• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Why did God create evil?

waitasec

waitasec

Veteran Member
IsmailaGodHasHeard said:
God does not create evil because He is perfectly good. He did give angels and humans freedom of choice and some of those angels and humans made the wrong choice. That is the source of evil. I used to have trouble understanding this too until I read Romans 9. Here is the link for you. Romans 9 NASB - Solicitude for Israel I am telling the - Bible Gateway
Click to expand...

yes he did. he is the creator of everything right?
you're just not feeling too comfortable with that idea...and i can certainly understand why :thud:
 
A

Acim

Revelation all the time
Friend of Bill W said:
Isaiah 45:7
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Click to expand...
Why would the Lord create evil? I'm sure Christians can explain this; I'm not looking for an argument, I'd just like to understand. Is this quote taken out of context?
Click to expand...

Title of this thread asks "why God..." and OP asks "why Lord...." - is there supposition that Lord and God are same entity? If so, from where is this interpretation coming?

If I shoot my brother in a dream, are we to blame my father for making me with potential to manifest my will as an illusion?
 
F

Friend of Bill W

Member
Yes, I thought the Lord and God were the same entity, as in Lord God! Is this not right?

I assumed it was God, since in Genesis God created light; so "I form the light..." I assumed would be the same as "I created light".

Is this not so?
 
Looncall

Looncall

Well-Known Member
A

Acim

Revelation all the time
Friend of Bill W said:
Yes, I thought the Lord and God were the same entity, as in Lord God! Is this not right?

I assumed it was God, since in Genesis God created light; so "I form the light..." I assumed would be the same as "I created light".

Is this not so?
Click to expand...

I am going to say it is not so.
Compare notes of Gen. 1 to Gen. 2 and I think it becomes obvious.
 
BruceDLimber

BruceDLimber

Well-Known Member
>Why did God create evil?

He didn't.

God created only good, and evil is simply the absence of good attributes, not a "thing" in itself, just as darkness is merely the absence of light and not a "thing" itself! (Quote upon request.)

Or you can see this for yourself in detail in the Baha'i scriptures, which you can see here:

http://www.bahai-library.org

by clicking "Writings" and then "Some Answered Questions," which has a whole chapter about this!

Peace, :)

Bruce
 
javajo

javajo

Well-Known Member
Right, evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. All God created was good, he did not create a box of evil. Evil came because God gave us freedom to choose good or not to choose good. God allows this for now, otherwise we'd be robots.
 
Me Myself

Me Myself

Back to my username
Just for fun.

Do I agree? Nope, but I am just a tiny particle of him speaking. The whole of him clearly is having fun with evil, so what can I do?:shrug:
 
Madhuri

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
javajo said:
Right, evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. All God created was good, he did not create a box of evil. Evil came because God gave us freedom to choose good or not to choose good. God allows this for now, otherwise we'd be robots.
Click to expand...

If all God created was good then what was left to choose from?
 
IsmailaGodHasHeard

IsmailaGodHasHeard

Well-Known Member
waitasec said:
yes he did. he is the creator of everything right?
you're just not feeling too comfortable with that idea...and i can certainly understand why :thud:
Click to expand...

You are wrong. I have provided proof that God did not create evil. God would have to be evil to create evil and that is not going to happen anytime soon. God is 100% good.
 
IsmailaGodHasHeard

IsmailaGodHasHeard

Well-Known Member
BruceDLimber said:
>Why did God create evil?

He didn't.

God created only good, and evil is simply the absence of good attributes, not a "thing" in itself, just as darkness is merely the absence of light and not a "thing" itself! (Quote upon request.)

Or you can see this for yourself in detail in the Baha'i scriptures, which you can see here:

http://www.bahai-library.org

by clicking "Writings" and then "Some Answered Questions," which has a whole chapter about this!

Peace, :)

Bruce
Click to expand...
Amen to that.
 
9Westy9

9Westy9

Sceptic, Libertarian, Egalitarian
Premium Member
BCG190

BCG190

Member
9Westy9 said:
God still says he creates disaster. Hardly Benevolent then.
Click to expand...

This is something I have a serious problem with whenever there is some cook claiming natural disasters are the result of sin. My experience is most people that claim this position believe that god is indeed benevolent, but apparently does not tolerate any kind of resistance to his own divine despotism.

The dichotomy that exists between good and evil, I think, goes hand in hand with the concept that we are all innately evil, and this is a notion that I find reprehensible. I can understand if inherent "evil" or "bad" in the world needs to be attributed to celestial goings-on as a lack of explanation, but when people start claiming that it is because we, as humans, are incapable of existence without submitting to a celestial dictatorship, I can only roll my eyes in contempt.
 
Katzpur

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
Friend of Bill W said:
Why would the Lord create evil? I'm sure Christians can explain this; I'm not looking for an argument, I'd just like to understand. Is this quote taken out of context?
Click to expand...
I believe that God created evil so that we would be able to appreciate the good. If we had never known illness, we would have no real understanding of the value of good health. If we had never known failure, we would not feel the joy of success. The world is comprised of opposites for a reason.
 
M

Mark2020

Well-Known Member
9Westy9 said:
God still says he creates disaster. Hardly Benevolent then.
Click to expand...

(Isaiah 45:7) יוֹצֵ֥ר אוֹר֙ וּבוֹרֵ֣א חֹ֔שֶׁךְ עֹשֶׂ֥ה שָׁל֖וֹם וּב֣וֹרֵא רָ֑ע אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה עֹשֶׂ֥ה כָל־ אֵֽלֶּה׃ ס

(Isaiah 45:7 [KJV]) I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

This is the word at question: רָ֑ע
You'll see that 'disaster isn't its only meaning.

BDB:
- Original: רעה רע
- Transliteration: Ra`
- Phonetic: rah
- Definition: adj
1. bad, evil
a. bad, disagreeable, malignant
b. bad, unpleasant, evil (giving pain, unhappiness, misery)
c. evil, displeasing
d. bad (of its kind - land, water, etc)
e. bad (of value)
f. worse than, worst (comparison)
g. sad, unhappy
h. evil (hurtful)
i. bad, unkind (vicious in disposition)
j. bad, evil, wicked (ethically)
1. in general, of persons, of thoughts
2. deeds, actions n m
2. evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity
a. evil, distress, adversity
b. evil, injury, wrong
c. evil (ethical) n f
3. evil, misery, distress, injury
a. evil, misery, distress
b. evil, injury, wrong
c. evil (ethical)

str.gif
adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, displeasure, distress From ra'a'; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) -- adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease(-ure), distress, evil((- favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, + not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. Feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).

Total KJV Occurrences: 669
• adversities, 1
• adversity, 3
• affliction, 5
• afflictions, 1
• away, 6
• bad, 13
• calamities, 1
• displease, 1
• displeased, 2
• displeasure, 1
• distress, 1
• evil, 426
• evilfavoredness, 1
• evils, 8
• exceedingly, 2
• favored, 3
• grief, 1
• grievous, 2
• harm, 5
• heavy, 1
• hurt, 20
• hurtful, 1
• ill, 5
• men, 1
• mischief, 19
• mischiefs, 2
• mischievous, 1
• misery, 1
• naught, 3
• naughty, 1
• noisome, 2
• not, 2
• ones, 1
• pass, 1
• sad, 2
• sadly, 1
• smart, 1
• sore, 9
• sorrow, 1
• temples, 5
• things, 2
• trouble, 9
• troubles, 1
• vex, 1
• way, 2
• ways, 1
• wicked, 24
• wickedly, 2
• wickedness, 60
• worse, 1
• worst, 1
• wretchedness, 1
• wrong, 1
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top