God? Evil???

I was recently prompted to do some research when challenged with the claim that God is evil. Skeptics say that because evil must have come from somewhere, and God is creator of “all things” (remember this), that means that God is evil as well. Wanted to share with you all what I found. It’s really neat. :)

First off, this is a good site that shows how the Bible cannot be used to prove such a thing as truth -http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/evil.html. In this sort of discussion, it is important not to confuse discipline with/as evil. When God punishes us, it is because we have done something wrong and because He loves us, and He knows that the path we are on will lead us somewhere that will harm us. God wants to protect us.

Next, as a little background information, lets look and see what the Bible says God created. In Ephesians 3:9 we read, “... which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”

Also, “For by him were all things created...” Colossians 1:16.

So, skeptics are right in saying that God created everything. However, I would like to emphasize the word “things” as I ask this question... Would evil be considered a thing?

Evil is not tangible. You can't pick it up or throw it around the room. You can't taste it in the sense that you taste food. And technically you can't even see evil. The only things we see are the effects of evil. The same goes with hearing. That doesn't qualify as a "thing." Check out the definition and let me know what you think.

As a conclusion to this post, I would like to share a story I found online that I hope will answer one if not all the questions raised with this post.

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A University professor at a well-known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied "Yes he did."

"God created everything?" the professor asked. "Yes sir, he certainly did." the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil. And since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."

The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"

"Of course," replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of a question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The other students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said, we see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor had nothing to say.

~L.Pierce
“No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. -Isaiah 54:17