WHY EVIL HAPPENS?

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL?

So God, in perfect love, allows us the chance to do the right thing or the wrong thing. Just giving us
the opportunity, does not mean God creates evil. But God allows the possibility of evil. And some
choose to follow the wrong path. As a result, others suffer.

God Doesn’t Cause, Plan, or Desire Evil

But God does give human beings free will. We can choose to love him, or not to love him. Those who
choose to love him grow in goodness. Those who choose to hate him grow in evil. In his sovereignty,
God causes the wicked deeds of wicked people to backfire, working all things together for good.
Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But eventually, he will.

However the Bible makes it plain that God did not create the world in the state in which it is now. Evil
came as a result of the selfishness of man. The Bible says that God is a God of love and He desired to
create a person and eventually a race that would love Him. But genuine love cannot exist unless freely
given through free choice to accept God’s love or to reject it. This choice made the possibility of evil
become very real. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not choose something God created,
but, by their choice, they brought evil into the world. God is neither evil nor did He create evil. Man
brought evil upon himself by selfishly choosing his own way apart from God’s way.

Christians have a justification for fighting evil, immorality and corruption. The world was not designed
with evil in mind and the believer has a real basis for fighting social ills. He is not following the belief that
whatever is, is right. The Christian does not condone wrongdoing by claiming that it is God’s world,
neither does he assume that everything that happens is agreed to by God. God does not desire evil nor
does he ever condone it. He hates evil, and the Christian also is not only to despise evil, he is obligated
to do something about it. Even though sin is real, it is not something that the believer accepts as the way
things ought to be. By identifying with Jesus, the believer has a duty to call things wrong that are wrong
and to speak out when evil is overtaking good. The Christian is not fighting against God, by fighting social
problems. Natural disasters, crime, and terrorism should not be the accepted order of things, because
they were never meant to be and they will not be in God’s future kingdom.

However, some people are still bothered that God even allows evil in the first place. They question His
wisdom in giving man a choice in the matter. Dorothy Sayers put the problem of evil in the proper
perspective:

Although the Bible informs us how and why evil came about, it does not tell us why God allowed it to
happen. However, we do know that God is all wise and all knowing and that he has reasons for allowing
things to happen that are beyond our comprehension.

Existence is good, so evil does not exist except as the lack or deprivation of some good that a being
should have. We can therefore only recognize evil in the context of a prior understanding of the good of
any being. If evil were completely annihilating of the good then it would have to annihilate itself because
it depends upon the good of existence to manifest itself as lack.
Moral evil results when a person intentionally does something or fails to do something that prevents
herself or somebody else from realising their human potential, and it is caused by a defect of the will,
that is, by a lack of understanding of the good.

The Problem of Evil

Solving the seeming contradiction between a loving God and the reality of evil is usually referred to as
a theodicy. A theodicy attempts to solve the apparent tensions in what is often termed the problem of
evil. But the problem of evil is really a series of problems. Like many large problems, sometimes it is
helpful to break them down into their components. Evil, you see, actually extends not only to the moral
world, but also to the natural world. When human beings do bad things to one another, this is moral
evil. But so-called natural disasters are often considered evil as well because of all the suffering they
cause. Earthquakes, tidal waves, floods, and so forth, are all examples of what might be termed natural
evil.

What is Evil?

One helpful approach to solving the problem of evil has to do with defining evil. Christian thinker
Augustine defined evil not as a thing in and of itself, but as a parasite on good. Something that is lacking
is not a thing in itself. For instance, if you have a hole in your jacket, the hole is not something, but
rather is something that is lacking. Similarly, Augustine considered evil something that is missing.
Indeed, it requires good to exist because it is a parasite. In this sense, Augustine defined evil as a
privation – a lack of something – rather than a thing or substance.

This solves some important criticisms. If evil is not an actual thing, then God cannot be the author of
evil. God is the author of good, but we make moral choices that result in evil.

Does Evil Argue Against God?

Atheists, skeptics and other critics of Christianity often argue against God on the basis of the reality of
evil and suffering. “See,” they say, “since evil and suffering exist, God must not exist.” Sometimes they
will argue that God may exist, but perhaps He is a weak god, an incompetent one or even an evil one!

But do evil and suffering really mean that God does not exist? Some Christians have responded by
turning the skeptic’s argument on its head. They do this by asking on what basis is something deemed
evil? If there is some moral standard the critic is basing their position on, then the problem of evil
becomes an argument for not against the reality of God. After all, in order to call something good or evil,
there must be an underlying standard of right and wrong. Theists argue that this standard is rooted in
God and His nature. We know His moral law exists so we recognize the reality of evil and suffering. But
unless there is a moral standard, we have no real basis for calling anything good or evil.

A World Without Evil?

But couldn’t God have created a world without evil? Let’s take a look at a few of the options. If God had
not created anything, there would be no evil. But is nothing better than something? Hardly. This would
be a world without morality. What if God created a world where people could not choose? God could
force everyone to stop before they were able to carry out evil behavior. But is such a world where
freedom does not exist good?

God knows best and, as such, He knows that our world is the best way to the best possible world. Yes,
there will be evil and suffering along the way. We can rejoice with the apostle Paul when he wrote, “I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”
(Romans 8:18). 

The "Problem of Evil" is a philosophical stumbling block for many people. Since the empirical evidence
for creation, and therefore a Creator, is stunning (see prior discussions), many atheists attack biblical
creation on philosophical grounds. The primary questions atheists pose are: "If God is real, and God
created everything, why did He create evil?" "Why did a personal, loving God create a world in which
evil exists?" "Why did God give man freedom to commit evil acts?" Atheists reason, "Surely, an all-
knowing God of love would not allow evil to exist in His world."

The response to the foregoing is summed up in God's nature and His desire for mankind. Look at the
logic: How could God allow for love without the potential for evil? God could have created robots that
do nothing more than forever say, "I love you, I love you, I love you." But such creatures would be
incapable of a real love relationship. Love is a choice, and the Bible says God desires a real love
relationship with His creation. Love is not real unless we have the ability to not love. One of God's
attributes is omniscience. God knew that in a world with choice, there would be much evil -- to choose
not to love is evil by definition. However, there would also be the capacity for real love. Philosopher
Alvin Plantinga writes, "An all loving, all powerful, all knowing Being could permit as much evil as He
pleased without forfeiting His claim to being all loving, so long as for every evil state of affairs He permits
there is an accompanying greater good". The potential for love out weighs the existence of evil,
especially if evil can only exist for a time. Evil is a side effect of love. Suffering and death are a side effect
of evil (Romans 5:12). God says in His Bible that this side effect is only for a time. Evil serves the limited
purpose of establishing real love relationships between creation and the Creator, and evil will be done
away with after that purpose is achieved. "And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that
does the will of God abides forever" (I John 2:17).