None of this means God created evil. He did allow evil things to happen, which was part of his judgment on sin.
God Creates Evil
Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by drfuss, Apr 19, 2009.
Page 4 of 5
-
“The phenomenon and problem of evil can be described as follows: “Evil, understood in the broadest sense, refers to everything that is bad. It thus includes—to use a classical distinction—both ‘physical’ evil, directly due to nature, and “moral” evil, due to human volition; to these, the modern definition of the problem adds ‘social’ or ‘structural’ evil, the injustice that falls between necessity and approbation. The thing itself—whether physical, moral, or social—has always eluded the grasp of Western metaphysics, and for good reason: its essence has been impossible to define. Of course the world is full of . . . ‘evil.’ In itself however, it appears to be nothing, for it cannot be understood in isolation. There is no such thing as the evil one, nor is there an element of the world that is evil wither inherently or even indirectly. But of course there is always someone or something that is evil. Thus evil appears in the predicate, as an attribute. Its domain is events, actions, and their effects. Possibly this is why it has repeatedly eluded ontological philosophy. ‘Evil is a relational concept: its business is with action and suffering, with human and social interaction. We perceive as evil whatever threatens us, brings disorder, destroys life, turns change into catastrophe. It is, at bottom, an attack on existence and on life. . . . It tends toward death” (TDOT Vol. XIII p. 567-568).
[FONT="]
[/FONT] -
-
-
Thinkingstuff Active Member
-
I don’t see evil in the tree that God placed in the garden, not even an evil attempt or ploy to create the beginning of evil. The tree was a tree of knowledge, and man, within Divine volitional creaturely design, had the ability to choose and disobey, which he did, and upon receiving that knowledge man became responsible as a judge between good and evil. Problem is there is only one Good, One God, (Gen 3:22) and when man is comparing judgment against God’s man falls short. I see the accounts of Genesis explaining to us who we creatures are, made in His likeness and image, gaining knowledge by our own choice within this design, BUT we are not gods, there is only One who can judge good, One Creator who is Lord over all.
To the ones who resent having a Higher Power (God) to be over their own moral judgment I would say: Hey, don’t want to live in this world and spend eternity with your Lord and Creator who made you in love? Got too much pride in your own little world of knowledge which He allowed you to have? Fine, you don’t have to live with Him, you have an alternative. But, don’t complain in your bitterness about your Creator making you just the way He did, otherwise you wouldn’t even have this decision to make.
(On a side bar issue) Back to the P.O.E. Basically, the way I perceive the argument is that the atheist is complaining and whining that he can’t be a god while thinking in his God given knowledge that he is morally superior to God. -
God is not evil, neither the author of evil.
Adam rebelled against that which was good. God gave him good. He looked upon everything that he created and it was very good. By rebelling he was taking away from the goodness that God created, particularly their own goodness. The image and likeness in which they were created was marred. It was no longer "good" in the way that God created it. The creation was no longer "good" in the way that God had created it. God removed its goodness because of Adam's sin. And all things began to deteriorate into a state of decay. The curse was set in motion.
There is always a consequence for sin. God is just. His justice and holiness does not contradict his love. -
1. Having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injury, or to produce mischief.
There is moral evil as well but God doesn't sin. Moral evil is sin.
MB -
Since sin entered the world, the world has been evil as a consequence, but God did not create that because God did not create sin. -
-
-
I find it interesting that so many would disagree with scripture by trying to explain it logically in light of their personal theology. Just a few years agio I had the same discussion with one of the top SBC professors. My opinion is that he is the best. At one itme he was in charge of the doctoral program. He enlightened and corrected me about this matter. When I begna to think it through I realized I was doing thge same thing you are doing. I realized that I was too often interpreting scripture in light of an English interpretation of a word or passage and not a Jewish historical context.
Go back and think through the origin of evil. Where did that come from?
Gen. 6:5, "The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." -
“Positive Ad Hominem”
“An Ad Hominem fallacy, then, is committed if we rebut a person on the bases of considerations that, logically, apply to the person rather than to his or her claims. Strictly speaking, if we automatically transfer the positive or favorable attributions of a person to what he or she says, that’s a mistake in reasoning, as well. The fact that you think Moore is cleaver does not logically entitle you to conclude that any specific opinion of Moore’s is clever.” (Critical Thinking by Moore/Parker)
Logicians do not always limit the Ad Hominem to rebuttal; a parallel mistake in reasoning happens, “if you confuse the favorable qualities of a person with the qualities of their assertions.” (215) -
MB -
Please show how what I said is in conflict with the Bible.
Scripture is written to us today as well as it was to the Jews.
-
How would you interpre t 1 Sam 16:14, “Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him.” The evil spirit is from Yahweh.
American/Greek theology permits each item to be compartmentalized and separate from each other. Whereas Jewish theology does not. Scripture in almost every case was written to Jews. Jewish theology sees everything within the same circle and that includes God and man. Greek/American theolgy separates them.
Gen 2:9 "Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." -
-
Thinkingstuff Active Member
Just a note Marcia. Biblical Judaism didn't survive past AD 70.
-
-
Page 4 of 5