God is 'evil'

[Cordoba]

So why would a god who allows free will and who wants us to be free be considered evil? I don't understand that...

Exactly !!

 

[Cannibal Chicken]

People are inherantly evil. It is society that moulds them into being something more.

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

My personal idea of God pretty complex but it destroys the ideas that there is such a thing as 'good' or 'evil'. The material universe, with its joys and miseries, has such a nature that allows itself to change and grow and continue. Nature itself is Divine, but it is not evil. It simply IS.

My personal idea of God is not to have one at all as a sentient being that cares for us and answers our prayers. I just believe in a "god" as the personification of the laws of nature and is not consciously aware of itself but just simply the dynamics of nature. So such a “god” could not possibly be interpreted as being either good or evil because “it” would be morally neutral. Earthquakes, volcanos and other natural disasters are intrinsically neither good nor evil because there is no so called divine plan - they just happen. "Evil" is only a human concept that is read into them because it makes life so much more uncomfortable for us and disrupt our lives to such an extreme degree. But without earthquakes for instance we would not have the plate tectonics with is so necessary to shape the surface of our planet and as a consequence the earth would be a dead planet. Even volcanic eruptions help to refurnish the earth crust with rich basaltic loam soils for agriculture, so we have to take the good with the bad there too. There is even evidence that a series of catastrophic volcanic eruptions 650 million years ago put an end to a snowball earth and paved the way for complex multi-cellular life forms with the increased oxygenation of the atmosphere.

 

[Madhuri]

My personal idea of God is not to have one at all as a sentient being that cares for us and answers our prayers. I just believe in a "god" as the personification of the laws of nature and is not consciously aware of itself but just simply the dynamics of nature. So such a “god” could not possibly be interpreted as being either good or evil because “it” would be morally neutral. Earthquakes, volcanos and other natural disasters are intrinsically neither good nor evil because there is no so called divine plan - they just happen. "Evil" is only a human concept that is read into them because it makes life so much more uncomfortable for us and disrupt our lives to such an extreme degree. But without earthquakes for instance we would not have the plate tectonics with is so necessary to shape the surface of our planet and as a consequence the earth would be a dead planet. Even volcanic eruptions help to refurnish the earth crust with rich basaltic loam soils for agriculture, so we have to take the good with the bad there too. There is even evidence that a series of catastrophic volcanic eruptions 650 million years ago put an end to a snowball earth and paved the way for complex multi-cellular life forms with the increased oxygenation of the atmosphere.

Exactly! That is why I objected to your initial remark. Because the God that may exist could be exactly what you describe above, or something that leads to a similar conclusion.

 

[Breathe]

People are inherantly evil. It is society that moulds them into being something more.

I disagree. I think people are inherently good. Mind you, I don't believe in evil.

I think people can be selfish and mean, though, but something that I'd be comfortable with calling "evil"? No, not really. Some people are sadistic--the closest thing I'd call evil, but that's something to do with them being mentally unstable as opposed to some inherent evil qualities.


Oh, but welcome to RF. And, your username is awesome.

 

[rusra02]

If a creator god does exist we can blame it for disease, natural disasters, and poverty.

No, we should not blame God for these things. Man was created to live forever in perfect health. When man sinned against his Creator, he suffered the penalty that God decreed for that sin. God warned Adam, "In the day you eat from [the one tree God forbade man to eat from] you will positively die." (Genesis 2:16)
By rebelling against God, the first man brought upon himself the sentence of death.
Apart from the lifegiver, our bodies inevitably decay and die. We have inherited this death sentence, and sickness is part of this imperfection. (Romans 5:12)
As to poverty, it is usually man made, caused by corrupt political, economic, and religious systems, and human folly and greed. There is more than enough wealth on earth to eliminate poverty, if used properly.
As to natural disasters, these are not direct acts of God, as they are often called. God can control natural forces but this world, alienated from him, does not enjoy this control. Further, men often make natural disasters much more disastrous, due to selfishness or ignorance. The earthquake in Haiti, for example, would likely have caused far fewer deaths if buildings had been constructed better.
The problems and horrors in this world are man-made and Satan made. The good news is God has purposed to end this wicked world, and bring the earth into the paradise condition he purposed when he created it. (Psalm 37:10,11, Revelations 21:1-4)

 

[ImmortalFlame]

Okay I've been thinking recently now. There are some people in this world that say God is evil because he lt's all this bad stuff happen and babies die and what not. But the fact still remains those people are still going to die one day, but then they say why couldn't they live out their lifes to the fullest? But what right does anybody have to say that I should live over this person. So I believe that God is neither good nor evil, but in the middle doing both good and bad to keep the universe in order....that is if God is real.

I'm in agreement with most who have already posted, and would claim that such a God is completely arbitrary since we already have a morally indifferent force in the Universe which keeps things in order: nature. We do not need to call anything a God in order to accept that such a thing is true.

 

[not yet now]

ah and using here the QUICK REPLY
this.....
interjecting how the power of god is concealed from sinners

having to with their repression of heart
darkened heart
from sin and vanity

and gasp this....
when death entered the world
and death passed to all men.....
sin increased
but this was because grace increased more
and the increase of sin
was to better bring to conviction sinners
so that grace could complete the work of redemption..

hmmm did i mention yet
reincarnation as part of the biblicalsalvation plan.....

 

[Masourga]

Honestly - an amount of suffering and pain is necessary for anyone to learn just about anything worthwhile, in my opinion. Just look at what we think of people who are coddled/spoiled all their lives and literally do get nearly everything they want.

If we all "lived like angels" (as was previously alluded to in one of the religious-based posts earlier), we'd all be idiots.

 

[Penumbra]

The arguments that humans are responsible for the evil in the world do not work well with the facts.

-Suffering existed long before humans ever came around. Humans aren't the only form of life that suffers on this planet. Predators, prey, hunger, and death, have been around before humans.

-On a long time line, mass-extinction events are regular.

-Biological flaws, viruses, disease, and natural disasters cause a huge amount of suffering and death.

Humans are only responsible for a subset of human suffering, and an even smaller subset of total suffering.

 

[Koldo]

Honestly - an amount of suffering and pain is necessary for anyone to learn just about anything worthwhile, in my opinion. Just look at what we think of people who are coddled/spoiled all their lives and literally do get nearly everything they want.

If we all "lived like angels" (as was previously alluded to in one of the religious-based posts earlier), we'd all be idiots.

Happy Idiots.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

Yes, God could remove suffering if He wanted, but that's not the case as He has delegated that to us

Once God gave us free will, it is our responsibility to make this world a just world, and eliminate injustice which leads to human suffering

(A contemporary example)

Don't blame God when a crazy dictator starts shooting at his own people. It is not God who asked him to do that, but a free decision by a crazy ruler and those who support him

It is the people's duty to remove him from power in order for that evil to end ...

But there is no such thing as justice(since Justic is an act of revenge thats approve by a group of people.) so there is no such thing as a just world and an injust world.
On a side note to this if there is such a thing called justice, what would make a just world to one person might make it injust world to another.

But wasn't it God who but that dictator in power in the first place?

 

[Thesavorofpan]

And that reason is?

Who knows? I'm not God.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

No, God is not evil. Neither does he bring evil upon people to test them. God does not cause a murderer to kill a young child so he can have that child with him in heaven. These are terrible lies about God.
"When under trial, let no one say: "I am being tried by God." For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone." (James 1:13)
Far from being indifferent, God is caring and loving to all. (James 1:17)
1 Peter 3:7 assures us "he cares for you."
The blame for man's suffering rests with Satan the Devil, and with man himself.
God doesn't force us to hate or murder our fellowman. Those choices are ours. So we should not blame God when it happens.

How can you call something all knowing and all powerful fully good when it see's thousands of people each day suffer and does nothing to help?

Satan has nothing to do with the suffering of the world. He's jsut playing a role. God needs to look like the hero so there needs to be a villian and Satan(Luicifer) was created to fit that role.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

I'm in agreement with most who have already posted, and would claim that such a God is completely arbitrary since we already have a morally indifferent force in the Universe which keeps things in order: nature. We do not need to call anything a God in order to accept that such a thing is true.

Yet people still do. I guess puting a face on something makes it more easier to accept.

 

[proffesb]

God isn't evil. Sleep is, for it keeps eluding me.

However to add to the discussion, God is sitting on his couch munching on his popcorn and drinking his beer, laughing at the idiots on the screen arguing over his existence.

Is he also laughing at the people killing each other over his existence?

 

[rusra02]

How can you call something all knowing and all powerful fully good when it see's thousands of people each day suffer and does nothing to help?

Satan has nothing to do with the suffering of the world. He's jsut playing a role. God needs to look like the hero so there needs to be a villian and Satan(Luicifer) was created to fit that role.

The Bible explains why God permits suffering. He is helping suffering people, but many reject the help is is providing now. Further, God has promised to end all suffering when His right time comes. (Revelations 21:3,4)
A parent will often let their child suffer excruciating pain to save their lives. In fact, a parent who doesn't accept painful treatment for their sick child may be considered negligent, and a bad parent by others.
As to your claim Satan has nothing to do with suffering, Jesus Christ, who knows God better than anyone, disagrees with you. (John 8:44) Satan and other former angelic sons of God are creating woe for the earth, realizing their time is almost up to rule this earth. (Revelations 12:12)

 

[proffesb]

To the OP I would say the concept of whether god is good/evil/both is debatable and it's one that is tiresome. I would say that the concept of god has been used for evil, a lot.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

The Bible explains why God permits suffering. He is helping suffering people, but many reject the help is is providing now. Further, God has promised to end all suffering when His right time comes. (Revelations 21:3,4)
A parent will often let their child suffer excruciating pain to save their lives. In fact, a parent who doesn't accept painful treatment for their sick child may be considered negligent, and a bad parent by others.
As to your claim Satan has nothing to do with suffering, Jesus Christ, who knows God better than anyone, disagrees with you. (John 8:44) Satan and other former angelic sons of God are creating woe for the earth, realizing their time is almost up to rule this earth. (Revelations 12:12)

That doesn't prove that he's good. One cannot cause suffering and still be good.
Satan has nothing to do with all the suffering on this earth. Man's greed for power, wealth, and sex cause the majority of suffering in this world.