Source of Evil

Question 2 of 13 concerning the validity of religion

 

Isn’t God the Source of All Evil?

How can God be the source of all evil, if He is the ultimate good?  Believers claim that God has a plan and is in control of things – all things. In other words, everything that happens must be part of God’s plan, even the evil things. How about Satan?  Surely he and his demons must be the source of evil. Well, if that is true, then God is not in complete charge of things, which contradicts what most followers believe. It’s interesting how followers try to have it both ways. They believe that God has a plan and is in control of all things but at the same time believe that Satan is the cause of evil. And before you claim that the devil made me do it, didn’t God create Lucifer and all the angels that fell with him?

Followers argue that humans, not God, are responsible for evil. Since we have free will, we choose to commit evil acts, while we could have made better choices. There are at least a couple of problems with this view of evil. For one thing, human free will invalidates God’s plan and His ultimate control of all things. And it completely ignores human nature. Our human nature, shaped by evolution, has predisposed us to do bad things to each other, especially to those outside of our immediate group. So, in our minds, we have often thought that we were doing good in killing those of another group. Heck, even God in the Old Testament instructs the Israelites to slaughter rival groups.

Does evil exist outside of humans?  I would argue that it does due to what are typically referred to as natural evils. God is even the source of all natural evils, like tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes that routinely kill thousands and bring great suffering to thousands more. Can’t God end, or at least ease up on, all the evil-doing a bit?  If he’s capable of easing human suffering, why doesn’t he?  I guess one could argue that evil is necessary to make us appreciate the good. And human suffering may be necessary for building hardy souls or strong character. I can understand and appreciate that. However, that doesn’t let God off the hook for creating evil. God is ultimately responsible.