How does your religion address the problem of evil?

[rusra02]

I believe the Bible provides a satisfying answer to the question of evil. (Deuteronomy 32:4,5) As to why God permits it for a time, I believe the Bible answers that question also. For example, 2 Peter 3:9.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yes, Bible has all the answers, accept why did God create the evil and the corrupt, and then disown them to fires of hell in eternity?

 

[Agathion]

Evil is a by-product of human free will and the non-linear structure and functioning of the universe. God does not create it and only allows it because such must exist for true free will and determinism to exist. Man, and presumably any of the other sapient races which may exist in the universe can choose to obey the law and do good or embrace chaos and serve evil. Good is selflessness and generosity, evil is selfishness and greed. Order promotes logic and the well being of the collective while chaos promotes freedom and the well being of the individual. Each of these must exist in order for intelligent beings to have free will and also for the universe to function. Whether such forces are controlled by specific beings or simply running scripts like a piece of computer code remain open questions. Intelligent life creates evil, not god though he permits it because he must.

 

[raph]

Evil is made by humans. Without evil there would be much less suffering.

God teaches humanity to be good, so that the world may become good. And God also teaches humanity to cope with suffering through the messengers. To accept suffering and its advantages.

But there is also suffering that is not evil, like deseases, tornados, death or lions. Suffering is not a bad thing perse because it serves a good purpose. The advantages of suffering are prayer, turning to God, not loving this life, doing good deeds to those who suffer, getting stronger, going into a better world after death etc.

God created suffering but it is not evil, only sin is evil and it is created by man. Actually the evil does not even have an existence, it is the absence of love. Like coldness is the absence of heat. God only created good things because He is good. Humans choose not to love and that is why "evil" exists.

Suffering and evil lose power over a believer, depending on his degree of belief. There are stories of Bahai martyrs who claimed to have been in paradies while being tortured for example.

This may not be an official Bahai statement but I am certainly influenced by the Bahai religion.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I guess I'll chime in. I don't believe evil exists. We do terrible things, but when evil comes to mind, I think of acts that can't be forgiven and things so astoundingly bad that no human can face in person.

Everyone has the right to be forgiven if not by another but at least have reconciliation with oneself. I feel evil can only exist if we were not people who have the ability to change. Since we do and if we, in some places, were not limited to do so, then we can make this world much more safer place. We do bad deeds... nothing evil.

"The heart of a person is never evil, just a soul experiencing what it means to be human" ~Carlita

 

[syo]

So why would a good god created such a world filled with suffering, viciousness, and cruelty?

these are not creations of God, but rather the absence of God. when God isn't in our life, we become cruel, evil and so on.

 

[VioletVortex]

There is no "evil". There is "light and dark", which can be interpreted subjectively as "good and bad", but there is no fully objective evil.

 

[DavidFirth]

"How does your religion address the problem of evil?"

By teaching what is in the Christian Bible concerning errors committed against
Biblical Law, God, other people, etc.
The Bible provides an excellent moral code & how to deal with other humans, and ones own emotions.
The Bible contains a set of standards for human conduct ranging in content from how to treat live stock and children as well as advice on saving money, and how to operate as an idividual and part of a society.
It is quite simply put the "owners manual" for humans.
All of our ( U.S.A.) law is based on english Common Law, which is based on the Christian Bible.
Really the question seems sophomoric to me as the answers are so basic that they seem almost intrinsic to human nature.
All of the Hebrew 613 commandments are beneficial of one could memorize the all.

The 2 basic commandments of which all of the law and prophets are based pretty much says it all.

1. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind and soul.

2. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

There is no problem of evil in my beliefs because there is no such thing as objective evil. There's choices that are less good and more good but not objectively good or bad. The deities have different moral codes, Themselves.

 

[LukeS]

AFAIK in Islam the creation could have been simply people obeying, but God wanted to do justice in rewarding the good and punishing the evil.

On the ground level its like anyone else, try to do some good.

 

[Desert Snake]

There is no problem of evil. I'm not even sure a religious person invented the premise, it doesn't make sense to my beliefs at all.