The Problem of Evil

[Zolar V]

True, i have read the bible i know how the story of job goes.

Satan may be the accuser but he is also ruler of hell, and his angels.

they have been dubbed evil by us and are trying to get us to leave god and do what we want.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

That concept of Satan comes after Job was written. But very well, the existence of Satan is a good question, and one that perhaps should have its own thread instead of being distracting here.

[Zolar V]

very good point sir, i would make an interesting topic.

[seriously disabled]

The happening of bad things to innocent people in the world is the greatest contradiction in Christianity.

 

If God is so good and loving as Christians believe, then why does he send people to Hell to suffer there for all eternity? Also why does God give people free will just to punish them after that?

 

Maybe God is actually a cruel tyrant and not really so good as Christians make him out to be.

Edited November 27, 2011 by seriously disabled

[kitkat]

Maybe if people actually walk their belief instead of talking about it and believing that they are sinful beings that can't help the way they behave because their God will forgive them then maybe this world would be a better place to live in. Religion is a failure since its purpose results in failure for those actually trying to achieve it but can't in a society that doesn't embrace its concept in behavior.

[PeterJ]

Maybe we should disinguish betwen the God of the old and new testaments. Many would say that the NT was supposed to do away with the former, that old anthopomorphic God who could be angry and sad, good and evil and so forth.

 

I'm with Zolar V on most of this. It seems relevant that in one non-canonical source Jesus says that 'sin, as such, does not exist.' My interpretation would have evil as also not existing.

Edited December 1, 2011 by PeterJ

[seriously disabled]

God is the personification of Good but Satan is the personification of Evil.

 

But if there really is so much evil in this world then maybe Satan (aka Evil) is actually stronger than God (aka Good)

 

Satan is also a deity in some sense but he enjoys doing bad things to people instead of good things.

 

Or maybe God does not exist at all but only Satan exists. Or maybe Satan has actually killed God or has simply overcome God's powers over time. In other words, Satan became stronger than God over time through an unknown natural process.

 

We don't know the answer but these are all possibilities that need to be explored and in the future they may become a new science.

Edited December 14, 2011 by seriously disabled