What would you say to a friend who claimed that the Christian God doesn’t exist because there’s too much evil in the world?
One approach is to respond with a question, “How do you know what evil is?” Some say we learn right and wrong from our parents. Really? So when your son took a toy from your toddler, you had a lesson on property rights before she screamed in protest? And you taught your son how to lie before he came up with an excuse as to why he wasn’t violating these moral laws. We have a conscience so we instinctively know the moral law, we do not need to be taught these things.
We know there is a moral law because moral absolutes exist. Morality is not relative, if it were your morality would be right, mine would be right, there would be no standard by which to judge one behavior to be objectionable and another to be valued. The difference between Hitler and Mother Theresa would only be a matter of opinion. In order for you to judge one behavior right and another wrong a moral absolute standard must exist. If a conscience or moral law exists, then a moral law provider, someone outside of the prescribed standard must exist. Christians call this moral law provider God.
While God did not make evil He did allow evil to exist. When He created the heavens and the earth He declared it all to be good. Part of the goodness was giving some of His creatures free will. Because forced love is not love anymore than forced obedience is willful obedience. We are not robots, we have a choice to love or hate, to obey or rebel.
The evil you see in the world is the result of people living in opposition to the moral standard they know they ought to obey. We all violate the moral law to some degree bringing judgment upon ourselves. Because God is good and just, He must judge law breakers. But Christ paid our fine and took our punishment providing forgiveness and a way to become righteous, free from our transgression. Christianity is the only world religion that provides a Savior, that is Jesus.
Crave 
“What would you say to a friend who claimed that the Christian God doesn’t exist because there’s too much evil in the world?”
I would tell them that that’s a stupid reason not to believe in the Christian god.
A god could exist and also be a horrible, vindictive, disgusting creature that no one would ever want to worship. So evil existing doesn’t mean there’s no god. It just means there’s no perfectly good god.
The lack of evidence for god is enough to suggest it doesn’t exist.
Very excellent point, morsecode! Now I have a question for you.
What evidence would convince you that God exists? What would God have to do to convince you? What evidence are you looking for?
OK, that’s three questions, but you get the idea. So glad to have you visiting again!
Thanks.
I am going to be completely honest with you Nance…I don’t know.
That being said, if there is a god and that god is omnipotent, I would imagine he would know what would convince me. As, if he existed, he would have been responsible for my creation and given me the brain and the reason I use to determine what is real and what is not.
So, I wait. If nothing ever occurs that convinces me of god’s existence, I can only assume that belief is not as terribly important to this god as everyone seems to suggest, or he simply doesn’t exist.
Hmm, people believe many different things, with or without evidence. They believe that they love, they believe they will wake up the next morning, they believe someone else loves them for example. How can they really know? We just had a discussion about marriage. What evidence can prove love?
Could belief rely more on will than upon reason?
“They believe that they love, they believe they will wake up the next morning, they believe someone else loves them for example.”
There is evidence for all of those things, with perhaps the exception of knowing you love, because only you can know that.
I believe I will wake up because I have the accumulated experience of having done it many other times.
I can determine if someone else loves me based on what they say and their actions. My knowledge of them loving me isn’t perfect, of course, but I can look at all the evidence that is given me and make an intelligent conclusion.
“I believe I will wake up because I have the accumulated experience of having done it many other times.”
If this qualifies as evidence, then I can apply this to God’s existence. I have a life long accumulated experience of His existence.
“I can determine if someone else loves me based on what they say and their actions. My knowledge of them loving me isn’t perfect, of course, but I can look at all the evidence that is given me and make an intelligent conclusion.”
This evidence as well can be applied to the existence of God. I have determined that He loves me based on what He has said and on His actions. My knowledge of Him loving me is not perfect, but I can look at all the evidence that is given to me and make an intelligent conclusion.
So, Morsecode, are you saying that a good and omnipotent God would prevent evil from occurring, and if He, for some reason, allowed evil, it would be because He was either not good or not omnipotent?
I am so glad Morse code is back….I missed his thoughtful questions. (I am being serious when I say that)
Evil exists because Lucifer/Satan is in control of this world which is fallen. Man by nature is sinful. God is infinite and are ways are not His. We therefore cannot comprehend why He doesnt always intervene when evil is occuring. There may exist a purpose we cannot understand.
“If this qualifies as evidence, then I can apply this to God’s existence. I have a life long accumulated experience of His existence.”
Close, but not quite. Your accumulated experience is only evidence of that…your experience. Whether or not that experience is rooted in anything outside yourself is a completely different question.
In addition to my own experience, my evidence for waking is confirmed by all the other people in the world. They can confirm my actual experience. And while you can have others who have similar experiences, no one else can confirm your specific spiritual experiences. That’s the difference.
“I have determined that He loves me based on what He has said and on His actions.”
Which is fine, but do you have evidence for these actions having been performed by an outside force (ex: if you won the lottery, evidence that someone had you win the lottery)? Do you have evidence, beyond your own experience, that someone outside yourself is actually speaking to you?
“I am so glad Morse code is back”
Thanks! I didn’t really go anywhere. I just don’t respond unless I think I have something worth saying.
“So, Morsecode, are you saying that a good and omnipotent God would prevent evil from occurring, and if He, for some reason, allowed evil, it would be because He was either not good or not omnipotent?”
I’m saying an omnibenevolent and omnipotent god would prevent evil from happening. As evil exists, IF god exists then he is either not omnibenevolent or not omnipotent.
Notice my specific terms. Omni-good…a god who allows evil could still be mostly good, just not all good.
“Evil exists because Lucifer/Satan is in control of this world which is fallen”
Who created Satan?
“Man by nature is sinful.”
Who made man with his nature?
“There may exist a purpose we cannot understand.”
If you’re going to say this, then what you said before is superfluous. If we can’t understand, then we can’t understand, and your explanations aren’t worth anything.
Not trying to be rude, mind you, just looking at what you’ve actually said.