I’m working on a lengthy paper looking at the problem of evil and I’ve ran into something simple that I can’t get past. I’m defining the connection between God and goodness. I’m stating the God is not above good because that would indicate that good/evil is arbitrary. Now here lies my problem: what’s a solid reason why an infinite, all-good God would not make good/evil arbitrary? The only givens I have stated is that there is one God who is infinite, all-knowing and all-good. Also, I have stated that good is not above God since nothing can be above an infinite being and demand the being’s obedience. In the end, I’m going to state that God is good and so evil isn’t a creation of God, just the manifestation of our free will to seperate ourselves from God. I should probably figure out a way to explain the devil/demons; rather, do angels have free will? By nature, I would say no but where is the line between their need to obey God and their options not to. Satan turned on God which indicates some individual will but I’m not sure how to balance that with free will, etc.
ANYHOW, if you can help me figure out how to explain why God would not make good/evil arbitrary, let me know.
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3 responses
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i’ve always thought of evil as a necessary counter to goodness. sort of like light and darkness…not to sound like a cliche, but light is matter, i think…or rather energy. regardless whatever it is, it is. which means that darkness must exist too, if only in idea. since darkness is defined as the absence of light…to have one means you must have the other. good and evil are the same way. i’m already talking too much, but bear with me. imagine creation without the fall of man. in the wide angle view i mean. sure it’s great, it’s beautiful, it’s beyond words…but enter free will and knowledge of good and evil. suddenly through this tragic event, there is now an opportunity for the creator to make a sacrifice and show the world His love and His greatness. How much more glorious is creation now that the fall of man has made way for the great redemption? i’d say good and evil are not arbitrary, but a necessary part of the mind of God and…in fact…another mode of glory for Him….by the way… i kinda think the angels do have free will. though i imagine it’s more difficult to convince yourself to rebel against God when you’re in heaven. satan still managed though…isn’t the odd that even satan is suceptible to satan’s lies?
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1 John 1:5 – “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”
I suggest that you’re off on the wrong foot by thinking of God as ‘creating’ good and evil. He is Yahweh (or however you choose to express that) – everything in existence depends on God, who is good.
This idea of light and darkness is a helpful one – evil is like the absence of light. Evil will come to nothing finally, because it is nothing. -
I did not mean to indicate that God created good or evil. I’m defining why God is good by first proving wrong the other options (good is above God or God is above (i.e. created) good). If the latter is correct- God is above/created good- then that would mean God established good/evil based on something arbitrary. I know this is wrong. I’m trying to figure out how to argue that an all-knowing, infinite God would not do that.
Coming full circle, I’m going to reach where God is good, not something created by Him but simply Him and so thus evil is the absense of God or in another way of putting it, a manifestation of our rejection of God.
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