How do you reconcile the problem of evil?

[Colubro]

It is logically impossible for a god who loves everyone and can do anything to exist in the presence of mass suffering and/or mass calamities. So I ask believers how they reconcile the problem of evil?

There are only two ways:
1) You have a different construct of god - one in which he either is incapable of preventing mass suffering/mass calamities or doesn't love us enough to want to do anything about it.

2) You don't think about it. (e.g. Say little Johnny says A plus B is equal to C and also says C minus B is not equal to A, but he doesn't do the algebra to see that both those equations can't be true).

 

[Riverwolf]

As you know, mine is number 1: the Gods who do love us can do little in the wake of the evil we cause ourselves(and one of them is dead, anyway), and the rest are unsympathetic to us: why should they clean up our messes?

 

[Sha'irullah]

Simple, evil does not exist as evil is a concept that we created. Without us there is nothing else on this planet to give definition to what evil is yet alone the existence of evil/

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

• love and hate are anthropomorphic constructs ...
• as is indifference.

 

[idav]

Yeah I go with number one, a different concept of god that isn't completely omnipotent except in potential. Potentially all our problems can be fixed but there is work to be done, god is within everything, including us, which gives us the potential to fix our own problems. The limitation is working within ones own physical constraints and natural laws. God isn't some supernatural being that will just twinkle his nose to make everything better.

 

[Willamena]

Can we go with #1 but leave off the false dichotomy?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Can we go with #1 but leave off the false dichotomy?

:clap

 

[1137]

C) "Evil" is a relative, human created concept that has no meaning, therefore the only problem of evil is within the realm of human perception and irrelevant when it comes to believing in God. It also makes no sense to believe in an "all loving" god concept, as god is supposed to be all, a perfectly balanced and whole being. This would include all of what we perceive to be evil, painful, sad, etc. The problem of evil is a problem only to those who should reevaluate their god concept anyways.

 

[Riverwolf]

And Othin himself is busy trying to postpone Ragnarok as long as He can, according to one storyteller.

 

[Colubro]

Can we go with #1 but leave off the false dichotomy?

If you can come up with a third possibility, I'm all ears.

 

[Koldo]

Simple, evil does not exist as evil is a concept that we created. Without us there is nothing else on this planet to give definition to what evil is yet alone the existence of evil/

The same goes for pretty much any noun...
Go figure.

 

[Sha'irullah]

The same goes for pretty much any noun...
Go figure.

Including love and romance .

I wonder why people believe the words they create are objective and applicable to all understanding int he universe.

It is like Adam and god's gift to him to name all of the animals in Eden.

 

[Koldo]

C) "Evil" is a relative, human created concept that has no meaning, therefore the only problem of evil is within the realm of human perception and irrelevant when it comes to believing in God.

Evil has no meaning? You have just said it is relative...

It also makes no sense to believe in an "all loving" god concept, as god is supposed to be all, a perfectly balanced and whole being. This would include all of what we perceive to be evil, painful, sad, etc. The problem of evil is a problem only to those who should reevaluate their god concept anyways.

According to who it is supposed to be that way?

 

[Riverwolf]

If you can come up with a third possibility, I'm all ears.

He's/She's/They're doing things behind the scenes.

 

[1137]

Evil has no meaning? You have just said it is relative...

According to who it is supposed to be that way?

Yes and how can something relative have objective meaning? I suppose God doesn't have to be that way, but bring up a God concept like that and at most it's worth a laugh.

 

[Willamena]

If you can come up with a third possibility, I'm all ears.

I meant, an actual different god concept, rather than the same god concept warped to fit the logic.

 

[gilligan8914]

Evil exists only in the minds of humans. Remove the human race from the earth and evil will not exist. Only nature. Nothing is evil in nature. Come to think about it, would god still exist without humans?

 

[Riverwolf]

Evil exists only in the minds of humans. Remove the human race from the earth and evil will not exist. Only nature. Nothing is evil in nature. Come to think about it, would god still exist without humans?

Personally, since I regard Gods as the final results of the very human process of deification, I don't believe so.

That is, they're still there, but they're not Gods.

 

[George-ananda]

Life is eternal but 'Problem of Evil' believers view things from the limited perspective that life begins at birth and ends at death.The natural illusion.

I try to look at life from the perspective that life is eternal and we are in the process of learning that. We live as individuals for eons and not one life. We all return to godhead in the end. If one could see one's life from separation from godhead through the eons to return to godhead then things make more sense. What we see as evil are very short temporary events in the grand scheme of things where each individual story ends in success; return to peace/bliss/awareness of godhead.

Plus Problem of Evil proponents look at good/bad events as happening randomly to people. Eastern thinkers believe a long series of cause/events (karma) causes things to be the way they are. Standard Problem of Evil proponents believe in this one life only so evil seems unfair and cruel in that limited perspective.

If all the dramas were removed, it would just be a static-state sameness. Nothing would propel us to question, advance and grow.

I also use the analogy of creation as some grand expansive multi-dimensional artwork. And human problem of evil proponents view from their little spec and dimensional perspective of the artwork and try to judge the entire artwork. Their view is too limited to be meaningful.

 

[Colubro]

I meant, an actual different god concept, rather than the same god concept warped to fit the logic.

It works the other way around. The concept of God isn't made to fit the logic. The God is posited first and then the logic follows.