Religion is a faith-based system that involves a series of beliefs, usually placed in a greater system or being. Philosophy is an educational and psychological concept that drives towards wisdom. Philosophers ask deeper questions about the things that we think we know, like what really exists, how do we know something, what is morally right or wrong, and what constitutes bad or good reasoning? Philosophers often focus on religion, among other things, because placing blind faith in a certain being and making claims about the world because of it raises a lot of philosophical issues. For example, claiming that God exists, as most traditional Western theists do, creates a lot of questions. How do you know that God exists? How can you be sure that you know that you know? What rational and explainable proof do you have? If God exists, what qualities does he have? How do you know he has said qualities? The list could go on indefinitely.
The debate of God’s existence has been ongoing for centuries. There are many arguments, both ontological and cosmological, that argue for and against the existence of God. The problem of evil is a question that many philosophers have raised against the existence of God. They question how such an amazing omnipotent and loving God can allow evil to reside in the world. Because of this, many people have also started questioning the characteristics of God. This question has been one of the biggest arguments against God’s existence, but theistic philosophers have taken it upon themselves to try and answer this question as an argument for God’s existence.
An example of an argument that uses the problem of evil to debate against the idea of God states the opinion it holds through a series of theories:
- An omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God would prevent gratuitous evil in the world.
- Gratuitous evil exists.
- Therefore, God is either not omnipotent, not omniscient, not omnibenevolent, or does not exist.
The prefix omni- translates to all, meaning that God is typically considered as this awe-worthy being that which nothing greater exists. The word gratuitous means unnecessary evil. When these definitions are considered, it is clear to see that the creator of this philosophical argument is arguing against the existence of God, or at least of the typical definition of God, because he cannot stop unnecessary evil in the world. However, there are many theodicies that have arisen that offer solutions to this argument or offer up their own arguments that explain why there is evil even through God’s presence and power.
A theodicy is an argument in the philosophy of religion that attempts to resolve the problem of evil and show that it is reasonable to believe in God despite the evidence of evil’s existence. In theodicies, there are many defenses thar center around the greater good, and claim that we need gratuitous evil for the greater good. Another common theodicy states that we have gratuitous evil because humans have been granted free will; the right to choose between right and wrong, good and evil. However, the problem with the free will argument, as many philosophers have pointed out, is that this perspective only accounts for humanity’s evil and not natural evil. Natural evil would consist of the natural worldly things that happen to people that could be considered an evil, such as cancer. Of course, this issue only holds ground if natural evil is something that you believe to be true.
One famous ideology that attempts to explain the presence of evil was written by John Hick and is called “Soul Making,” or “Irenaean.” From this, Hick argues that humans were created in the image, or likeness of God, which is a statement that can be found in the bible. But, to come close to the likeness of God, you have to grow into it. You have to choose your life to go in that direction. Hick then goes on to say that you cannot become a full-fledged human, and therefore cannot come close to being the likeness of God, without struggling against and experiencing evil. He overall shares his ideas through his key point; that evil is in the world to strengthen humans and make them more morally like God and aligned with his image. However, as most philosophers have already pointed out, the problem with this perspective is that one, it takes the assumption that growth is linear, and two, every single evil happening is an opportunity for growth. This can arguably render Hick’s argument ineffective, as not many people will accept that the horrible things that happen to them are so that they can become more like God.
Another example of a famous theodicy is Augustine’s. Instead of asking what the purpose of evil in our world is or asking why we have it, he instead asked “where does evil come from?” Augustine argues that since God is the only thing that was not created, he is the very definition of existence. He then came up with a sort of “existence hierarchy, where God resides at the top as complete existence, and nonexistence resides at the bottom. Augustine then states that the closer you are to God, the closer you are to fully existing. He then debates that evil comes from nonexistence. If we were to think of this complex theory mathematically, then we would see that existence equals God, who is at the top of this hierarchy. Therefore, at the bottom of this hierarchy, there is the absence of God. From this, we can presume that Augustine’s overall argument is that the absence of God creates evil, and the closer you are to fully existing, the closer you are to God, the farther away you will be from evil.
One last famous theodicy we will look at comes from Origen. This philosopher created a pyramid of circles, where God represented the top of the pyramid, and all other creatures, including angels and humans, are beneath God in this pyramid for the purpose of contemplating him. However, Origen takes a more traditional theistic approach by explaining how God’s right-hand angel, Lucifer, turned away from God, and created evil as a phenomenon, because it was never meant to be created. He then goes on to explain since humans are granted free will, some choose to turn in the same direction as Lucifer did, toward the evil, and away from God and all of his goodness. Altogether, Origen’s point of view is summed up by the belief that evil is a phenomenon that will eventually disappear because God will fight it in their final battle. When this happens, all of creation will turn back to God and return to its original and intended unity.
My own opinion on the presence of evil is a mix of the free will theodicy and Augustine’s perspective. I believe that evil come from the absence of God and that it is a problem in our world because of free will. God is the creator of all things; therefore, nothing could have created him, meaning he fits the definition of true existence, therefore solidifying Augustine’s theology and explaining that evil comes from nonexistence, also known as the absence of God. Because humans have free will, they can choose to turn away from evil and towards God, moving up the hierarchy of existence, or they can reject God, therefore embracing evil, moving lower on the hierarchy of existence, and creating gratuitous evil. We have already discussed that free will can only explain human’s evil, and not natural evil. However, I do not believe in natural evil; I believe in nature running its course and in the misfortune of difficult circumstances and situations.
All things considered, although the problem of evil in the debate of the existence of God is a good point to bring up, it can easily be used to prove God’s existence. There are many different theodicies explaining the problem of evil that help us see this. These theodicies can then be shared to the world to assuage doubts in people’s belief and to also provide solid questions and evidence about religion. Not everyone has to be a believer, but I believe in having some sort of evidence or reasoning behind your belief, even if your belief is against the idea of faith or religion. This topic can help provide these evidences and can even change minds as they are all well thought out philosophical opinions of religion. In conclusion, the problem of evil is a thorough question in the topic of God’s existence that can be used to both prove his existence or refute it, depending on the route you take, the perspectives that make sense to you, and the beliefs you hold.
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