Problem Of Evil And The Free Will Defense - 1038 Words

Gall Harari PHI2010 Kearns 19 October 2017 Problem of Evil and the Free Will Defense Evil is something that exists in many forms. From big evils like Hitler’s Holocaust and slavery, to small evils like getting a papercut and getting stuck in the rain (perhaps to some this might be a big evil), evil is basically anything that is not good. For theologians, evil poses several problems, most notably when it comes to the existence of God. To most theologists, God has a set definition. God is defined as an all-powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscient), and all-loving (omnibenevolent) being that is morally perfect, meaning God always does the right thing. So how can there be a God if there is evil in the world? This question is something†¦show more content†¦To clearly show the problem of evil, I will lay out it out in premise, conclusion form: 1. If God exists, then God is all-powerful, and all good. 2. An all-powerful being can do anything. 3. An all good being always prevent evil as far as it can. 4. There is evil. 5. Conclusion: Therefore, God does not exist. From this, some possible solutions arise. Simply, if stating that one of the premises is not true, then the problem of evil does not exist. Maybe one does not believe that God’s power is limited or perhaps are prepared to say that evil does not exist and is merely an illusion. It is hard to truly prove that these solutions are true, but they are solutions nonetheless. Along with these adequate solutions, are some solutions that Mackie describes as â€Å"fallacious†. The most noted one very well could be the Free Will Defense. People have the choice to do the â€Å"good† thing or the â€Å"bad† thing. The free will defense states that evil is due to human free will. It attempts to prove that premise 3 is incorrect. In other words, the evil that exists in this world is not God’s fault, but rather the choices and actions of humans, who were given free will from God. This means that the potential cost of having free will is evil. Thus, God, who is an all good being, will not prevent evil because it is not under his discretion whether humans choose the cruel option. This isShow MoreRelated The Problem of Evil Disproved by the Free Will Defense Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesThe Problem of Evil Disproved by the Free Will Defense The Problem of Evil states that because evil exists the existence of a tri-omni being, which we typically refer to as God, is impossible. This argument, if proved to be true, would refute the Cosmological Argument for God’s Existence. 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