power doesn’t mean they do not possess all power. If God were to take care of the problem of evil right now, many of the people who complain about him not solving the problem of evil would find themselves going out with it. So the answer is found in His patience and longsuffering. He is “longsuffering not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance.”

Mankind has free will, the entire universe is God's and under his control, but not everything is according to his will. Nothing happens that God is not aware of or ultimately is not in control of (set boundaries.) He allows evil to continue even though it is not his will. If evil were God's will it would contradict his perfect and Holy nature and everything he stands for and has told man not to do. -- More --