Good and Evil
Religious Education
A.) Describe what Christians may believe about the power of good and the power of evil
B.) Explain how Christians may be influenced by these beliefs
C.) 'If God really loved humanity we would never have to suffer.' Do you agree?
A.) Describe what Christians may believe about the power of good and the power of evil
The Christian God is believed to be both loving and omnipotent. Christianity teaches that as well as a power of good there is also a power of evil - traditionally this is said to be Satan (or Lucifer), one of the archangels who disobeyed God and was sent to hell (Luke 10:18). Christians believe that the power of evil, almost like a force, can persuade people to do the wrong thing. They also believe that it is up to the individual person to make the right choice and to follow God's teachings, as God will judge us on how we lived our lives, and whether or not we lived good lives. The Old Testament teachings on the power of good and evil are based predominantly on the story of Adam and Eve. The teachings in the Old Testament of good and evil are in two chapters mainly; 'Genesis' and 'Job'.
Christians believe that the first ever sin was committed in the Garden of Eden. It is written in the creation story in Genesis that Adam and Eve disobeyed a direct command from God, thus committing the first sin. God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:22). God created Adam and Eve innocent but with the ability to choose right or wrong. In doing so, they could respond to His love and trust Him or choose another path, as it was their decision. They chose not to trust Him, and directly disobeyed Him. In this world of ours, our actions often directly affect others, and some Christians believe that because of Adam's choice to sin, the world now lives under the curse and everyone is born with a sin nature (Romans 5:12). Christians have conflicting views on just who the devil is, and whether or not the serpent was Satan is disguise. What we do know is that the angel Satan rebelled and according to the Bible, led one third of the angels into direct opposition against God. Those humans who oppose or ignore God follow Satan into rebellion - either consciously or unconsciously, meaning that to ignore God's wishes is to ignore the power of good.
The book of Job tells the story of a wealthy, happy man. Suddenly, it seemed as though his world was falling apart, as not only did he lose his belongings and health, but also his family. "Terrors are turned upon me, they pursue my soul as the wind; and my welfare passeth away as a cloud, and now my soul is poured out upon me, the days of affliction have taken hold upon me." (Job 30:15-16). He admitted that he had sinned, bust insisted that the punishment did not fit the crime (14:1-6). He then began to question God, accusing Him of being an enemy, even comparing Him to a mythical sea-monster. The book of Job deals with the question, "why do good people suffer?" Job is an honest, innocent man yet he suffered a great deal; to the extent that his faith in God was tested. Many Christians believe that the reason as to why Job was forced to suffer was to show that he served God not merely for the benefits he offers, but for the love of God Himself (Job 1:9-11). Some Christians believe that it was Satan who put Job through his suffering, and that God had allowed Satan to do everything he wanted to Job except kill him. Christians believe that in the face of power of evil one must keep their faith in God; this is clearly illustrated in Job, as although his faith was tested, it did not fail him and he did not lose faith in Him, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (Job 13:15). To summarise, suffering challenges us to remain faithful and to simply place our trust in God instead of questioning Him.
I think it is important to distinguish between the two kinds of evil: moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil results from the actions of free creatures; murder, rape and theft are the obvious examples. Natural evil on the other hand results from natural processes such as flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes. There are times, of course, when these two kinds of evil are intermingled, for example when flooding results in loss of human life due to poor planning or poorly constructed buildings. Some psychiatrists believe that evil comes from within human nature, and under its power normal individuals ...
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I think it is important to distinguish between the two kinds of evil: moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil results from the actions of free creatures; murder, rape and theft are the obvious examples. Natural evil on the other hand results from natural processes such as flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes. There are times, of course, when these two kinds of evil are intermingled, for example when flooding results in loss of human life due to poor planning or poorly constructed buildings. Some psychiatrists believe that evil comes from within human nature, and under its power normal individuals can be seen carrying out some of the most inhuman atrocities, for example they would argue that this could be seen in World War II when Hitler and the Nazis murdered over 6 million Jews.
One question that many people have recently asked themselves, is "where was God On September 11th, 2001?" The majority of Christians would argue that God was exactly where He always is - in Heaven in total control of everything that happens in the universe. Why, then, would a good and loving God allow such a tragedy to happen? Well first, we must remember, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). God is basically saying that it is impossible for us finite human beings to understand the ways of an infinite God, so we must accept what He does as being deliberate. In the book of Job, God reminds Job that his greatness and wisdom are beyond human understanding, causing Job to settle for just following God faithfully and stop trying to understanding His ways.
Christians believe in a God who understands what suffering is because God Himself has experienced it when he suffered in the person of Jesus. When the Eucharist is celebrated, Christians remind themselves of Jesus' actions and the fact that they are forgiven because of him. At the Eucharist, by sharing bread and wine Christians remember the meal Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before he was put to death, at his last supper. "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (Matthew 26:26-28). Many Christians view the resurrection of Jesus as a triumph of good over evil, and the crucifixion as the battle beforehand.
B.) Explain how Christians may be influenced by these beliefs
Many Christians have conflicting opinions on why there is good and evil in the world. While most agree that belief in a perfect, good and powerful God is rationally possible, some find it hard to accept, and contend that the existence of such a God is improbable due to the nature of the evil which occurs every day throughout the world. They arrive at the conclusion that if such a perfect, omnipotent, omniscient God existed it is highly unlikely that He would allow the amount and intensity of evil which we see in our world, especially when it appears as though the evil is of a purposeless nature. However, this is not the view supported by the majority of Christians, who often suggest possible reasons for God allowing some of the horrendous evils which do exist in our world, for example many Christians feel that perhaps there are people who would never sense their utter dependence on God unless they experienced suffering in their lifetime.
Another explanation to clarify the reasoning behind the existence of evil derives from Genesis. Many Christians believe that it is because of Adam and Eve that sin entered our world. Although God created Adam and Eve as innocent human beings, once they had committed their sin they became guilty and sinful, inflicting upon future generations a 'curse'. Often, people wonder whether or not God knew if Adam and Eve would disobey Him, or even if He was aware of what the serpent was doing. If so, why would He let it happen? If not, God is supposed to be all-knowing, so why not? A popular Christian answer is that God created human beings with free-will to choose between good and evil, and although He created Adam and Eve as being pure, innocent beings, he also graced upon them the ability to choose for themselves when the time came to either follow or ignore His teachings and the power of good, and they chose to ignore His teachings.
An ethical monotheist is someone who believes in one God, and wants to act and behave just like God. For these ethical monotheists the teachings of God are the teachings that they will live by, imitating God by refusing to succumb to the power of evil. This is one example of Christians being influenced by God and His teachings, which would include His take on the power of good and the power of evil.
Some Christians might argue that although God allows this evil force to exist, he wants us to act according to His rules and teachings, for example keeping the 10 Commandments. Christians attempt to follow the teachings of God in order to please Him. God teaches that people should not commit any sin, therefore Christians would be influenced by this and attempt to live their life without sin. Christians believe that God judges us on the way in which we lead our lives.
The issue of the conscience is a subject of great debate among Christians. Whilst many would argue that it is the voice of God instructing them of what is right and what is wrong, many would argue otherwise. Some believe that our sense of right and wrong comes from our upbringing, for example imitating the views and behaviour of our parents. The majority of people would say that they are heavily influenced by their conscience, regardless of the fact that many are not sure what it exactly is. Often described as a little voice in our heads, one can easily see why so many Christians would hear that voice as being the voice of God, yet one can also understand why others would argue that the voice is simply our own, there only because we have been bought up in certain ways and told from very young ages what is morally right and wrong, for example stealing.
Christians are influenced heavily by their beliefs, in particular their beliefs on the power of good and evil. It is only then that they can conclude how they should be living their lives, and how they should accept things like suffering and evil. Can a purpose be found in incredible suffering? Some would say yes; a Christian that sees suffering as necessary, needed to teach important life lessons, would see suffering as a chance to bring out qualities in themselves such as bravery and generosity.
C.) 'If God really loved humanity we would never have to suffer.' Do you agree?
I do not agree with the statement. I think that God must have a reason as to why people suffer, it's just that we cannot know what His reasons are because we are not at His level of knowledge.
The atheist argument is that seeing as God created everything, as taught in the Bible, He is responsible for the creation of evil. Atheists conclude that the presence of evil is an argument against the existence of God. They believe that surely, a perfect, loving God would create a universe that was perfect, not one that contains evil and suffering. Therefore, God does not exist. However, Christians do not believe that. Nowhere does the Bible state that the universe was created to be perfect, God only ever described it as "good".
As a Christian, I try to follow the teachings of the Bible. In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus urges his disciples: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children" of God, who "makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." (vs. 44-45) The Christian faith calls on people to fight evil with good and to love whomever God loves, even if they are our enemies. Paul speaks a lot of evil and love also to Christians in Rome "Let love be genuine," he writes. "Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good." (Rom. 12:9) Paul believes that Christians should resist evil with their own goodness. "Bless those who persecute you," he says. "Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all." (Rom. 12:14, 17)
Most people would class a natural disaster as a natural evil. Some Christians recognise our world as a fallen world, and that we are subject to natural disasters that would not have occurred had man not chosen to rebel against God. The late 2004 tsunami tragedy in Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the south-eastern United States have many people questioning God's goodness. It is distressing that natural disasters are often termed "acts of God" while no "credit" is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather. God created the whole universe and the laws of nature (Genesis 1:1). Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work.
Although natural disasters cause a lot of suffering worldwide, they also cause millions of people to re-evaluate their priorities in life. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people that are suffering. Christian ministries have the opportunity help thousands who are suffering. Many Christians and myself argue that God can, and does, bring great good out of a terrible tragedy, and in those times that we cannot recognise the goodness we must accept that God has His reasons.
I believe that God does love humanity, and that He loved Job even though He watched him suffer. In the case of Job, our faithfulness in trial shows that we serve Him because we trust Him, and that we accept that we do not always need to understand Him.
Free will is often a subject contained within good and evil. I believe that had God not allowed for the possibility of evil, both mankind and angels would be serving God out of obligation, not choice. God did not want "robots" that only did what He wanted them to do because of their "programming." God allowed for the possibility of evil so that human beings could genuinely have a free will and choose whether we wanted to serve Him or not. Christians believe that we have been blessed with free will and must choose the right path, the path of goodness. To follow the path of evil would be to turn away from God and His love.
Christians believe that because we have been granted with this ability to make our own choices, we must decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. Some people blame the evil in the world on "society." However, I believe that society is composed of individuals who make individual choices. I believe that every choice we make will have it's own consequence, therefore we must be careful to make each choice the right one. To do this, one must not sin, and must not do evil deeds.
Christians often debate on whether or not God created evil. Often, people compare good and evil with darkness and light. Darkness is the absence of light, similarly evil is the absence of good, or better, evil is the absence of God. I believe that God did not have to create evil, but rather only allow for the absence of good. Satan wanted to destroy Job, and God allowed Satan to do everything but kill Job. God allowed this to happen to prove to Satan that Job was righteous because he loved God, not because God had blessed him so richly. God is sovereign and ultimately in control of everything that happens. Satan cannot do anything unless he has God's "permission." Therefore I conclude that God did not create evil, but He allows evil.
Suffering is often directly tied to building character. It is believed that we are kind to people because we know what it would feel like to have someone unkind to us, so, surely, we must experience suffering if only to help others avoid the same thing. Some believe that the purpose for every human being's life is to develop the perfect, holy, righteous character of Almighty God. The Holy Spirit, given at conversion to those who obey God (Acts 2:38; 5:32), defines God's character, "But the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22-23). God is describing His spirit as longsuffering, and some people believe that because God has suffered, we must suffer ourselves in order to develop our characters.
To conclude, I do not agree with the statement. I believe that God loves humanity and that the suffering which occurs in the world, no matter how horrible or ghastly, is required by God for some reason unbeknownst to me. I, like Job, have come to accept that if I cannot understand God, I must retain my faith in Him at all times and carry on obeying His teachings.
Bibliography
To aid me whilst writing my essay, I used the following...
"Discovery; Philosophy and Ethics"- Jon Mayled
"Christianity; A new approach"- Kevin O'Donnell
"Christianity"- Joe Jenkins
The Bible
Religious Education
