Thursday, April 7, 2016

Some Thoughts on the Problem of Evil

From guest blogger, Shani.

The existence of evil in the world becomes problematic to theists since most theological texts claim that god is an all-powerful, all knowing and all good being (PKG). This assertion is problematic since if god is in fact PKG, then why would he ever allow gratuitous evils to occur? It seems to go completely against his nature. I would like to argue that the only way to remove the problem of evil is for theists to give up an absolutist approach to god’s capabilities. God cannot be PKG and be an omnipotent being who can do anything whether it be logically possible or not at the same time. Theists may not like the idea of giving up absolutism since they may think doing so undermines the idea that god is omnipotent and all-powerful. In my opinion it does no such thing. By removing the idea of absolutism we are not bringing gods capabilities down to a human level rather, we are simply purifying the definition of his being. If we take a non-absolutist approach and say that god can only do things which is possible for him to do, his possibilities and powers being beyond our comprehension, than we are still able to assert that god is PKG. Not only is he PKG but he is now also in his purest and most benevolent form. We can now take all gratuitous evils and place the blame on another entity that has the capability to create chaos and cause beings to suffer mercilessly. The blame can either be placed on humans or on Satan but either way god has not lost power. God has not lost power or authority since if god were PKG he would not be committing these horrific acts anyways, such gratuitous evils would be logically incoherent for him to commit. Therefore we have simply purified the definition of his being to one that is even more benevolent and merciful. In my opinion, giving up absolutism actually makes for a stronger and more praise worthy god than a god who can do anything but is not necessarily PKG. 

No comments: