Did God create evil?

[InChrist]

If my mind had no other option I wouldn't know any better.

True, but it may be that you wouldn't have much of a mind or at least the kind of mind with thinking ability the Creator God wanted you to have.

 

[Hufflechuff]

So into a world without sin God introduced the option of doing evil. He created the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. He created the Serpent and being omniscient knew its nature and its plans. Being omniscient He already knew Eve would sample the fruit. He therefore chose for evil to come into existence in this world.
There being a tree that already had the knowledge of evil tells us that the concept of evil already existed before God created Man. As God created everything He must have created the concept of evil.

As for free-will in choosing to eat of the tree. If I put heroin in front of a child and said it could do anything but do not put your finger in the powder and lick it, and the child then died, I would be held responsible. The child is innocent and cannot be blamed (nor can its future children).

 

[Skwim]

So into a world without sin God introduced the option of doing evil. He created the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. He created the Serpent and being omniscient knew its nature and its plans. Being omniscient He already knew Eve would sample the fruit. He therefore chose for evil to come into existence in this world.
There being a tree that already had the knowledge of evil tells us that the concept of evil already existed before God created Man. As God created everything He must have created the concept of evil.

As for free-will in choosing to eat of the tree. If I put heroin in front of a child and said it could do anything but do not put your finger in the powder and lick it, and the child then died, I would be held responsible. The child is innocent and cannot be blamed (nor can its future children).

Yeah, the Christian does have so toughies to deal with. Fortunately for them they're able to treat them as if they didn't exist and blithely go one with their faith.

 

[InChrist]

So into a world without sin God introduced the option of doing evil. He created the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. He created the Serpent and being omniscient knew its nature and its plans. Being omniscient He already knew Eve would sample the fruit. He therefore chose for evil to come into existence in this world.

In my perspective there is a difference between “choosing for evil” and “allowing evil” to come into the world. Allowing for the possibility of evil to occur, if free moral beings did not choose good, was the only way to ensure created beings were truly free to make moral choices. I believe the only other alternatives would have been for God to create no one at all or to create mindless creatures with no freedom to actually choose good, love, etc.
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There being a tree that already had the knowledge of evil tells us that the concept of evil already existed before God created Man. As God created everything He must have created the concept of evil.

I don't consider God's knowledge of the concept of evil the same as creating evil. I do agree and as I have said in previous posts, evil did occur before the creation of man. According to the scriptures, the first thought of evil intent, then its expression and manifestation into reality was brought about by Satan (Lucifer). Before this only God's eternal and infinite goodness existed. God being all-knowing, does mean He knew about the concept of evil, but evil was never a reality in His eternal realm.


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As for free-will in choosing to eat of the tree. If I put heroin in front of a child and said it could do anything but do not put your finger in the powder and lick it, and the child then died, I would be held responsible. The child is innocent and cannot be blamed (nor can its future children).

Not quite the same thing. Adam and Eve were created innocent, but they were not little children. God created them as adults and from the biblical account it appears they were intelligent adults. Intelligent enough to understand one rule.

 

[InChrist]

Yeah, the Christian does have so toughies to deal with. Fortunately for them they're able to treat them as if they didn't exist and blithely go one with their faith.

I doubt most committed Christians who know the LORD blithely go on with their faith when dealing with difficult questions. I don't. I seriously think and pray about tough issues. But neither do I heedlessly discount God's trustworthiness and goodness because someone is attempting to slander His character or presuming to know better how the universe should be run than the Creator of heaven and earth.

 

[Hufflechuff]

created beings were truly free to make moral choices.

If God wanted man to be truly free to choose, then why later revert to coercion and fear to compel man to be good?

Not quite the same thing. Adam and Eve were created innocent, but they were not little children. God created them as adults and from the biblical account it appears they were intelligent adults. Intelligent enough to understand one rule.

The story in Genesis is surely of a dishonest God. He tempts Eve with a tasty looking fruit tree and allows the serpent to beguile her. In her innocence, with no knowledge of evil, she could not have suspected the serpent of being evil. Yet God blames her and condemns every other soul yet to be created to torment, banishing Adam and Eve before they eat of the Tree of Life and themselves become gods. (who'd have thought that is all it takes to create a god). God set up Eve to fail, knowing in her innocence she would.

 

[Tranquil Servant]

Hmmm..... more and more curious...
If God CREATED evil, then he must've created good or righteousness too.
However, according to Scripture, God didn't create himself to be the most righteous or good; he just is...

 

[InChrist]

If God wanted man to be truly free to choose, then why later revert to coercion and fear to compel man to be good?

[FONT=&quot]I don’t see that He did. The death of Christ to pay for the sins of the world was a sacrificial act of love and it is only through Christ that man is made good.[/FONT]

The story in Genesis is surely of a dishonest God. He tempts Eve with a tasty looking fruit tree and allows the serpent to beguile her. In her innocence, with no knowledge of evil, she could not have suspected the serpent of being evil. Yet God blames her and condemns every other soul yet to be created to torment, banishing Adam and Eve before they eat of the Tree of Life and themselves become gods. (who'd have thought that is all it takes to create a god). God set up Eve to fail, knowing in her innocence she would.

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[FONT=&quot] Freewill is His gift to us. God had to set something apart that they could have a choice about. He gave them one rule concerning the tree and the choice to obey or not. I think this is the important element of the passage, not the tree itself. Eve had no knowledge of evil, but she did know the love and goodness of God. This knowledge in itself could have been enough to give Eve the strength to refuse the serpents beguiling words, which were completely contrary to those of the God she knew loved her. She had a choice; to trust God and follow His will or trust the serpent and go against God’s will.[/FONT]


The scriptures are clear that God does not tempt people to sin... Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (James 1:13). It was the serpent who tempted Eve. Nor does God allow any temptation that is beyond one’s ability to resist...No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). There was nothing dishonest on God’s part by allowing Eve to be tempted by the serpent. This temptation was allowed by God to reveal Eve’s character and where her allegiance was. It should have been to God whose love and care she already knew.

 

[InChrist]

Hmmm..... more and more curious...
If God CREATED evil, then he must've created good or righteousness too.
However, according to Scripture, God didn't create himself to be the most righteous or good; he just is...

Interesting point.

 

[Hufflechuff]

I don’t see that He did.

Sure, the whole 'do as I say or go to hell' rhetoric. Genocide reported in the Bible for not living the way he said. Sure sounds like coercion and fear to me.

This temptation was allowed by God to reveal Eve’s character

Eve's character was exactly what God made it. She was not corrupted in any way whatsoever before the episode with the serpent because there was no way for her to be corrupted. Evil had not entered the world, she was every bit as pure (or impure) as when God made her. She knew God loved her perhaps. She also perhaps expected the serpent loved her - there was nothing to suggest he didn't. She had only ever known love, why would she suspect anything different? God made her the way she was and punished her for it. Along with all her offspring, for ever and ever, amen. He knew what would happen. He never said "watch out for that wiley ol' serpent'. Eve never stood a chance.

 

[Hufflechuff]

*edit*

If it's all the same with you John, I'll not pay you for your opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts though.

 

[johnhanks]

If it's all the same with you John, I'll not pay you for your opinion.

I'd be astonished if anyone did. (You may have mistaken the slim volume's genre.)

Feel free to share your thoughts though.

Thank you, but in non-fiction mode my thoughts on the Eve-serpent story are not that original. To me it appears to be exactly the kind of misogynistic myth you'd expect to arise in a primitive but intensely patriarchal society.

 

[Skwim]

Why shouldn't there be laws prohibiting abortion and premarital sex?

Because I have yet to see a good reason they should be.

I doubt most committed Christians who know the LORD blithely go on with their faith when dealing with difficult questions. I don't. I seriously think and pray about tough issues. But neither do I heedlessly discount God's trustworthiness and goodness because someone is attempting to slander His character or presuming to know better how the universe should be run than the Creator of heaven and earth.

Good for you . . . I guess.

 

[InChrist]

Sure, the whole 'do as I say or go to hell' rhetoric. Genocide reported in the Bible for not living the way he said. Sure sounds like coercion and fear to me.

It sounds like wisdom to me. The Creator surely knows the way His creatures should be living in order to function best and the things to avoid which are harmful or destructive.

Eve's character was exactly what God made it. She was not corrupted in any way whatsoever before the episode with the serpent because there was no way for her to be corrupted. Evil had not entered the world, she was every bit as pure (or impure) as when God made her. She knew God loved her perhaps. She also perhaps expected the serpent loved her - there was nothing to suggest he didn't. She had only ever known love, why would she suspect anything different? God made her the way she was and punished her for it. Along with all her offspring, for ever and ever, amen. He knew what would happen. He never said "watch out for that wiley ol' serpent'. Eve never stood a chance.

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Eve, was as I pointed out before, was created as an adult with perfect intelligence and mental facilities and directions from God. She should have suspected that something was not right or true about the words of the serpent because they were in direct contradiction to to God. This in itself was enough to show her that the serpent did not love God and therefore did not love her.

By the way, all the descendents of Adam and Eve are responsible for their own sins only.

 

[oldbadger]

This question came to me while I watched an Anime movie with my husband on Netflix called "Dante's Inferno". The storyline is a crazy one. There's a lot of Greek mythology mixed in with Christianity. However, towards the end of the movie, a character said to be "Satan, Lucifer, or the Devil" said something which just didn't feel right (maybe because it was coming from a character said to be Satan); He basically said God created evil. Then my husband who is Muslim agreed. I can agree that God created everything in existence but I believe "evil" is something God Knows of because anything that goes against God's will is considered to be a sin or evil. Satan, the fallen angels and mankind came to know sin only after God gave the free will or the choice to choose. God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge between good and evil. Did Eve know she was committing an evil act when she ate from the tree? Is a sin not considered a sin just because we don't know it's evil? A sin is a sin. why? because when we make a choice inspired by our own desires or based on ideas that did not come from God, It will produce a negative outcome. I believe, God allows us to have a free will so we can learn the difference between good and evil. An evil act is based on intentions and although sometimes we think our intentions are good, God knows better than we do.
This led me to another question. Why has God displayed violence but tells us to refrain from violence? I believe it's because only God can judge and is the only just Judge which means that only he can apply justice in the way he deems necessary. unfortunately, sometimes his judgement requires some to pay with their lives. It is because mankind has placed so much judgement on one another, that this world is in chaos. Micah 7:2-4, Matthew 7:1-3

Hello.......!

I think that God controls everything, totally.
He instructed the devil to turn as many of us from Him as possible. The devil does what God says, as shown in Job.

Therefore, the devil is not so much an enemy as a force to be identified and put aside. But we don't seem to be very good at this on the whole.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

Or good is the absence of evil.

Then nothingness is one of many ultimate goods.

 

[Hufflechuff]

It sounds like wisdom to me. The Creator surely knows the way His creatures should be living in order to function best and the things to avoid which are harmful or destructive.


Eve, was as I pointed out before, was created as an adult with perfect intelligence and mental facilities and directions from God. She should have suspected that something was not right or true about the words of the serpent because they were in direct contradiction to to God. This in itself was enough to show her that the serpent did not love God and therefore did not love her.

By the way, all the descendents of Adam and Eve are responsible for their own sins only.

Wisdom you say? So do you accept that God intervenes (coerces) to direct people in how to live, by revealing his message of following his direction through the promise of paradise, and fear of hell?

If Eve was perfect to God then she could not have been corrupted. She could only sin if she was imperfect. She only knew love, she had no knowledge of sin and deceit, how could she, they didn't exist. On meeting the serpent she could only have expected love, because this is all she knew. She had not yet eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, so had no knowledge of evil. God knew what would happen, she never stood a chance. Do you have a reference for saying God had given her the knowledge to identify deceit?

 

[Azekual]

I like Dante's Inferno, the game is pretty fun too.
If God created existence, all that is in it is directly or indirectly created by him and as such, is his responsibility. Either way, God at least knew about evil ahead of time.

 

[no-body]

So there is something outside of God, how interesting. If God is supposedly defined as the most powerful thing of all then it stands to reason something that stands outside of it has the potential to be or is more powerful. Even if he allows it to be how did it come into existence? That we simply "chose" it doesn't make sense.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

I like Dante's Inferno, the game is pretty fun too.
If God created existence, all that is in it is directly or indirectly created by him and as such, is his responsibility. Either way, God at least knew about evil ahead of time.

"Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?" --Lamentations 3:38