Problem of Evil: Evidential (4 of 5)

Introducing and evaluating the problem of evil in a five video series.

1) Introduction
2) Objection 1: Logical inconsistency within God
3) Objection 2: Probability argument
4) Objection 3: Evidential argument
5) Objection 4: Emotional argument & Conclusion

Evidentialist Objection:

1. If God exists, gratuitous evil does not exist.
2. Gratuitous evil exists.
3. Therefore, God does not exist.

(Using the Logical Law of Modus tollens)

4. If God exists, gratuitous evil does not exist.
5. God exists.
6. Therefore, gratuitous evil does not exist.

Revised Moral Argument:

7. If God did not exist, then objective moral values would not exist.
8. Evil exists.
9. Therefore, objective moral values exist.
10. Therefore, God exists.

References:

Hume, D. (1980). Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill (p. 198)

Johnstone, P. (1993). Operation World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Koukl, G. (2009). Tactics. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Nash, R. H. (1988). Faith and Reason: Searching for a Rational Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Mission Frontiers. Retrieved on March 14, 2009 from: http://www.missionfrontiers.org/pdf/1990/11/n908.htm

Moreland, J.P., & Craig, W.L. (2003). Philosophical foundations for a Christian worldview. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press

Zacharias, R. (2000). Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson

Category:

Education

Tags:

• problem
• of
• evil
• atheism
• agnosticism
• logic
• contradiction
• law
• noncontradiction
• christianity
• god
• reason
• probabi

[Solthiel]

Finally, I actually respect your attempt to approach the Problem of Evil with a level head. I watched all of these videos and was pleased to see one of a handful of calm and cool theists I have ever found.

[telemantros]

Thanks : )

[Solthiel]

3) You have misconstrued (although I suspect not with any ill intent) aspects of the argument. The argument, for example is not "If God exists, evil cannot exist" it is, "if a BENEVOLENT God exists, evil would not exist"

The interesting part of the Problem of Evil is that it is not actually binary. It allows for the elbow room of God being all-powerful, but not all-good or all-knowng, or all-knowing, all-good, but not all-powerful, etc...

[telemantros]

I'll leave your first and third contention unanswered for now, and focus on the second. This is a very good point to consider, however due to both time constraints and a personal feeling that this deals with the coherence of God himself, I opted not to talk about 2.

However, I do feel that omniscience and free will can mesh quite well. While I'm not a Calvinist, the combatabalist view 'seems' to work, although I would be more of a Monolist.

[epaminodas]

let me get this right.....you believe there's a reason for the suffering of poor african children dying from starvation? or iraqi/afghani kids who die b/c of collateral damage?

[telemantros]

Yes. I dealt with this objection in the second video if you are interested in further explanation.

[polopowers1]

@telemantros The knowledge of evil God created in His tree.He called it good..Knowledge is an attribute not a virtue of who God is.God is not giving a moral law in the knowledge of good and evil. It was not even His objective.Morality in law does not explain evil.Evil is the powerless knowledge man holds in trying to do good.Man has derived laws of morality to substitute or control the inclination of evil always in His heart.But God is above morality He is not moral! But Virtue in Jesus Christ

[Pumbaelo]

van Inwagen has, in his book on the POE, a brilliant section on evil and vagueness, where he argues that God has to allow some evil and that there are now sharp cutoffs towards how much evil has to allow. to achieve what he wants. So there has to be some arbitrary line and there would be some evil that God could prevent without losing a greater good, therefore God has no choice but allowing some gratuitous evil.

[telemantros]

Fifth one is out, and should be attached to this video. I don't think I'd define good as 'nice'. Rather, I would think off the top of my head that good is what ought to be.

[Solthiel]

(Actually, it is "If a benevolent God exists that has the power to prevent evil and the foresight to know that it will be created with his actions, evil cannot exist unless its root is God and therefore a God of this sort cannot have created the universe.")

[Solthiel]

...then he has no excuse for the existence of evil. He created a universe without any appearance of Free Will inside it. So it stands to reason he could have created one sans all corrupting/evil processes.

2) At any point in your arguments, you choose to negate aspects of the argument. For example, when considering Free Will, you have negated to recall that if God can see all things in the future, and also created the universe, this nullifies Free Will.

[Solthiel]

Unfortunately for this series of videos, dismantling the Problem of Evil is not so easy. You have attempted to do so with a few faulty premises:

1) The assumption that Free Will exists. Free Will as a concept muddies the waters of the conversation. As far as we can see, Free Will does not exist; which is to say, humans are not in full control of every decision they make. With this in mind, everything falls apart in your string of reasoning. If God is not attempting to save free will...