Does God cause evil?

[DanieltheDragon]

Does God cause evil?

Some assert that God causes no evil. Is there cause to believe this is true. Can this position be supported. Is the character described in the bible incapable of evil?

I would assert that a position that claims God created everything would make him the original cause of evil. That God cannot escape being the cause of evil since he created any and all situations in which evil would arise.

[MuffMaYne]

[Replying to post 85 by Donray]

How does one create evil? Did he do evil things, sure. Did he create evil? What does that even mean?

[Joe1950]

Does God cause evil?

Some assert that God causes no evil. Is there cause to believe this is true. Can this position be supported. Is the character described in the bible incapable of evil?

I would assert that a position that claims God created everything would make him the original cause of evil. That God cannot escape being the cause of evil since he created any and all situations in which evil would arise.

Let us assume the following as a basis for discussion. God exists. God is all knowing and all powerful. I think that is a fair explanation of what a Christian would believe. So I will start assuming those things to be true.

If God created all things, he (I will use personal pronoun) created the concepts of good and evil. He also created the ability of beings to perform good or evil actions. God chose to create this ability.
I would conclude that god , since he creates all, allows all things to happen, and so must be responsible for the existence of evil. Since he is all powerful he could have chosen NOT to allow evil actions to exist.

[William]

[Replying to post 89 by hoghead1]

Just goes to show how far away someone can be from what Jesus taught and still do (or promote to do) evil things in his name.

[William]

[Replying to post 90 by Donray]

Precisely why it is a kind of madness debating with them.

Also, I think it hardly reasonable to think that one can win them over to atheism. Probably about the same odds as them winning atheists over to their particular brand of theism.

[William]

[Replying to post 91 by MuffMaYne]

Perhaps it is in creating the circumstance wherein evil could be practiced?

According to some beliefs, there are alternate realities where free will exists but evil is not practiced.

Rich people on this planet believe that they are contributing much good into the world and investing in wonderful things. They see nothing untoward in their positions in relation to disparity and poor people are just collateral - unfortunate beings but inconsequential in the grand scheme of things...apart from that they are numerous and one of the major reasons that rich people are rich.

Poor people might regard the rich as being evil, but more often than not - being rich is security in this world so many poor people also yearn to be rich and crime is often seen as one possible way of the poor achieving this. Poor people can also be regarded as evil and deserving of their position because they are lazy or good for nothing much, apart from being used.


But it all seems to get back to the environment as being the major contributor to why evil exists - why the opportunity for evil to being acted out is available and more oft than not, made manifest.

[MuffMaYne]

[Replying to post 95 by William]

Well if the definition of evil is an environment in which bad things can happen, then yes, God creates that. God can and has definitely caused and or allowed calamities to happen or certain evils to thrive in certain environments.

[ttruscott]

[Replying to post 85 by Donray]

How does one create evil? Did he do evil things, sure. Did he create evil? What does that even mean?

One creates evil by there being no evil in the situation and one does something and by that act there is evil in the situation. What was only a possibility is now a reality. The evil is palpable, real and has an abiding, living expression and is now a person.

The effect of rejecting GOD is to DO evil but the natural consequence of doing evil is to become enslaved and addicted to evil thereby the person who was not evil now is evil, sowing it wherever he goes. Thus is evil created.

[MuffMaYne]

[Replying to post 97 by ttruscott]

Then by that definition I couldn't say whether or not God creates evil. He definitely allows for the option of it. Is that the same as creating it?

[Tired of the Nonsense]

Does God cause evil?

Some assert that God causes no evil. Is there cause to believe this is true. Can this position be supported. Is the character described in the bible incapable of evil?

I would assert that a position that claims God created everything would make him the original cause of evil. That God cannot escape being the cause of evil since he created any and all situations in which evil would arise.

Let us assume the following as a basis for discussion. God exists. God is all knowing and all powerful. I think that is a fair explanation of what a Christian would believe. So I will start assuming those things to be true.

If God created all things, he (I will use personal pronoun) created the concepts of good and evil. He also created the ability of beings to perform good or evil actions. God chose to create this ability.
I would conclude that god , since he creates all, allows all things to happen, and so must be responsible for the existence of evil. Since he is all powerful he could have chosen NOT to allow evil actions to exist.

I would conclude that god , since he creates all, allows all things to happen, and so must be responsible for the existence of evil. Since he is all powerful he could have chosen NOT to allow evil actions to exist.

Isaiah 45:
[7] I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Your conclusion above, plus the Bible's own statement that God personally creates evil, seems to make the question presented by the OP a slam dunk; yes, God causes evil! The Jewish God of the OT orders children and babies to be hacked to death with swords, supports and endorses slavery, and once, in a fit of pique, drowned every living thing on earth because he was angry at the way humans turned out. Very contradictory behavior for an all powerful all knowing Being. This harsh ogre of a God portrayed by the ancient Jews is at distinct odds with the benevolent loving God that many Christians prefer to believe in. As a solution to this problem many Christians have chosen to declare that what the Bible plainly says is not what the Bible actually means. The main problem with this revisionist approach is that declaring that the Bible means something entirely different from what it says doesn't actually change the words of the Bible. And the rest of us can read too.

[ttruscott]

If God created all things, he (I will use personal pronoun) created the concepts of good and evil. He also created the ability of beings to perform good or evil actions. God chose to create this ability.

imCo
GOD didn't create the concepts of good and evil, HE IS the embodiment of good and that which is in antithesis to HIM is evil. No creation of anything necessary.

I would conclude that god , since he creates all, allows all things to happen, and so must be responsible for the existence of evil. Since he is all powerful he could have chosen NOT to allow evil actions to exist.

The culmination of the bible story is the marriage between GOD and HIS Bride, the holy Church. Therefore it is logical to assume that the marriage is the purpose of our creation. No forced marriage is a real marriage but is rather a rape.

We are also commanded to love HIM with all our heart, mind and soul. Love cannot be commanded and if 'love' is forced by the nature of our being as created, it is not true love. Love is only acceptable if it is freely given.

By these two things being HIS purpose for our creation we can understand the absolute theological necessity of our free will, uncoerced by the nature of our creation or by our experience nor constrained from being able to reject HIS proposal of marriage and a refusal to seek to learn to love HIM.

Therefore, by the necessity of our free will, HE had to allow the possibility of evil as an option for those who really did not want what HE was offering. By rejecting HIS proposal by their free will they self created their character as evil.

So, does creating the possibility that evil can happen make someone guilty if evil is chosen? Is the maker of a clay pot guilty if someone makes a stew in it and puts poison in the stew to kill someone? Is the person who warns another that a plant is poisonous guilty if the person uses this knowledge to poison someone else?

Is creating a person with the ability to choose good or evil really the cause of their choice? Christians deny this accepting James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God� is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. IF GOD does not create these desires to do evil, that which is known to be against GOD, then HE is not the cause of their evil.