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  • Essay / The Problem of Evil in the World and the Purpose of a Christian Life

    This essay will examine the question: “Do evil and suffering prove that God does not exist?” The incoherent triad, first established by Epicurus, is often used as a logical refutation of the existence of God. In response, many theodicies were created, in order to reconcile traditional divine characteristics with the appearance of evil in the world. The question depends on the extent to which free will is an adequate answer. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayThe so-called “Rock of Atheism” is the problem of evil. The world is in the grip of an evil that is both moral and natural. Indeed, since 1914, there has been a war somewhere in the world. As JL Mackie formulated the "incoherent triad", the three essential qualities of God – omnibenevolent, omnipotent and omniscient – ​​seem incompatible with this evil. Either God cannot prevent evil or He will not. Although there is also much good in the world, even a tiny amount of evil contradicts the infinite nature of God's power and goodness. At first glance, this question seems to have an obvious answer. Evil is obviously the fault of the Devil. This ancient idea is at least two and a half thousand years old. However, this solution poses two problems. First, according to the Bible, in the beginning there was nothing. Therefore, God must have created the Devil and should therefore surely take some responsibility for all the evil caused by the Devil. To get around the problem, one could argue that God did not create the Devil, but that the Devil has always existed. One of the most renowned exponents of this theory was Zoroaster, a religious teacher living in Persia five hundred years before Jesus. He taught that there was a good force called Ahura Mazdah and an evil force called Ahriman. These two forces are in constant struggle. Sometimes evil will take over and be free to cause famine and war, but good will always fight to regain control. The problem is this dualism essentially, which does not fit with the Abrahamic idea of ​​a single and supreme God. Therefore, the free will argument is often used to explain why evil exists in the world. The goal of a Christian life is to do good deeds and, through those actions, become a good person. If God required us to act perfectly, it would only be false kindness. True goodness requires real choice. Inevitably, some humans will abuse their free will and cause suffering. This could also be used to explain the existence of the Devil, as angels also have free will. The Devil was created when the chief angel, Satan, rebelled against God. However, the free will argument was not left unopposed. First, determinism questions free will itself: we are made up of billions of particles, each of which acts in a predetermined way, so how is it logically possible for us to have a choice? Furthermore, the very nature of God seems to refute the notion of free will. If God is omniscient, then He must see the future. But if this is true, then the future is already decided! On the other hand, the notion of determinism is itself called into question. It could be argued that the idea of ​​particles is irrelevant, because Christians believe that humans are more than pieces of flesh. There is something more than the ephemeral formations of matter that make up our body: a soul that possesses free will. Ultimately, even if free will is accepted, this does not explain natural evil. Evil.