How could a good God allow evil? This whole problem would go away if God wasn’t totally good. But, is that reasonable?
NOTES
- Problem of Evil
- 1. If God exists, then He could prevent evil
- S1: He is all-powerful and all-knowing
- 2. If God exists, then He would prevent evil
- S1: He is all-good
- So, 3. If God exists, then evil doesn’t exist
- 4. Evil exists
- So, 5. God doesn’t exist
- 1. If God exists, then He could prevent evil
- The Evil God Response
- God is not all good
- So, the support argument for (2) is false
- O1: this is an atheist position, not a theist position
- R1: “God is evil” assumes God exists
- R2: if “God is evil” is true, then the only reason to believe (2) is false, so the Problem of Evil fails
- O2: God has no reason to be evil
- 1. If God exists, then He is eternal and brought everything out of nothing
- 2. So, if God exists, then He must be all-powerful, all-knowing, self-sufficient, etc.
- 3. Evil actions are the result of a deficiency of some kind (e.g., temptation, corruption)
- 4. So, God doesn’t commit evil actions
- O3: God is the arbiter of good and evil
- 1. What is good/evil for a thing is determined by what the thing is
- 2. God invents what everything is
- 3. So, God determines what is good/evil for everything
- 4. But, nothing does the same for God
- 5. So, God cannot be said to be evil like this
- R1: this means God can’t be said to be good either
- O1: God can be said to be good in an analogical sense since He determines what is good
Leave a Reply