If Your God Created This Perfect World and Everything That Your God Made/Makes Is Perfect, Then Why All the Evil? (genesis, Revelation)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If Your God Created This Perfect World and Everything That Your God Made/Makes Is Perfect, Then Why All the Evil?
I have to laugh every time I hear some creationist bloviate about god and the perfect world. I challenge them to live outside, without shelter, without technology for a year and tell me how perfect this world is for humans, that is if they survive.
They will suffer horrible sunburn, majority of the time they will be uncomfortable to life threatening just in temperature swings. They will be threatened by many things from microbes to predators, to insects, to plants that are poisonous.
Good Point.
Raises the question "How did man survive on his own?"
This is the SAME world that your god made, correct? So if your perfect god, created this perfect world and everything that your god made/makes is perfect, then god created an imperfect world filled with evil. Right? Therefore your god is not only imperfect, but also created evil himself...but that's only if you believe that god is an omnipotent being...
My answer:
God did create a perfect world. He also created a super angelic being name Lucifer. Lucifer is as one of cherubs that covered the very throne of God. Putting the scriptures together from Isaiah and Ezekiel we get a glimpse of just how beautiful and how awesome this being was:
"Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty."
"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."
"Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."
"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."
"By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire."
"Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness..."
Lucifer was in all probability the greatest being next to God Himself that has ever existed at any time. He was perfect in his ways from the day he was created until inquity was found in him. Apparently, his good looks and perfect ways went to his head and his heart was lifted up with vanity and as a result he corrupted his mind which led to rebellion against God.
Here's what happened after his mind took the wrong turn. He decided that he wanted to replace God and become like the most high:
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!"
"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:"
"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
Apparently, this super brilliant cherub had convinced about a third of God's angels to follow him in an apparent coup to knock God Almighty off his throne in heaven. In the book of Revelation we see a reference to 1/3 of the angels were cast back down to the earth with him.
"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth..."
Stars can symbolize angels in the scriptures. So apparently, Lucifer was ruling on this earth and he convinced 1/3 of the angelic hosts to follow him in an attempt to knock God off His Throne in Heaven and God and His angelic hosts won the battle and cast Lucifer and his angels back down to the earth.
He was no longer Lucifer the light bringer but was now Satan the Devil -- the destroyer.
This occurred before Adam was created.
When Adam and Eve were created they were allowed to be tried by Satan who in the form of a serpent convinced Eve and then Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit that God had commanded them not to eat and thus Satan lied his way back to still keep ruling over the earth. Had Adam and Eve obeyed God and overcame Satan's deception our world would be totally different today. Satan still sits on the throne of this earth and until one were to come along and replace him he still is the god of this world.
Now, Jesus Christ enters this battle for the rulership of the earth. When Satan overcame Adam and caused him to sin and thus Adam and all his offspring are under the sway of this evil being, at that moment we read in the scriptures that it was determined that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God would have to come down and live a perfect life and not sin and overcome Satan the Devil.
Rev 13:8 ...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
So, the battle for the throne of this earth came down to a showdown between Jesus Christ and Satan the Devil. The history of the universe was at stake. If Christ sinned, he failed and the whole plan of Salvation would be ended and the God Being, the Word, that had lived with God the Father from eternity would die and Satan and His demons would be still left ruling over this earth and God Almighty would be left alone to battle this evil being that had turned in rebellion against Him.
After Christ had fasted forty days and forty nights -- 960 hours without food or water -- He was ready to take on Satan:
Satan tried three tricks to get Christ to obey him. Christ shot back three times quoting scripture out of the book of Deuteronomy. Three times Satan failed to overcome Christ. Christ had won the battle. God's plan of salvation for the world and all mankind was intact. Christ snapped a command at Satan and he had to slink away in utter defeat. Christ was in command.
Christ went on to give His life as sacrifice as the Passover Lamb and Saviour to the world and died for all of our sins. He never once sinned.
As for Satan, he is still deceiving and trying to destroy mankind and he knows that time is getting short when Christ is going to come down from Heaven and setup forever the Kingdom of God on this earth. We are currently in between the time of Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets which pictures the epoch of time we are in relation to God's Plan of Salvation.
God has left Satan as ruler of this earth to try and test all those whom are called to rule with Christ. They have to overcome all his tricks and deceptions to be able to rule with Christ at His return. Satan is a lame duck ruler out to do all the evil he can before he and his angels are bound for a thousand years pictured by the Day of Atonement.
So God DID create a perfect world and a perfect being named Lucifer. But Lucifer rebelled and Adam and Eve failed to overcome him. It finally took a God being to come down and live a perfect life in the flesh to beat this wily Satan and finally bring the utopian environment this world has been longing for so long now...
May God speed the return of Jesus Christ to this earth and remove this evil Satan as quickly as possible and set up the Kingdom of God to rule with the resurrected saints to rule under Christ. The whole creation is groaning for this tremendous event soon to come...
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Again, may God speed that day...
God in his love, gave us freewill choice to either choose good or bad (evil) . God didnt create evil . People choose it . Based on an atheist worldview, how did evil originate from non-personal materials such as planets/rocks/hydrogen gas/helium/and a whopping big explosion ? Further, how did any of our non material personality traits / emotions come from materialism ?
God in his love, gave us freewill choice to either choose good or bad (evil) . God didnt create evil . People choose it . Based on an atheist worldview, how did evil originate from non-personal materials such as planets/rocks/hydrogen gas/helium/and a whopping big explosion ? Further, how did any of our non material personality traits / emotions come from materialism ?
Based on the christian god-view, if God created everything, how did he not create evil? If God is omnipotent and omniscient, how did he not create peoples' propensity to be evil?
Based on the christian god-view, if God created everything, how did he not create evil? If God is omnipotent and omniscient, how did he not create peoples' propensity to be evil?
God created a very special Angel (Satan) who eventually rebelled against The Creator and not only fell away from God...but despised all that God stands for including (but not limited to) Goodness and Righteousness . Therefore evil entered the world initially thru Satan ., against the will of God. God is not the cause of evil .
Regarding the second part of your query : It was a good act for God to give us personal freewill choice to willfully choose him if desired , as well as to choose what we do with our lives....whether it be for good or evil. While there is a risk that people will rebell and choose evil , it is based on ones own volition ; just as our Parents bring us into the world and sincerely hope we as children will freely choose to return their love back to them ... they also are aware that it could go the other way. Regardless, they dont try to force / coerse our love ... but rather they extend their unconditional love towards us in addition to teaching/grooming/nurturing us on toward an adult life of personal responsibility / integirty / and uprightness . As adult children of our Parents, is it our Parents fault if we choose to disobey their diligent instruction and choose a destructive road ? Our propensity to do as WE want out of pride, rebellion, and/or arrogance....cannot be visited on our Parents nor the Creator of our Souls .
God created a very special Angel (Satan) who eventually rebelled against The Creator and not only fell away from God...but despised all that God stands for including (but not limited to) Goodness and Righteousness . Therefore evil entered the world initially thru Satan ., against the will of God. God is not the cause of evil .
Regarding the second part of your query : It was a good act for God to give us personal freewill choice to willfully choose him if desired , as well as to choose what we do with our lives....whether it be for good or evil. While there is a risk that people will rebell and choose evil , it is based on ones own volition ; just as our Parents bring us into the world and sincerely hope we as children will freely choose to return their love back to them ... they also are aware that it could go the other way. Regardless, they dont try to force / coerse our love ... but rather they extend their unconditional love towards us in addition to teaching/grooming/nurturing us on toward an adult life of personal responsibility / integirty / and uprightness . As adult children of our Parents, is it our Parents fault if we choose to disobey their diligent instruction and choose a destructive road ? Our propensity to do as WE want out of pride, rebellion, and/or arrogance....cannot be visited on our Parents nor the Creator of our Souls .
Your statement, like many from the religious should be prefaced with "I believe", until such time as you have evidence to substantiate you words.
Your statement, like many from the religious should be prefaced with "I believe", until such time as you have evidence to substantiate you words.
What 'I believe' isnt based on fanciful feelings , but on externals such as the scientific and historic evidences that prove the Bible is inspired of God and is a totally trustworthy document . It was the biggest reason I abandoned 10 adult years of wanting to be an Atheist/Secular Humanist. A person has to be willing to diligently investigate the evidences with an open mind / non apriori-philosophical bias , however. Very few of those who proclaim they are atheist, wish to do this .. but I was one of them. I spent a good 2 years doing so ...something that most Christians havent even done. If you ever get to the place of wanting to honestly investigate it, I can suggest some very good scholarly sources for the evidence.
What 'I believe' isnt based on fanciful feelings , but on externals such as the scientific and historic evidences that prove the Bible is inspired of God and is a totally trustworthy document . It was the biggest reason I abandoned 10 adult years of wanting to be an Atheist/Secular Humanist. A person has to be willing to diligently investigate the evidences with an open mind / non apriori-philosophical bias , however. Very few of those who proclaim they are atheist, wish to do this .. but I was one of them.
Sadly enough there is no such evidence supporting the authenticity of the bible. On the contrary there is much evidence that refutes it.
Sadly enough there is no such evidence supporting the authenticity of the bible. On the contrary there is much evidence that refutes it.
I can tell by that comment, that you have not looked in to it deeply and without a personal apriori-philosophical bias. Like I said, very very people who want to be Atheists, do. No one can force you...you have to choose to do so..but i do understand the personal implications all too well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
