The Problem of Evil and the Existence of God - Essay Example

With a morally just God the question then becomes why it is evil in the world. Another important consideration is that if there is a God or creator figure then he must be an extremely powerful entity. With this power then why does God not eliminate evil in the world? In these regards, the actual structure of the argument is that:

1. If God exists, then God is supreme and moral.
2. If God is supreme, then God has the ability to do away with evil.
3. If God is supreme, then God knows where to locate evil.
4. If God is moral, then God has the desire to do away with all evil.
5. It is evil in the world.
6. If evil exists and God exists then God would have done away with evil.

Therefore, God doesn't exist.

Objections    

When considering these points, there are a number of objections that have been raised. When considering these points a number of objections have been raised. One of the major objections surfaces from believers in God who argue from a religious perspective. This perspective is that the existence of evil and God are not contradictory because God intends for individuals to have free will. In this perspective, all suffering exists either as an element of God’s plan or as means of allowing humans free will.

Responses

There are a number of responses to these objections. One such response is that the very existence of good demands that there be evil. For good to exist then evil must also exist. In this situation, God creates evil in order to have good. Indeed, certain types of good only exist with certain types of evil; for instance, mercy can only exist with the existence of evil. The final response is that evil exists as a means of allowing humans free will, as without evil humans would not have the choice to pursue good.

In conclusion, this essay has considered the problem of evil and the existence of God. The essay considered a number of notions related to this question, namely why a supreme and morally just God being would create evil and suffering in the world. In response to this question, the essay demonstrated that it’s possible that the God figure does not have to be morally just. It’s also argued that it’s possible the very notion of evil is illusionary. Ultimately, I believe that in large part the problem of evil and the existence of God is largely a religious issue. While transcendental understandings of the universe, or even cosmological scientific understandings, operate without the existence of a supreme and morally just God figure, it is only in the religious concepts of God that these notions exist.