Does God have the capacity to choose evil?

[Counterpoint]

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:” Genesis 3:22

Does God have the capacity to choose evil? If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil? If no, then how does he know the difference between good and evil?

 

[grannymh]

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:” Genesis 3:22

Does God have the capacity to choose evil? If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil? If no, then how does he know the difference between good and evil?

Please. Which God are you choosing?

There cannot be an adequate answer to the question “Does God have the capacity to choose evil?” without a definition of the god of your choice. Personally, I would love to know if you are choosing a Roman god or a Greek god. That is because as a very young student, I spent days trying to decide which set was the most appealing.

 

[JerryZ]

We need to differentiate “knowing” what evil is with “doing” evil.

Do you “know” that killing an innocent is evil?

If you have a conscience you should!

GOD is perfect as Jesus told us, therefore HE “knows” what is evil and chooses to never “DO” evil.

Capacity is the possibility to take or execute an action.
Any being that has free will, has the intrinsic capacity to choose evil.
Does GOD have free will? I would say yes
He decided to share that capacity with us human beings.
Therefore HE has the “capacity” to choose evil.

---

 

[Bahman]

Does God have the capacity to choose evil?

Yes. If we accept that there is a God. How otherwise God could be just and create the world in perfect balance? For balance you need the same proportion of good and evil. Simply, we were not simply able to do evil and good if good and evil were not fully integrated in the creation hence God is neutral.

If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil?

God did so.

If no, then how does he know the difference between good and evil?

God did so, so he knows the difference. The question is that what is good and evil? Good is the light or simply absorber of ideas which brings ideas together and destruct them at the point of fork with the outcome knowledge. Evil is the dark or simply scatterer of ideas which create ideas at the point of fork with the outcome of confusion. The act like two forks facing and completing each other.

 

[Counterpoint]

Please. Which God are you choosing?

The questions I posed in the OP is in regards to the Catholic God.

 

[Counterpoint]

GOD is perfect as Jesus told us, therefore HE “knows” what is evil and chooses to never “DO” evil.

Capacity is the possibility to take or execute an action.
Any being that has free will, has the intrinsic capacity to choose evil.
Does GOD have free will? I would say yes
He decided to share that capacity with us human beings.
Therefore HE has the “capacity” to choose evil.

Your argument seems to imply that human beings only commit evil out of ignorance. IOW, if they would have known better, then the would have made better choices. But since we have not been endowed with omniscience like God, then we only commit evil due to ignorance.

 

[Bahman]

We need to differentiate “knowing” what evil is with “doing” evil.

Do you “know” that killing an innocent is evil?

If you have a conscience you should!

GOD is perfect as Jesus told us, therefore HE “knows” what is evil and chooses to never “DO” evil.

Capacity is the possibility to take or execute an action.
Any being that has free will, has the intrinsic capacity to choose evil.
Does GOD have free will? I would say yes
He decided to share that capacity with us human beings.
Therefore HE has the “capacity” to choose evil.

---

Your definition of evil is wrong. People perform actions as the result of psychological breakdown so called free will. We are all innocent.

 

[PietroPaolo]

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:” Genesis 3:22

Does God have the capacity to choose evil? If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil? If no, then how does he know the difference between good and evil?

What makes you think someone can’t know the difference between two things unless they have chosen to do both? Even people, who learn through experience (something God does not), can know the difference between two things without directly experiencing them both. We know there is a difference between being alive and being dead, for example, yet neither of us has ever been dead. God, who knows everything, obviously knows good and evil, even without ever choosing to do evil.

 

[Counterpoint]

What makes you think someone can’t know the difference between two things unless they have chosen to do both? Even people, who learn through experience (something God does not), can know the difference between two things without directly experiencing them both. We know there is a difference between being alive and being dead, for example, yet neither of us has ever been dead. God, who knows everything, obviously knows good and evil, even without ever choosing to do evil.

Well, we really don’t know what it is like to be dead since we have never experienced death. In fact, it might not even be possible to actually experience death. So, we might never know.

Also, you have failed to address the other questions: Does God have the capacity to choose evil? If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil?

 

[grannymh]

The questions I posed in the OP is in regards to the Catholic God.

Thank you.

Now, the defining statements of God as taught by Catholicism are in the universal Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition.

CCC, 231 is one of the shorter paragraphs I could find.
**231 **The God of our faith has revealed himself as HE WHO IS; and he has made himself known as “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). God’s very being is Truth and Love.

In my humble opinion, it is clear that the “Catholic God” does not have the capacity to choose evil. I think that it is the philosophical principle of non-contradiction which is in play. As a transcendent, super-natural, Pure Spirit without restrictions, God being love (HE WHO IS) is not evil at the very same time.

Knowing evil is not the same as choosing evil.

 

[Counterpoint]

In my humble opinion, it is clear that the “Catholic God” does not have the capacity to choose evil.

So, why do we?

 

[PietroPaolo]

Well, we really don’t know what it is like to be dead since we have never experienced death. In fact, it might not even be possible to actually experience death. So, we might never know.

Also, you have failed to address the other questions: Does God have the capacity to choose evil? If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil?

Well, there is a difference between knowing what it is like to be dead and knowing the difference between living things and dead things. Genesis doesn’t say God knows what it is like to choose evil, only that He knows the difference between good and evil, which He can know without choosing it.

 

[grannymh]

Originally Posted by grannymh forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_khaki/viewpost.gif
In my humble opinion, it is clear that the “Catholic God” does not have the capacity to choose evil.

So, why do we?

Our creature nature is an unique unification of both the material world and the spiritual world. God’s nature is transcendent, super-natural, Pure Spirit without restrictions. There is a chasm of difference between the two natures.

Now, the defining statements of the “Catholic God” are in the universal *Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, *paragraphs 198-231.

CCC, 231 is one of the summary paragraphs.
**231 **The God of our faith has revealed himself as He Who Is; and he has made himself known as “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). God’s very being is Truth and Love.

There wasn’t a point at which God chose His capacities. He is totally “is”. He is completely present as being complete. There are no moving parts such as choosing evil or choosing good. God is good.

We are material beings with plenty of moving parts choosing this or that or nothing at all. I would simply like to quote CCC, 1730 without comment — except for this one thought. We are like God because we are in the spiritual “image of God.” We are not God.
**1730 **God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. “God willed that man should be ‘left in the hand of his own counsel,’ so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.”

Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.
​

 

[Counterpoint]

Well, there is a difference between knowing what it is like to be dead and knowing the difference between living things and dead things. Genesis doesn’t say God knows what it is like to choose evil, only that He knows the difference between good and evil, which He can know without choosing it.

But Genesis does teach that Adam and Eve learned the difference between good and evil only after they had partaken of the forbidden fruit (not before). Also, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that you have yet to answer the other questions I posed in the OP of this thread: “Does God have the capacity to choose evil? If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil?”

 

[shoe]

No, God doesn’t have the capacity to choose evil because His goodness embraces all His attributes. Everything that God chooses to do springs from His goodness. In short, God can choose nothing but good.

 

[Counterpoint]

Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.

Well, since God does not have the capacity to choose evil (according to you), then he doesn’t really have free will.

 

[Counterpoint]

No, God doesn’t have the capacity to choose evil because His goodness embraces all His attributes. Everything that God chooses to do springs from His goodness. In short, God can choose nothing but good.

Well, then it doesn’t appear that God has free will.

 

[KingCoil]

quote ]

…

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:” Genesis 3:22

Does God have the capacity to choose evil? If yes, why hasn’t he chosen evil? If no, then how does he know the difference between good and evil?
/quote ]

This reminds me of the challenge from atheists against God’s omnipotence.

“Can God create a rock so heavy He cannot carry it?”

So, the challenge about God choosing evil is a sub-question on the omnipotence of God.

Like this:

“Can God choose to do an act so evil He cannot do it?”

Let us everyone work on this conundrum.

From my part, the challenge is not a valid statement because it contains within itself a self-contradiction on the part of the challenger.

What about you guys who I assume will not take to the validity of Centerpoint’s assertion?

Before anything else, he is into making God an impossible entity, so there is no God, not in respect of omnipotence and omni-goodness.

Try to work on the basis of human experiences on how a man can do something and cannot do something, but can talk about anything and everything even the most absurd and ridiculous like an infinite regress.

Or a nothing that is the origin of everything, as with a notorious semantics trickster like Krauss.

KingCoil

 

[grannymh]

Well, since God does not have the capacity to choose evil (according to you), then he doesn’t really have free will.

God freely wills good because He is the Creator.:clapping:

 

[Counterpoint]

From my part, the challenge is not a valid statement because it contains within itself a self-contradiction on the part of the challenger.

It would appear that you are complaining about the question because of what it might imply. Either God has the capacity to choose evil or he does not. If God does, then why hasn’t he chosen evil? If God doesn’t, then it would appear that God doesn’t have free will.