ANSWERS: 51
  • In response to the other answers, if God did not create evil, then who did? Satan when he first rebelled? Mankind when Adam fell? First of all if evil is just a wrong choice, then the concept of wrong choice must have existed before Satan, else how could he make the wrong choice? He doesn't have the creative power to do that anyway? Secondly, you can't say that creation (man) created it because it existed before he did. The bible says that all things were created by God. ALL things. If he created good, then by the very nature of good, evil would have been created as an offshoot. Without evil there is no good, and without good there is no evil. They are dependent upon each other because they define each other. How do we know what is evil unless we look at what is good? How do we know what is good unless we look at what is evil? Evil doesn't exist? By what measure? So we are all just incidental blobs of protoplasmic goo living in a world without direction or boundary, with nothing better to do than eat, procreate and die? If evil does not exist, then neither does good. Nice way to say thanks to people like the late Mother Theresa and Sir Fred Hollows, or the late Dr. Victor Chang. God did create evil - or by the act of creating free choice, gave rise to the possibility for evil to exist. He created everything in this universe - nothing except him existed before he went to work. To ascribe the creation of anything away from God is to strip him of his sovreignty and make a mockery of his creation.
  • evil stemed from the opposite choice of good god gave us this choice and thus created the opportunity for evil evil only exists when a wrong choice is made a wrong choice is an imoral choice god didnt choose to create evil its just a choice
  • Evil is the result of God's creations, whether human or angels (such as the angel who rebelled and became Satan),choosing their own course and rebelling against God's commands.They create evil, not our perfect Creator. Religious explanations for evil are often unsatisfying. Catholic philosopher Thomas Aquinas claimed that many good things would be taken away if God permitted no evil to exist. Many Protestant philosophers hold similar views. For example, as stated in The EncyclopÃ?dia Britannica, Gottfried Leibniz considered evil to be "a mere set-off to the good in the world, which it increases by contrast." In other words, he believed we need the evil so that we can appreciate the good. Such reasoning is like telling a cancer patient that his sickness is just what is needed in order to make someone else feel truly alive and well. Evil intentions must come from somewhere. Is God indirectly to blame? The Bible answers: "When under trial, let no one say: "I am being tried by God." For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone." If God is not responsible, who is? The following verses give the answer: "Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin." (James 1:13-15) Thus an evil deed is born when an evil desire is nurtured rather than rejected. However, that is not the whole picture. The Scriptures explain that evil desires arise because humanity has a fundamental flaw, inherent imperfection. The apostle Paul wrote: "Just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned." (Romans 5:12) Because of inherited sin, selfishness may well overrule kindness in our thinking, and cruelty may override compassion. Of course, most people know instinctively that certain behavior is wrong. Their conscience "or law written in their hearts" as Paul calls it, dissuades them from committing an evil deed. (Romans 2:15) Still, a cruel environment can suppress such feelings, and a conscience can become deadened if it is repeatedly ignored." Compare 1 Timothy 4:2. As King of God's Kingdom, Jesus will soon use his authority on the earth to organize a program of spiritual reeducation. Righteousness is what the inhabitants of the productive land will certainly learn.(Isaiah 26:9) The benefits will be obvious to everyone. The Bible assures us: "They will not do any harm [they shall not do evil,Green's Interlinear Hebrew/Greek English Bible] or cause any ruin . . . because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea." Isaiah 11:9. Even now, many of our evil inclinations can be overcome. When demonic influence is no more, it will surely be much, much easier to turn away from what is bad and do what is good. 1 Peter 3:11. We have every reason to be confident that good will conquer evil because God is good, and with his help those who wish to do good can overcome evil, as Jesus proved by his own example. (Psalm 119:68) Those now willing to fight evil can look forward to living in a cleansed earth ruled by God's Kingdom, a government committed to eradicating evil for all time. The psalmist describes the result: "As for loving-kindness and trueness, they have met each other; righteousness and peace", they have kissed each other. Trueness itself will sprout out of the very earth, and righteousness itself will look down from the very heavens." Psalm 85:10, 11.
  • I believe evil comes from within our human/inate nature. Not that we are evil ourselves, but our nature is less than perfect and also since the Garden of Eden (Yes I believe)we has people still tend to go after what suits us, not what is always the best. Unfortunately, depending on the individual, environment and what we allow to fester within ourselves, I believe evil can sprout. I know this is simplistic but still valid. And yes, evil is the absence of good. Like a weed, grows if unchecked. Diane L
  • Evil was a bi-product of mankind's inability to live without having to make distinctions like "good/bad", "ugly/beautiful", and the like. More to the point of your question, evil has always been a conceptual phenomenon. In fact, without the observation of it, it doesn't even exist, outside the realm of potential. As the old Buddhist saying goes, "There is neither good nor evil, but thinking makes it so." Consider this, the Bible records the name of the fruit that led to the fall of man from grace as, "The Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.", and God said that man, as a result of their disobedience, had "become as We are, knowing both good and evil." The knowledge of it is not dangerous, in and of itself, but that knowledge in the hands of finite, and ignorant man is. Thus, it was necessary for God to sever our ability to "eat of the tree of life and live forever." Because, with eternal life, combined with knowing that we do not have to choose but one way, the way of preserving and protecting God's creation, but can choose, rather, to concur, and even destroy it, with the fact that this power would be in the grasp of immature creatures, is more than a dangerous prospect. We'd become, essentially, god's of destruction. So, did God create "evil"? Well, I suppose you can blame Him for anything you like. After all, He's the one that set everything in motion. However, in my view, that's like being angry at gravity for spilled tea. It doesn't really stop future spills, but changing your placement of the cup may. In other words, blaming yourself is far more productive (assuming you don't like hot tea in your lap).
  • Man creates his own "evil"...Or good.
  • evel; is not a "thing" it is an idea, an action, a force. ( yes except for "Evel knievel"
  • Yes. This is basic deductive logic. Premise 1: Deity created everything. Premise 2: Evil is a thing. Conclusion: Deity created evil. The only way that Deity could not have created evil is if the first or second premise were untrue. Note that my answer is based upon your IF, which asks us to assume the first premise true.
  • Perhaps man created both..god and satan..good and evil?
  • Well, if he didn't, what would be the point of good? There'd be no meaning to doing good if there wasn't the ability to do evil.
  • From my studies of theodicy, I have found that there are a huge amount of various reasonings behind the existence of God and evil. While it may be perhaps boring to list them all in deatil these are a few reasonings; God created evil and suffering to make us stronger people. God created evil and suffering so as to bring us closer to Him because we may otherwise neglect him because we have no problems in our lives. God created evil and suffering to make us appreciate the good in life and thus letting us live a full life. If everything in the world was easy and happy all the time, we would live a very boring life. We would not appreciate the good because we always have good things happening to us. We would be automated machines almost if evil and temptation did not exist. There is always the idea too that God did not create evil and that it exists whether or not God does too. There are many other reasons for the idea that God and evil are linked they are quite interesting you should check out the theodicies sometime!
  • I believe this is the Islamic view, the correct view on good and evil (copyright): God created everything-good and evil. But the evil that God created is not "absolute evil" because everything that god creates has mercy, justice and good in it. Infact, there is no such thing as pure evil in existence. So if a rape happens-God created it. The man who raped the woman did it, but God created it. God made the man able to do the rape. The man chose it and then God created this evil act. God let it happen. He willed it to happen. But ofcourse, it was the MAN who chose to do the rape and did the rape. God hates rape. He did not want the man to do the rape. But God created it. Sometimes God creates things that He does not like. So if God hates rape and did not like it to happen, then why did He create it? As I told you, God does not create pure evil. Everything that is created has mercy, justice and wisdom in it. Perhaps God created this man's rape for the following reasons: 1. To teach the woman that she should not be walking alone without her huband or male relative of hers. 2. To teach the woman that it is better if she dressed modestly. 3. Perhaps this woman was a sinner and God is washing off her sins by creating this terribe act. 4. If this woman was pious, perhaps God was purifying her through her pain and raising her status in heaven in the next life. 5. Perhaps this woman was a wicked prostitute and God was punishing her through the pain. 6. God hates this man and let him do this evil act so as to fry him severly in the next life in hell. 7. God might want this man to be punished in this life for his evil deed, so purify him and send him to paradise. We don't know exactly why God created this evil deed. What we do know is that God does not create absolute evil. There must be mercy, justice and wisdom in everything that God cretes because everything that comes from God is good. So we must try to look for the wisdom, mecry and justice in everything that happens on this earth even if it appers to us as evil because remember-there is NO SUCH THING AS ABSLOUTE EVIL. Good and evil are two sides of the same coin.
  • well technically yes....but Satin...u kno Lucifer......in the bible was one of the most beautiful angels in heaven n he got jealous n wanted to be just lyke god...n so god casted him out of heaven n into hell...sin and evil began wen eve took a bite from the apple...thats where sin was created.
  • Not can. Could. If God had created everything, this would logically imply that God created evil. And also television, evolution, religion, the statue of liberty, the constitution of Iran, the Bible, etc. But did God create everything? Does God exist anyway?
  • I see were you're coming from, this world is full of nothing but suffering and misery. And no, God doesn't like the condition of things today. But if you sincerely want an answer to your question, then please consider this article. http://www.watchtower.org/e/200611/article_02.htm
  • That would be the consistent view, wouldn't it. But believers love to ride both sides of the fence: God is all powerful AND God didn't create evil, pain, etc... Man did. That god supposedly created man in his own image seems lost on them. I do admire the religious mind's capacity for contortion. It is a thing of wonder.
  • Three words: Read Sylvia Browne
  • It's interesting that it was the awareness of good and evil which adam and eve lacked. It was how they saw things that changed. prior to that, things "just were" with no judgment placed on them.
  • If what we call "Devil" is not an inherent nature of men to do wrong--or "evil"--but some sort of a separate entity which possesses the power to influence and affect men's decision making process, then in such a case men are exonerated from any responsibility for any wrongdoing. Our pain and suffering should then be reconciled and accepted as a fatalism beyond our own volition and control. And if the God of Christendom created everything that there is, and nothing could exist outside His command, then the [serpent]-which seems to be an allegorical representation of the so-called "Devil", and the one, according to the fable, who persuaded Eve to eat from the "forbiden" tree, is not a self-existing entity either but part of His own creation. And given the generally accepted notion that everything God created contains His essence, we could then surmise that such an entity could very well be an extension of Himself.
  • No. God created everyone with free will, including his angels. If he didn't we all would be robots. Satan was once an angel who let himself by desiring Gods power take the best of him. To make a long story short.
  • God gave man free will. Man chose to use this free will for selfish desires, also known as evil. Because God gave man free will to do what he wants, there is always the possibility that man will turn to evil. If there wan't then it wouldn't really be free will.
  • Creation is common for every living being. It is the circumstances and pressure of social and economic power that makes one an angel or devil.
  • You state that God created everything. Ergo: he created Evil as well.
  • I'm not sure why Christians shy away from this one. In the bible itself, God SAYS that He created both good and evil.
  • There is not such thing as "evil". There is only the APPEARANCE of evil. If bad things didn't happen then we wouldn't recognize the good things as good. There has to be a comparison in order for us to enjoy it. That is the mystery of God.
  • Evil is a product of the original sin. My 2 cents.
  • He made you.
  • yep... he created the possibility... he just did not like performing these acts, so he has someone else do his dirty work from far away to dissociate himself with anything that would make us think he was a hypocrite, being all loving and such *.*
  • God may have created everything, but that doesn't mean he enforced everything. Perhaps he just created the possibility of evil in order to keep the balance, but manking brought it to our world.
  • Yes, in a round a bout way. He gave us humans a free choice to do what we wanted to do and when!
  • Of course, didn't you watch Time Bandits?
  • Evil is not real. It is only an APPEARANCE. God is all goodness and he is everywhere...he is even in what appears to be evil. We have put labels on that which we don't understand or what our brains can't comprehend. Everything comes from God and God is love so evil cannot exist.
  • Of course. It says in the bible that he did. The reason (that i belive): was to test our faith. So essentially he did create evil, but that was because he has to make sure we can withold "wordly things" and be worthy enough to make it to heaven. We have to choose what is right, and wrong, the bible is there for our guidance, as im sure you know, adam and eve, did not pass this test, and that is why our world is so messed up today, because essentially they "created" sin, and rebelled against god, with the influence of the devil. But they still made that choice. i dont know if that answers your question, or if that is what you were looking for.
  • He created man as part of everything. Man created evil. Evil destroys man. God creates more man. Simple.
  • Evil is the absence of good. just as darkness and cold do not exist as a force, neither does evil. Darkness is the absence of light, Cold is the absence of heat, Evil is the absence of good. Therefore Evil was not created by God.
  • who said god didnt create evil?
  • God didn't create evil, adam and eve created sin in the garden of gethsaname when eve bit in the apple when god told them not to.
  • an angel wanted to be God, so he challenged him, and lost, but found it was better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven. ppl usualy call him the Devil. This is when true evil was born.
  • free will.
  • all evil comes from the devil
  • out of 40, i am going for #1 evil is the validation of good. light has no meaning with out darkness to battle, and satisfaction is not satisfieing without knowing what it is to be without. evil is the contrast that gives good it's validity. thus by creating light, darkness became relevent and is simnply the void of what was made. this is how evil is. evil is the active counterpart that fills the void left by the lack of good.
  • God did create evil. He created Lucifer, who became evil. Hence, God created evil. I agree with icebox April. What's the point of good, if there's no evil? It would all be just neutral.
  • Do you believe in darkness? Do you believe in cold? These two things do not exist in and of themselves. Darkness is a term we use to describe the absence of light. You don't have to "turn on the dark" when you go to bed. You just turn off the light and it becomes dark. The term "cold" is just a word we invented to describe the absence of heat. When all heat is removed from something it reaches a temperature called "absolute zero". If there were such a thing as cold we could just add more cold and go below absolute zero, but "cold" is not a "thing". "Cold" does not exist. It is just an absence of heat. In the same way, evil does not exist in and of it's self. Evil is a word we use to describe the absence of God. Satan was not created as an evil being. Satan was originally called "Lucifer". He was an Angel. In fact he was the highest ranking Angel, but God created him with free will. He had the ability, as we do, to accept or reject God. He chose to rebel against God and God withdrew from him. God cast him out of heaven and out of fellowship with God. God is the source of all that is Holy and good. When that influence was removed the result was what we call "evil". Apart from God we can do no good at all. The farther away from God we get, the more evil we become.
  • ohhh he made it alright!
  • I like these conundrums that point out how bogus the christian faith is! :D, here's another one: The bible is always right In the bible it says: "There is none good but god" If you have lied then you are a liar If you have stolen something, then you are a thief Therefore if you have done something nice, then you are good. Since there is none good but god, then you are god.
  • The professor of a university challenged his students with this question: "Did God create everything that exists?" A student answered bravely, "Yes, he did!" The professor then asked, "If God created everything, then he created evil. Since evil exists (as noticed by our own actions), so God is evil." The student couldn't respond to that statement causing the professor to conclude that he had "proved" that "belief in a benevolent God" was a fairy tale, and therefore worthless. Another student raised his hand and asked the professor, "May I pose a question?" "Of course," answered the professor. The young student stood up and asked : "Professor does cold exist?" The professor answered, "What kind of question is that? Of course cold exists... have you never been cold?" The young student answered, "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 is the total absence of heat, but cold does not exist as such. What we have done is create a term to describe how we feel if we don't have body heat or we are not hot." "And, does darkness exist?", he continued. The professor answered, "Of course." This time the student responded, "Again you're wrong, Sir. Darkness is, in reality, the absence of light. We can study light, but not darkness. 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 student 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 example 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." The student responded, "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 not like faith, or love, that exist just as does light and heat. 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."
  • Evil is the opposite or absence of good. Moral evil results from humankind's free choice to sin. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. The seven Deadly Sins are: • Lust (inappropriate desire) • Gluttony (over-indulgence) • Greed (avarice) • Sloth (laziness) • Wrath (anger) • Envy (jealousy) • Pride (vanity) The opposing seven Holy Virtues are: • Chastity (purity) • Moderation (self-restraint) • Generosity (vigilance) • Zeal (enthusiasm) • Meekness (composure) • Charity (giving) • Humility (humbleness) With love in Christ.
  • Lucifer. he was an angel in heaven, but he started thinking he was better than god. pride. He got like a third of the angels in heaven on his side. God eventually kicked him out of heaven, he created a place for lucifer(hell). Lucifer and his followers got sent there. We humans now know lucifer as Satan, or the Devil. It is the Devil that 'gets' to us, giving us thoughts to do bad, evil things, things against gods will. Satan is tries to turn us against god. He may send u all sorts of thoughts, making himself seem more promising than god, but to be honest, Satan doesnt give a rats about you. he's trying to upset god, hurt god. God cares so much about us, that the only way Satan can upset him or hurt him, is to get to God, through what God loves most: Us. Dont give the devil authority or power over you, dont give him that kind of authority in your life. Praise God, God loves you. he loves us all more than anything else in the world!! xx
  • If he created everything, then yes, that would be the case.
  • No, the people who took a fiction novel he played the main charachter in, and turned it into a true to life history book did along long time ago. Unfortunate for the Planet, but still the biggest missunderstanding and concequent dangerous single event of all time. in my opinion.
  • God is omnipresent and omnipotent. There is nothing like evil in this world. It's just the level of knowledge. A lower level of knowledge will look like evil to a higher level of knowledge. Evil goes away with knowledge and wisdom.

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