The Problem of Evil
The problem of evil is a reconciliation of the existence of evil with a God that is benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient. If an all-knowing, all-powerful, wholly good God exists, why is there evil in the universe? If God has these traits, why has he allowed evil to exist? This is an important issue in the philosophy of religion, as it is fundamental to Christianity and better understanding God. This paper will discuss the problem of evil and argue against the existence of a benevolent and omnipotent creator of the universe.
David Hume says that one may initially assume the creator of the universe is "a very good, wise and powerful being." With that assumption, one would expect the universe to have no evil. However, the universe does contain the evils we expect to not exist. With that knowledge, Hume says, we have two choices. On one hand, we can accept that the creator is good, wise, and powerful and that evil is something we cannot understand. Or, as Hume suggests, we can take the evidence around us at face value. This evidence does not support the creation of our universe by a good, wise, and powerful creator. With that, this creator must not exist.
J.L. Mackie has a similar belief as Hume. "In its simplest form the problem is this: God is omnipotent; God is wholly good; and yet evil exists. There seems to be some contradiction between these three propositions, so that if any two of them were true the third would be false." Mackie goes on to say that a benevolent God would be directly opposed to evil and eliminate it. An omnipotent God would have no issue with said elimination of evil.
John Hick offers an argument on why God and evil both exist. Hick says that a world without suffering would not satisfy us. Without suffering, humans would not develop moral qualities such as generosity and kindness. Hick goes on to say that a world without suffering, one in which God prevents or removes all evil, natural laws such as gravity would no longer be universally applied. Further, humans would not have a need to care for one another, knowing that everyone else is being protected by God.
I believe that since evil exists in the universe the God that Christianity describes - omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent - cannot exist. An omnipotent God would have the power to create a universe without evil or vanquish it from this universe. An omniscient God would know that evil exists and that it is harmful. A benevolent God is good by definition and would not allow evil to exist. This benevolent God would see evil and seek to destroy it. If God is in fact all these things, why does evil exist today? We know evil exists today as we have undoubtedly witnessed evil acts in our lifetimes. I agree with Mackie when he states that God cannot be both omnipotent and wholly good while evil exists. Only two of those propositions can be true at any given moment. Either God is omnipotent and not wholly good, or God is wholly good and not omnipotent. An argument can be made for free will, but I believe it has little merit. An omnipotent God would still have the power to create a universe where free will exists and evil does not. Those two working in harmony may be difficult to reconcile with the human brain, but God's omniscience would clearly have the capacity to solve such a conundrum.
The problem of evil is a fundamental issue at the heart of the philosophy of religion. Many philosophers and theologians have shared their thoughts and insights on this topic including David Hume, J.L. Mackie, and John Hick. There are many arguments and theories that have been borne out of this discussion. I believe the evidence points to the lack of a God that is benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient.
