Did God create evil?

[mainelyned]

Isaiah 45:7: “I form light, and create darkness: I make peace, and CREATE EVIL: I the Lord do all these things.” (KJV). How does a loving God create evil?
comments…
mainelyned

 

[buffalo]

** II. THE FALL OF THE ANGELS **
[391](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/391.htm’) Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy.266 Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called “Satan” or the “devil”.267 The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing."268
[392](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/392.htm’) Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels.269 This “fall” consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably *rejected *God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter’s words to our first parents: "You will be like God."270 The devil “has sinned from the beginning”; he is “a liar and the father of lies”.271
[393](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/393.htm’) It is the *irrevocable *character of their choice, and not a defect in the infinite divine mercy, that makes the angels’ sin unforgivable. "There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death."272

 

[Angelos]

Let’s first read the story of Creation and see how GOD designates His whole creation:

And God saw **all the things **that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day (Genesis 1: 31)

Nothing about the creation of evil in this context. In Isaiah, however, God is depicted as the Creator of evil: " I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord that do all these things" (45: 7). In this context the prophet presents a structure of binary oppositions to prove God’s absolute power and dominion. God creates both the light and darkness (the first set of oppositions) and He also makes peace and creates evil. Obviosuly, the evil is in contrast to peace in this second set of oppositions, which shows that it is not associated with the notion of goodness. The evil here simply refers to the punishment and afflictions sent to Israel’s enemies. God creates chaos and disasters (which are definitely evil things) for those nations and all the unbelievers.

Peace to all

 

[FillTheVoid]

I would say no.

He created light, goodness etc.

Think of it this way.

Cold is simply the absense of heat, there is no such thing as “cold” just the absense of heat.

Just as there is no such thing as darkness, just the absense of light.

If that makes sense.

 

[Todd_Easton]

The Haydock Catholic Bible commentary says:Ver. 7. Create evil, &c. The evils of afflictions and punishments, but not the evil of sin. (Challoner) — I afflict and comfort my people.

 

[Ceil-1]

Evil is disobedience to God. It’s consequences are related to the effect this has on the natural and spiritual realm. That is why Jesus had to come into time and reverse it’s effects.

 

[Eileen_T]

“Create evil”… The evils of afflictions and punishments, but not the evil of sin.

 

[Valke2]

there is nothing that exists outside of God. So God is the creator of all. And since there was a tree of knowledge of good and evil in the creation story, there must have been evil. And since evil seems to be a product of free will, and if there was evil in the beginning, then Adam and Eve must have had free will. Otherwise, what’s the purpose of the whole story? Why condem a person’s choice if they effectively had no choice.

Judaism teaches that God created evil. It is not independent of His creation.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

God simply brings on physical “evil” for judgement like in the case of the plagues on egypt to make them let his people go free. God does not create moral evil or sin. One must distinquish also between his permissive will and active will. God permits evil, God does not cause sin. Adam and Eve made the choice to sin or disobey.

 

[Valke2]

God simply brings on physical “evil” for judgement like in the case of the plagues on egypt to make them let his people go free. God does not create moral evil or sin. One must distinquish also between his permissive will and active will. God permits evil, God does not cause sin. Adam and Eve made the choice to sin or disobey.

I don’t think God’s judgment can be classified as evil. There’s nothing to suggest that God commits evil acts.

 

[Mr.Ruggerio]

Isaiah 45:7: “I form light, and create darkness: I make peace, and CREATE EVIL: I the Lord do all these things.” (KJV). How does a loving God create evil?
comments…
mainelyned

Could be a translation issue here—which one are you using?

 

[Valke2]

Could be a translation issue here—which one are you using?

If I recall, the translation of “evil” is accurate. Some translations use “darkness” but I seem to remember that “evil” is the more accurate translation.

 

[Mr.Ruggerio]

It seems the verse is getting at some “necessity for evil” point. Not that God needs evil, but perhaps man does so he has a choice. What do you think?

 

[Mr.Ruggerio]

oh yes…btw…don’t some theologies account for the two–the creation of man in some way preceded the appearance of evil…not the other way around

 

[Neo_Canaan]

I thought Satan created evil. Unless for good to exist, evil must also co exist, like a balance–if balance is the word for it. So if evil never existed, then neither would good.

 

[tequilamac]

You can’t easily answer the question by looking at God the Father. Try instead God the Son. We have his word for it that when we see Him we have seen His Fatherand that they are One. So knowing that, if I say to you that Jesus Christ created evil what now is your answer to who created evil?

 

[Eileen_T]

I posted this on a thread back in March

All Creation is good because God cannot create something inherently evil. Evil is nothing more than the absence of good.

When God created the physical universe, everything God created was “very good” (Gen. 1:31), but man fell from this righteous state into a state of sin. Man is not evil (lacking goodness) by his nature, but by his own fault/free choice.

The devil [that is, Satan] and the other demons were created good by God; but they became evil through their own fault

“The whole world is in the power of the evil one”, I Jn 5: 19
Having noted that, the Acts of the Apostles tell us that after the descent of the Holy Spirit the apostles continued to expel demons, and all Christians have done so after them. So I guess Satan isn’t running the show.

The Second Vatican Council reminded us of this abiding teaching of the Church: “For a monumental struggle against the powers of darkness pervades the whole history of man. The battle was joined from the very origins of the world” (Gaudium et Spes, no. 37).

“Although he was made by God in a state of holiness, from the very dawn of history man abused his liberty, at the urging of personified Evil. Man set himself against God and sought to find fulfillment apart from God. Although he knew God, he did not glorify Him as God, but his senseless mind was darkened and he served the creature rather than the Creator” (no. 13).

“For He sent His Son, clothed in our flesh, in order that through this Son He might snatch men from the power of darkness and of Satan” (Ad Gentes, no. 3).

Evil is nothing more than the absence of good.

 

[Verita]

Evil is nothing more than the absence of good.

I would say rather that evil is nothing more than the corruption of good. Everything that is considered evil is something that was good to begin with and became twisted or corrupted. God created the thing that was good, and we through our free will can make it evil.