Why doesn't God eliminate Evil

[Tantum_ergo]

No, I just phrased it poorly, I think. Should have stopped right at “in order to eliminate evil, He would have to eliminate good”. Certainly God could not “eliminate” Himself: I guess I was thinking that it would be as unlikely for Him to eliminate all good as it would be for Him to eliminate Himself. Hope that explains it better.

 

[LSK]

There is great good than comes from evil. Perhaps that is why Our Lord does not eliminate it - so that we can see the promise of Love in the worst of human acts?

 

[smokey888x2]

Tantum ergo:

Wasn’t it C.S. Lewis who said that evil is “spoiled good”?

One of the other posters was addressing this, in part, with the idea that there is no “concrete” evil. . .but I’d go further. Evil does not exist on its own. There is no “original evil” which arose on its own. And while “free will” makes us able to choose either good or “spoiled good”, it’s still only a factor and not a cause of any individual “evil” thought, word or deed. Even the first sin of Adam and Eve, disobedience, resulted from a choice of a spoiled GOOD, that is, obedience.

The mere fact that any “good” exists means that it can be spoiled, and THAT is what evil is.

Really good responses. I wanted to add to this part the following:

Genesis 1-31: "God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good … "

 

[Trelow]

Who do we think we are questioning God’s will?

When you can create everything out of nothing, then you may ask your question. Until then BACK TO TOILING!

 

[thessalonian]

God allows evil because it manifests his glory, i.e. what kind of a God would just create beings that were going to love him no matter what. Secondly he allows evil for a greater good. We are brought to a higher level of love for him by his allowing us to do evil and then being willing to forgive us.

Luke 7 is the text to support this:
37] And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
38] and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39] Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
40] And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “What is it, Teacher?”
41] “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42] When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43] Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44] Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45] You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46] You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
47] Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Also:
The reason that God allowed the fall was to bring a greater good out of it. “O happy fault that merited such and so great a Redeemer!”. (Augustine) Every Mass at Easter the Church repeats these words. Augustine also says “God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist”. This is apparent from scripture if you read Romans 5:20 "Where there is sin, grace abounds

Blessings

 

[Steve_Andersen]

Why doesn’t God eliminate Evil?

Well as indicated in the Noah story He tried that once and didn’t like the results

Too much of the good was destroyed too

This theme is repeated in the parable about the grain and the weeds. The weeds are so entangled and part of what’s growing in the field that to pull them out would destroy the crop.

Could God just do what he wanted and kill all the bad guys? Yes, but why would a caring God who so loved the world etc… etc…. not give all of his creatures yet another chance?

Jesus didn’t come to smite the tax collectors and prostitutes after all

 

[wcknight]

He will, when the world ends and He returns. Evil will be a thing of the past.

For now, we are all being tested.

Life is a test, only a test. IF this were the real deal, we would all have been given a users guide. (Some will argue we have one - the Bible)

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Steven Merten:

Hello Smokey,

God does eliminate freedom from the control of His will and evil.

However - none of the things described are true exercises of freedom; that, consists in complete uniformity of our wills with God’s Will; any exercise of our wills which is contrary to His, is not truly a free act at all. “He who sins, is the slave of sin” - to sin, is to fritter away our freedom, to misuse it. As the Saints are completely freed from the tyranny of sin, as they are wholly converted to Christ, as their wills are directed by nothing but the Will (AKA the Love) of God, they are free indeed.​

As the faculty of liberty of choice (AKA free will) is not indeterminate between good and evil, but is biassed in favour of good (as a compass-needle is biassed towards the true north); it is unnatural to sin. IOW, liberty of choice is not value-free: God has designed the human will
with a bias toward Him. We are capable of choosing what is not good, but only seems good. That does not mean that our capability to do so, is the same as exercising our liberty of choice in the way it should be exercised.

We are capable, since we are not yet fully conformed to Christ, of abusing our wills, by choosing what is not agreeable to the Will of Christ. But such choices will not help us serve Him with the love/obedience which He intends for us; we are not free to grow in love of Christ by abusing our wills so as to sin. ##

In the Kingdom of God, are there any starving people to choose to love by feeding them or choose to hate by letting them starve to death? Can you choose between murdering your neighbor or not murdering your neighbor in the Kingdom of God? Can you hate your neighbor in heaven by adultering with their spouce in God’s Kingdom? God will not allow hatred and suffering, which is the effect of choosing sin, in the Kingdom of God.

You cannot love without the option to choose not to love. Free from the will of God obedience on earth to the commandments of God is love for God. Your free willed love for God choices on earth are your treasure of love for God which you possess for all eternity. Use your free from the will of God time on earth to prepare gifts of love for God which cannot be produced in the Kingdom of God in heaven.

Please visit www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com

NAB REV 21:1 New Heavens and New Earth.

Then I saw new heavens and a new earth. The former heavens and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer. I also saw a new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of the heaven from God, beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne cry out: “This is God’s dwelling among men. He shall dwell with them and they shall be his people and he shall be their God who is always with them. He shall wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the former world has passed away.” NIV 1JO 5:3

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.NAB SIR 35:6

The just man’s sacrifice is most pleasing, nor will it ever be forgotten . In generous homage to the LORD be not sparing of freewill gifts.

NAB MAT 13:18

[snip]

**

NAB LUK 12:31

Instead,** seek his kingdom**, and these other things will be given you besides. Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

NAB JOH 15:16It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and** bear fruit that will remain**, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you:** love one another.**

**

 

[Nan_S]

Most of you are writing as if evil is the OPPOSITE of good, and of God. Evil is actually the ABSENCE of good and of God.

Evil is a necessary aspect of our free will. When God created us with free will, He gave us the ability to choose to be apart from Him. If we choose to be absent from God, to put our will above His, we choose evil.

 

[Fitz]

[why doesn’t God, who is all powerful, just eliminate evil]

If God did eliminate evil for us, then we would not have the advantage of the spiritual growth. We need it so that we can overcome it and truimph in our Lord’s name. I think God allows evil to help teach us.

 

[Steve_Andersen]

Nan S:

… Evil is actually the ABSENCE of good and of God…

God is everywhere*

*I learned that on “Davy and Goliath” at age 4

Whatever happened to Davy and Goliath? I mean those Lutherans have their problems and everything but that was a good show. Is there anything like that for kids now-a-days?

 

[Antigen]

Fitz:

We need [evil] so that we can overcome it and truimph in our Lord’s name. I think God allows evil to help teach us.

What God allows is choice. Evil can not come from pure Good. But because God is Love, love is going to give us free will. Angels and humans alike will from time to time not chose God and this is the source of evil.

I used to subscribe to that philosophy that the bad things in life had something to teach us. After 9-1-1, the DC Sniper shootings and other more personal tradgedies there really wasn’t anything to “learn” from them. You just have to have a strong enough connection with God to get through them without being tainted by the evil yourself.

 

[smokey888x2]

"I guess I’m just not very philosophical…"

Maybe some background might help but my friend is a retired electirical engineer so just maybe he’s also looking for ‘some’ factual information to also be included?

Which isn’t a bad point totally. I sometimes think the same thing. For instance, think about the John Doe on the street who is older, average education who hasn’t looked at all this yet but sets out to do so. Those first few steps – isn’t there something before you get wished deep into the thrust of the matter?

As an example, after Christ died or during it even and on into his burial for three 3 days and his resurrection and sightings in and with others … didn’t anyone else write about this?

If it’s all based on faith, please don’t be very wordie about it, just blunt it out, I understand that aspect too.

I think that about 95% of church goer’s are in this same boat. They really very much ‘wonna believe’ but aside from ‘faith’ there just isn’t much there or is there?

Like the Bible talks about all kinds of miracles but 95% + of chruch goer’s really haven’t seen one, you know what I mean?

**For the most part, wasn’t a lot of what followed, underground? You know the kinds of things that are underground and what we think of them today. **

**And then, you might be thinking some things like ‘blessed is he who believes but doesn’t see’ or however that goes; but then, (don’t forget to respond to the above though) why is it so weird? What’s all the mind games about? **

I think these are some serious questions and the church should spend ‘more’ time on them (don’t just focus on this though in response).

Thank you for your time – maybe I’ll make this a seperate post later – but again, thank you for your time.

 

[smokey888x2]

If you’ve just read post number 33, I put it into a new thread that I would like very much for you to go to because, we really have changed subjects somewhat.

Here’s it’s name:

Is religion/faith merely Philosophical?

and hopefully, here’s the url of where it is:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=664460#post664460
Thank you very much for your time, it’s appreciated

 

[tjoe]

:banghead: Good question…

Read Pope John Paul II’s book, Memory and Identity…he answers this question.

Physical evil comes from moral evil wich is rooted in original sin. Its not that God “allows” evil, man does not practice virtue. The real mystery then is to see life, the good and bad through the mystery of our redemption in Jesus Christ.

Suffering is redemptive, so we suffer as part of our redemption. Sometimes in the midst of the greatest evil, arises the greates good. We suffer evil because of our sinful inclination. In “allowing” evil, we get a chance to see the awsomeness of God. Ex. Jesus was cruelly executed- that was “evil”. This had to happen in order to see the Resurrection.

If God eliminated ALL evil (evil is the abscence of good), how many of us would he also “eliminate”? - a thought
I hope that helped, seriously…read the book.