How might a strong theist go about demonstrating that an all-good, all-powerful God can coexist with evil? Some theists may suggest that God has sufficient reasons for allowing the evil and suffering that occurs.
However, what reasons could justify God's allowing all of the evil and suffering on earth? Mass murderers and serial killers commonly have reasons for why they kill, but they do not have "good" purposes. It appears that only when people have morally right reasons, they are excused for their behavior.
Philosophers of religion have called the kind of reason that could morally justify God's allowing evil and suffering a "morally sufficient reason."
If God has a morally sufficient purpose for permitting evil, would it be possible for God to be omnipotent, omniscient, entirely right, and yet for there to be evil and suffering?
If God sees evil and suffering on earth, knows how to defeat or prevent it, is strong enough to stop it, and yet does nothing about it, God must not be entirely good—unless God has a virtuously sufficient rationale for permitting evil.
Since this argument assumes that God does exist, If it is possible that God has a good reason for allowing evil to exist, then the logical dilemma of evil fails to confirm the absence of God.
If, however, it is not plausible that God has an implicitly sound purpose for allowing evil and suffering, then it seems that God is either not omnipotent, not omniscient, or not entirely good.
Which case is correct to demonstrate why evil persists if God is all-good and all-powerful?
What would be your argument?
Comments
Post a Comment