ForumsWEPRA Paradox: Why would a benign God create penultimate evil

134 20481
camm95
offline
camm95
52 posts
Nomad

just a question i've always had, and just so we are clear, this is not a question pertaining to any specific religion, it is simply a hypothetical.
please don't cite religious texts, i'd like to hear your personal opinions from purely rational viewpoints

  • 134 Replies
Nurvana
offline
Nurvana
2,524 posts
Farmer

God does not create evil. He allows it to happen. The obvious question to that would be, who created evil? Satan, I've heard from some theologians, but wouldn't have God had to allow him to?

Kasic
offline
Kasic
5,557 posts
Jester

He allows it to happen


Yes, omnipotent, all loving god lets evil happen. Yay loving god.
TerryLasVegas
offline
TerryLasVegas
774 posts
Nomad

who created evil? Satan


I thought satan was originally an angel, and arent all angels created by god?
camm95
offline
camm95
52 posts
Nomad

But an omnipotent God created everything so therefore created evil. and has the power to destroy anything so why would a benign god create and then allow the proliferation of evil?

Kasic
offline
Kasic
5,557 posts
Jester

why would a benign god create and then allow the proliferation of evil?


Obviously, a benign god wouldn't, so that leaves us with God is a malevolent ******* - if he even exists.
Nurvana
offline
Nurvana
2,524 posts
Farmer

I thought satan was originally an angel, and arent all angels created by god?


Don't try and quote that like I was making a statement. I was pointing out what a theologian would say, and I know this is just text, but in a tone that suggests my skepticism? Obviously what I had written made no sense.
camm95
offline
camm95
52 posts
Nomad

Would the allowance of evil make God Malevolent, or would it make God more of a humanlike?

Xzeno
offline
Xzeno
2,301 posts
Nomad

God allows evil to happen because all beings have free will. Satan was the first to "create evil" when he rebelled against God, by his own free will.

why would a benign god create and then allow the proliferation of evil?
Because all beings have free will. Satan was given every chance for redemption, but continued with his wicked ways.
Nurvana
offline
Nurvana
2,524 posts
Farmer

Would the allowance of evil make God Malevolent, or would it make God more of a humanlike?


I think it would make him humanlike, for either he would fail to have the foresight of what allowance of sin would do (i.e., atheists), or he would lack the power to avoid sicking it upon his people. It would not make him completely malevolent, because everyone does bad deeds, and even someone convicted of murder may not be malevolent (I was going to use an analogy of a child being punished by his parent, but obviously the creation of sin is a much larger crime).
TerryLasVegas
offline
TerryLasVegas
774 posts
Nomad

Don't try and quote that like I was making a statement. I was pointing out what a theologian would say, and I know this is just text, but in a tone that suggests my skepticism?


No i was just trying to get the jist of what you were saying without having to quote too much. lol sorry you misinterpreted my quote
Nurvana
offline
Nurvana
2,524 posts
Farmer

No i was just trying to get the jist of what you were saying without having to quote too much. lol sorry you misinterpreted my quote


I encourage that you go through the effort of spending one more second dragging your mouse across the screen as not to cause such confusion again.
camm95
offline
camm95
52 posts
Nomad

How was satan given a chance at redemption? but even those who do only good will be harmed by those who do evil, so why would God wish evil, or maybe not wish but allow, upon his children that are good?

MageGrayWolf
offline
MageGrayWolf
9,470 posts
Farmer

God does not create evil. He allows it to happen. The obvious question to that would be, who created evil? Satan, I've heard from some theologians, but wouldn't have God had to allow him to?


Given God is suppose to be omniscient then he made Satan knowing he would be evil.

Because all beings have free will. Satan was given every chance for redemption, but continued with his wicked ways.


Free will is no excuse. God could have placed Satan in a place where evil could no proliferate. Given we are speaking of Satan in this instance we are speaking of the Abrahamic God which has done far worse things him self.
Xzeno
offline
Xzeno
2,301 posts
Nomad

Given we are speaking of Satan in this instance we are speaking of the Abrahamic God which has done far worse things him self.
Satan convinced Eve to eat the apple, banishing all of humanity from the Garden of Eden. He also literally invented sin.

God could have placed Satan in a place where evil could no proliferate.
Such as?

Given God is suppose to be omniscient then he made Satan knowing he would be evil.
God was aware of every event that would transpire when he made Satan. But because Satan had free will, he couldn't stop them.
Xzeno
offline
Xzeno
2,301 posts
Nomad

How was satan given a chance at redemption?
He could have repented for his sins, but he chose not to.
Showing 1-15 of 134