The Not-Good God Response to the Problem of Evil

How could a good God allow evil? This whole problem would go away if God wasn’t totally good. But, is that reasonable?

• 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
• 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