In the monotheistic religions of the world God is conceived as all good and also omnipotent Creator of the Universe which is not perfect in any way but mixed with a lot of imperfections and evils both natural and man made evil. The problem is very important because the presence of evil in the world is for many a scandal and a cause of rejection of religion altogether.
When things develop more or less smoothly in life it seems reasonable to believe in the goodness of God and His benevolent Providence, but when unexpectedly and suddenly tragedy develops and destroys quite often the most precious in our lives then we are bewildered
confused and our faith in God melts quickly into bitter rebellion. Someone who is close and beloved person in your life is killed in an accident , your only beloved child dies of unknown sickness, some member of your family stricken by sickness lingers on in terrible suffering sometimes for many years before death. When such things happen to others we somehow seem to understand but when it hits ourselves then we rebel : Why me? Why now ? Why is God so cruel to me? and the next step is rejection of faith in God altogether . God somehow appears as a projection of the human mind and as such is simply not real anymore. This happens quite often and to many people in our life here on earth. Of course atheists are very fast in pointing out the evil nature of the world and consider the so called goodness of God unrealistic childish superstition diverting human attention and efforts from concrete tasks of real life towards an unreal figment of the human mind. The duty of facing the problem of evil and defending the rationality of belief in a good Creator rests with believers. It is not the concern of the atheists, for the atheists can always say: ...well, that is how things are... and that is the end of your childish beliefs.
The problem is extremely important because it throws the name of God in a big question mark. In all religions alive now God is worshiped as Infinite Goodness but all the ingenuity to solve the problem will not be able to convince anybody that evil is not very real it is not only , as some believe an appearance but very real and life is full of irrationality and meaningless destruction and death. For example what should the Jews think about goodness of God after the Holocaust, the many concentration camps not only Auschwitz where the bestiality of man to other man had practically no limits at all. Did the Good Jehovah completely forget His chosen people? If not then how can His Providence be understood? Or is there any sense even in trying to understand it. The same problem of evil had been discussed in may ways by most serious philosophers and theologians. For example John Hick expressed his consternation when facing the question of evil because according to him it turns around the principle whether the end justifies the means, whether all growth in the world can justify the suffering of one child even. Dostoevsky in the novel Brothers Karamazov has Ivan give up the ticket for life in which even one tear of a child is unjustified. His brother Alyosha is very quiet during this discussion and sadly acknowledges Ivan's statement.
Many contemporary existential thinkers , especially with an atheistic bend of mind bring this out again and again ( A. Camus , J.P. Sartre, David Hume and many others) consider the problem beyond any solution and because God who "tortures " innocent children cannot by any stretch of imagination be called good or the word good is emptied and meaningless and to worship any god who is insensitive to the suffering of his creatures although he , being omnipotent could of course create the universe without suffering, sickness , dying and all the miseries of human existence is irrational.
The problem must be faced with all rational rigidity without any emotional overtones because it is a matter of not only some sort of emotional religious belief but it is the question whether the Creator deserves our adoration and love. We will have therefore to consider the problem in the following steps :
1. Who or What is God?
2. Who or What is man?
3. Is a "perfect" world possible?
3. Is a "perfect" world possible?
4. Does existence of evil make the whole universe totally meaningless and evil?
5. How is the problem of evil understood within the Christian religion?
6. Conclusion
I. Who or What is God ?
There is a crucial distinction between the God of the philosophers and the God of religion . The God of the philosophers is the God of Plato, Aristotle , Thomas Aquinas , Leibniz , Jacques Maritain , Etienne Gilson and all philosophically inclined believers .
Our problem is the possibility of justification of the existence of evil and God who is responsible for the creation of the world including the great amount of destruction , irrationality, inhumanity of man to man , sickness and the necessity of dying. It is important to take into account the reality of God within the context of religious fundamental dogmas. We shall understand here the God and Creator in the three living religions of the world:
Judaism, Islam and Christianity are the three monotheistic living religions, however most of our thinking will be drawn from Christian understanding of God . In each of those religions God is conceived as infinitely good and powerful. However we must remember here the nature of God as Creator and the position of man as creature and we must look at the total picture of God's relationship to the universe and man and man's prospect as a finite spirit, destined for eternal life with God after the physical death , which in this context is nothing else but freedom from aging body and transition into eternity to meet the benevolent Creator. Some remarks are immediately important at this point.
(a) God did not have to create world at all , creation is a complete undeserved gift.
(b) Man's essential nature relative to God the Creator is that he is a creature completely dependent in his existence on the grace of God.
These two points are very important to remember. Otherwise we narrow down our vision to the limited abilities and anthropomorphic thinking from which the problem of evil loses it's clarity and possibility of rational solution. Our knowledge of God is analogical and very mysterious to the human mind. Even Thomas Aquinas maintained that we know that God is but we don't know what God is . Only within the context of a revealed religion we get more insight into the what of God. This however does not completely make God understandable or comprehensible to the finite and limited human mind. Most religions however agree on at least the point that God is the Creator of the universe and as a benevolent Creator He deserves worship. Religion always gives some assurance and even promises of eternity after the physical death . With this the question of haven or hell and the possibility of eternal happiness or eternal complete perdition becomes very crucial and inspires not only feelings of obedience and love but fear and quite often rebellion and rejection of a God who " tortures little children." God is Absolute and completely transcendent to His creation , however it is important to remember that God is not static as it were frozen, in His self-perfection. God is active as Thomas would say " Actus Purus." Creation did not start at some point in the past and stopped later. It is going on eternally present as true today as i was some fourteen and half billion years ago as contemporary physicists estimate the time which lapsed between now and the big bang. Creation is therefore not finished or completed and this universe is a developing process. We therefore do not have a complete understanding of the final plans of God in creating this universe and there always maybe and will be surprises in the overall evolution of the cosmos, it's history and man's changing situation in it.
II. Who or what is man?
There are many definitions of man depending on the philosophical theories and in recent times scientific description of man pictured within the context of scientific reductionism. In biology man is considered as little higher animal on the scale of evolution and there are other descriptions. We shall not discuss those different concepts of man. But here, we will analyze man as a creature and relationship to God, man and his nature, his destiny within the evolving universe. . In religious language, the personal and spiritual God created man in His own image:
III. Is a "Perfect " world possible?
" What is man that You think of him?
mortal man that You remember Him?
Yet You have made him little less
than God, You have crowned him with
glory and splendor." (Psalm 8: 4-6)
"And so man, created as a personal being in
the image of God, is only the raw material
for further and more difficult stage
of God's created work". John Hick
"Man surpasses himself indefinitely" Blaise Pascal
"...The spirituality of our nature makes us
potentially God-like. The potentiality
must be actualized. " Thomas Merton
Man is not finished yet but he is in process of growth towards the Divine. As the image of God he is personal self-conscious Self with the freedom of decision and responsibility towards his growth and self development. Freedom of choice makes man the source of good in moral terms but also of evil. This is the nature of freedom. If man were determined to one level of action only he would be perhaps very efficient automaton but he would not be human. The personal God did not want to have robots but free human beings capable of self sacrifices, love service to others and unreserved love of God, His maker . It is clear therefore that the very nature and dignity of humans gifted with free choice and decision making implies not only possibility of good but also possibility of evil, destruction and realization of maximal hateful brutality and murder towards his fellow humans. God therefore is by no means directly responsible for the enormous amount of evil perpetrated in history towards other man.
Man's freedom , his personality and his dynamism towards growth is possible because he is free. Man is not alone but he is on his own and he must face the world as it is and within it realize his freedom . Every human action is an act towards growth or diminishment, moving higher towards God or retreating to the level of the sin-affected animal. Since there is the inevitable duality between good and evil, that is why evil has the source in good. Without evil goodness would not be possible at all. To destroy completely evil would be at least also to destroy good. God as Omnipotent Creator with His always present impact on nature He does not violate universal laws because it would turn this world into chaos. In such situation knowledge would be impossible , free choice would be non-existent and within the context of the evolving universe man simply would not exist.
III. Is a "Perfect " world possible?
The word "perfect" is very confusing word because when we ask ourselves what really is perfection we are more and more emerging into confusion. Usually by perfection we mean something that is complete in itself, lacking nothing and not subject to any change . For example God since He is Perfect cannot change Himself radically or stop existing . God is pure infinite existence Itself but He is also active cause of all finite reality. Now the universe as known by modern astronomy is not static in any way it is constantly developing, changing and expanding from the very beginning which astronomers called the big bang. The process of development and change is by no means finished . However in face of the unimaginable immensity of the known universe we cannot accurately predict even it's future: will it continue expanding infinitely or will at some point the all pervading gravity make it crunch together? Modern astronomy confirmed the old saying of Heraclitus of Ephesus everything flows (panta rei). The important point to remember here is that the universe is temporary and it had a beginning and it is not eternal in any way as many philosophers before used to believe. If there was a beginning then there must be some transcending being to creatively let the universe exist. From religious view point it has been traditionally accepted that God created this universe out of nothing, that is make it be simply because of His infinite omnipotence. If it is true that universe is in the process of becoming then it is not finished, complete or in any way perfect. The universe is neither good or evil it is simply is a challenge to conscious human beings to change it as much as possible for a better place. In this effort man himself grows inside as a person and responsible free agent. The changing universe its therefore a necessary opportunity for humans to create under human level and to produce more and more moral and material good . The fact that the universe is changing is the field of growth for human beings . This growth however is not easy or passive , small and comfortable existence . It is clear therefore that this universe in which we live is a necessary challenge towards perfection. The difficulties of living and conquering the forces of nature are not in themselves evil but they call for the effort towards the good and humans.
The physical insignificance of man in the immensity of the cosmos does not detract his calling or dignity but on the contrary it elevates man. Only an imperfect world in process of development creates the proper environment for a developing man.
The physical insignificance of man in the immensity of the cosmos does not detract his calling or dignity but on the contrary it elevates man. Only an imperfect world in process of development creates the proper environment for a developing man.
IV. Does Existence of Evil make the universe meaningless?
Perhaps religious thought is not intellectually rigorous ? Perhaps we must simply take a " leap of faith" that all is somehow ultimately for the best . Can there be a future good so great as to make the whole human experience with all it's wickedness and suffering meaningful.
We already pointed out the duality existing between good and evil and the mutual implication of this fact. An analogical duality is found also in the structure of the universe. All things develop in duality. This is true from the subatomic structure of the particles between themselves, as well as on the macroscopic level most visible in the realm of life. The male and female relationship running practically through the whole kingdom of evolving universe of life. It is crucial to remember that the existence of evil does not in any way make this universe meaningless or evil. If evil would be more powerful than the good ,the universe would simply be nonexistent since the very act of existing in itself is good and it contains the possibility of growing practically to the infinite degree.
The most destructive is of course annihilation because it simply reduces even the smallest existing reality into nothingness that is it robs it of it's perfection of being. It was already discussed that because there is the shadowy side of being in the universe light is possible. The universe therefore remains a proper field for humans to grow practically to an infinite degree . This growth and development makes of life always a meaningful challenge to more goodness, creativity and development of free personality practically into infinity. All those who cannot see the adventure of being towards infinity must of course also lose the realization of meaning in this life. That is why we have such statements of some contemporary existential thinkers like Sartre, Camus and so many others that life is radically absurd and leads nowhere at all. Such statements are based on already assumed conviction that God does not exist and therefore life cannot have any durable meaning at all for it is absurd. It is a vicious circle thinking , first we assumed that God does not exist then we conclude that life is absurd which in turn make religious belief nonsensical . This universe is constant becoming that is developing it's potential and actualizing it's intrinsic possibilities but the same applies also to man who are called to actualize there possibilities on all levels not only the spiritual level although the spiritual level is central and the most important . Within the religious prospective man are possessors of spiritual seed of immortality and physical death is only a transition to another existence : the eternal. It follows from the above that life as a gift from the Creator is always meaningful and the universe is a kind of training ground for development of the best in man.
V. The Problem of Evil and Christian Religion?
We are very much aware that there are several at least religions and by drawing our conclusion from Christianity we do not deny that in the Mosaic religion or in Islam there are true religious insights concerning man's relationship to the transcendent being, but in Christianity and the event of Christ we have a historical greatest event of salvation. Christianity is the solution also to the question of evil. Christians believe that God Himself became human in all except sin . God had in a way of speaking diminished Himself and accepted as a human being the whole human condition. His coming was the conquest of the power of sin and evil in human life, that means by His suffering and resurrection He gave all human beings who accept Him as their savior the power to conquer evil in their lives and enter into everlasting existence with their Maker. Christ accepted all the negative evil responses of humans of His time. He was hated by many, called the worst possible names , sentenced to a cruel passion and crucifixion. His disciples at the moment of crisis when Christ was arrested fled for their lives, Christ had to face the prospect of the cruel death on the cross in complete loneliness. What remained was his absolute trust in his Father and obedience to the necessity of taking upon himself all the sins and man made evil . This is the essence of what Christians call salvation. Salvation however does not mean that if someone becomes a Christian he/she will be free from the normal evils of human life . Christ Himself stressed several times that whoever wants to be his disciple must take the cross and follow him. He did not promise any other secular goods or consolations for Christians believers. Saint Paul made it very clear when he said :
...If Christ did not rise from the tomb we Christians
are the most miserable of all man, but now Christ
rose from the dead....
There exist suffering, there exist disappointment , sorrows and aging , sickness and death. All of this however loses it's sting in the context of the future eternal fulfillment in God Himself.
VI. Conclusion
It seems therefore that the problem of evil which for many is a scandal and a proof of God's cruelty towards His creatures is not when carefully analyzed any detraction from the Holiness of God and the meaningfulness of human life and man's destiny . Man is
destined for eternal life and therefore whatever happens to him in this life can with God's grace be overcome and made for more closeness to God. Men of course are free, they may believe whatever for some reason they decide to accept or reject. This is the exercise of freedom even to the rejection of God and his/her fellow men. The essence therefore of evil lies primarily in man's choice . The stakes are not only temporary but they have eternal consequences. Knowing the love of Christ and His unconditional offer of forgiveness , the Christian is able to pray the most beautiful prayer which Christ taught people: Our Father who art in heaven hollowed by name... Any good father listens to his children.
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Frankl, Victor , E., Man Search for Meaning, Washington Square Press, New York:
1984
Hick, John, Evil and the God of Love, Harper and Row, San Francisco: 1966
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