Ashley Mathura
New Member
If God sometimes takes away the righteous to heaven to spare them from evil - why doesn't God stop evil?
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Why doesn't God stop evil?
- Thread starter Ashley Mathura
- Start date
Because we have free will. To understand evil look at the creation story of Adam, peace be upon him:
In Islam he was created, taught all the names of everything and presented before the Angels, who all prostrated to him out of respect, all except Iblis from amongst the Jinn. Iblis being a Jinn had free will just like mankind, and refused to bow to someone he considered inferior to him. For his disobedience to GOD he was cast out of the Heavenly realm and rather than repent and turn back to GOD, swore to become man's mortal enemy until the end of time.
Adam pbuh was given a life partner, Eve pbuh and told to stay away from the forbidden tree, they made a mistake and were made to come down from Heaven to toil the Earth for some time, but unlike Iblis, they repented and turned to God in humility, seeking forgiveness. Their repentance was accepted.
Evil has been created in Iblis to test mankind, and it's for us to chose our path, that of Iblis or that Adam pbuh. To strive to return to our Heavenly home or follow Iblis to the Fire.
In Islam he was created, taught all the names of everything and presented before the Angels, who all prostrated to him out of respect, all except Iblis from amongst the Jinn. Iblis being a Jinn had free will just like mankind, and refused to bow to someone he considered inferior to him. For his disobedience to GOD he was cast out of the Heavenly realm and rather than repent and turn back to GOD, swore to become man's mortal enemy until the end of time.
Adam pbuh was given a life partner, Eve pbuh and told to stay away from the forbidden tree, they made a mistake and were made to come down from Heaven to toil the Earth for some time, but unlike Iblis, they repented and turned to God in humility, seeking forgiveness. Their repentance was accepted.
Evil has been created in Iblis to test mankind, and it's for us to chose our path, that of Iblis or that Adam pbuh. To strive to return to our Heavenly home or follow Iblis to the Fire.
McBell
Unbound
Why does an all knowing entity need to "test"?
PureX
Veteran Member
Your question is for those religious adherents that believe God takes the righteous away to spare them from evil. But they aren't going to be able to answer it because they don't know this to be so.
We humans conceptualize "God" as a being similar to ourselves, and you so different that it could know all things, be everywhere at all times, and create, destroy, or alter everything that exists at will. But this in not very likely to be the true nature of God, if God exists. This is just the imaginary idea of God that we create in our own minds, based on a collection of things that we want or like to believe about this possible mysterious entity we call "God".
When someone dies, we like to think they are "in a better place", and not just gone from us. And we like to imagine that God is being as kind to our loved one as we would be. So we tell ourselves that God is doing them a favor by taking them away from us, and from this world. But these are just think we tell ourselves, and that we like to think are true, to make ourselves fell better when we lose someone we love to the mystery of death.
And I see nothing wrong with that, if it works to help relieve their suffering.
If there is a God, I would like to think that it would be pleased that the way we mythologize it would bring us some comfort in this life.
The test is for our benefit only. Imagine dying and Angels taking you straight to Hell, whilst taking your wife straight to Heaven. Would you have a clue why it was happening, likely not and even then, you would have questions to ask.
When believers return to GOD we are shown everything we did and said in this life. The test is to see if we obeyed and did good works, or if we followed Iblis in rebellion. On that day no soul can argue about their final destination.
Hope that helps.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
I guess he doesn't stop evil because he rather humans make a choice to their destination rather than god choosing where they should go. Putting eternity in human's hands by freedom of choice keeps "evil" at bay. If anything, I'd say putting eternity in god's hands would let humans see evil is not the best way to go. They still have freedom of choice (they still can claim their ego) but it would be based on what they want to do rather than what they are told to do. That's genuine relationship with god.
DavidFirth
Well-Known Member
Well, why don't you stop evil? Please read Job 40.
Because evil manifests from this logic!!!!
Then I have to think in context to logic structures that manifest in culture in general including science and religion.
The only way to do that would be to reprogram people to be incapable of doing evil. Otherwise no more free will.
When I take our dog to the vet, she might as well ask why she's subjected to the evil of having something shoved up her butt, her lips pulled back, needles stuck into her causing pain and sometimes subjected to the ultimate evil of the "back room" where there are wails from unhappy souls in pain.
It's totally natural to see good and evil, pleasure and pain from a human perspective. But there is a different perspective available to those who believe in a God farther beyond our understanding than a dog is from a human.
It's totally natural to see good and evil, pleasure and pain from a human perspective. But there is a different perspective available to those who believe in a God farther beyond our understanding than a dog is from a human.
Not going to happen whilst the richest 1% have as much wealth as the rest of the World combined.
Wealth of top 1% 'equal to other 99%'
Allah's Messenger pbuh said, "If the son of Adam were to possess two valleys of riches. he would long for the third one. And the stomach of the son of Adam is not filled but with dust. And Allah returns to him who repents."
Jumi
Well-Known Member
I'll never understand people who hoard money like that, but the problem isn't just them. If the people had healthy mindsets, they would be like flies stuck to fly paper with their money.
BSM1.........What could 'God being neutral...' possibly mean? I see that at Ez 20:33 God says "As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will rule over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath." Is that neutral? Or my favorite, Deut 28:58, "If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, ........ the lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses."
And in three verses God explicitly states that He does everything, good and bad, such as Amos 3:6, "When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?", and Is 45:7 and Lam 3:38. Please clarify...
BSM1
What? Me worry?
You should study Isa. 45:7. If God is the Creator of everything, how can one thing have any weight than another?
BSM1, as I repeatedly read your sentence above I realize it has no meaning to me. Perhaps it means something to you, although I can't see what. How would you know that? Why wouldn't God prefer this to that, or care whether this or that happened? You're saying that a God created all this world and us but has no preferences regarding our behavior? So what does Deut 28:58 mean to you, if not that God prefers you to do what He wants, otherwise He will make the effort to punish you? You're saying God does all that stuff in the Book but doesn't care, that He is indifferent to everything? Sorry if I appear dense, but your remarks don't make any sense to me........
BSM1
What? Me worry?
I think you're having a problem understanding because you insist on putting human qualities and attributes on a transcendental Deity. If you feel that "God" can hate, love , feel, or even exist as you do then you have ceased describing God and simple painted a SuperHuman in your mind. Expand your horizons...
Yes, I could expand my horizons to that which I can't see or feel or sense in any way, but which I can imagine, or even create. Like a unicorn or a troll perhaps. Tell me about transcendental Deities, since I can't seem to grasp the concept. Is there anything you can say about them that relates to our reality? What I perceive are individuals creating their own gods and goddesses, and giving them whatever attributes seem to fit at the moment. How many theists perceive the same deities?