Why is there so much evil in the world?

Why is there so much evil in the world? Randall Niles looks at the ageless stumbling block of Philosophy.

Here's the Problem of Evil in a nutshell: "Why did a personal, loving God create a world in which evil exists?" "Why did God give man freedom to commit evil acts?" Atheists reason, "Surely an all-knowing God of Love would not allow evil to exist in His world." The response to the foregoing is summed up in God's nature - Love - and His desire for mankind - Love. Look at the logic: How could God allow for Love without the potential for evil? God could have created robots that do nothing more than forever say, "I love you, I love you, I love you." But such creatures would be incapable of a real love relationship. The Bible says God desires a real love relationship with His creation: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (I John 3:18). Love is not real unless one has the ability to not love. If one were able to choose not to love God, but chose instead to love God, that would allow for a real love relationship with God. One of God's attributes is omniscience. God knew that in a world with choice, there would be much evil -- to choose not to love is evil by definition. However, there would also be the capacity for real love. Philosopher Alvin Plantinga writes, "An all loving, all powerful, all knowing Being could permit as much evil as He pleased without forfeiting His claim to being all loving, so long as for every evil state of affairs He permits there is an accompanying greater good" (God, Freedom and Evil). The potential for love out weighs the existence of evil, especially if evil can only exist for a time. Evil is a side effect of love. Suffering and death are a side effect of evil (Romans 5:12). God says in His Bible that this side effect is only for a time. Evil serves the limited purpose of establishing real love relationships between creation and the Creator, and evil will be done away with after that purpose is achieved. "And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever" (I John 2:17).

Visit http://www.allaboutgod.com/problem-of-evil.htm to work through the deep philosophical challenge of why there is so much evil in the world.

Also, go to http://www.RandallNiles.com/videos.htm to watch more videos on the subject of God and the Problem of Evil!

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[Kailoa36]

@newj34 So what? Is your God omnipotent or not? If so, he could eliminate the evil in "each & everyone of us" with a snap of his cosmic fingers. If not, why call him god?

[newj34]

People often times ask why god does not eliminate evil in the world without any second thought to what their asking for. If god eliminated evil he would have to start with each & everyone of us since a majority of the evil in the world is a byproduct of our actions. Not all...but certainly most.

[GTCism]

Feminism brought with it into the world, many demons, political correctness, exceptance of paganistic and satanic beliefs, an attack on God's model for family, a break down in the relationship/s between man and women, exceptance of homosexuality over God, etc... The list goes on and on and yet the world glorify's them. Feminism, Islam and White Supremecy all have the same father, Satan! 

[avenger391482]

@Haharyne But aren't you a human too?

[bogart99]

Love me or burn forever is not freewill

You can't have a perfect creation without evil because we would have no free will to love god with? So no free will in heaven then.

[Hufflewaffle]

If there is ANY objective purpose or goal to life then there is no such thing as free will. Instead there is 'good' behavior (correct functioning, fulfilling purpose) and bad behavior (malfunctioning, not fulfilling purpose) and we are simply organic robots.

[Requiemxtoxinnocence]

good and evil? why not ideals and principles?

[Davidbasque15]

Good and evil are human concept. It exist just for us, don't put it on "god's" will.

PS: There's no god, grow up...

[roniepao]

God will not allow evil. in fact He will end this world and all the evils in the judgement days. see....

[HelpTheWorld91]

If there can be no love without evil, how come God is going to do away with evil in the future? Will there be no love in the future since there needs to be evil for there to be love?