One way to rebut the atheistic argument from evil is to claim that the world's evils are justified and, consequently, not incompatible with ethical monotheism's concept of God.
One could attempt to rebut the atheists' argument from evil by denying that the world is less than perfect in any way - insisting that this is "the best of all possible worlds" and that its apparent flaws are simply our own misconstruals of what is really the case.
One could attempt to rebut the atheists' argument from evil by insisting that evils are logically necessary and, hence, not anyone's fault.
One could attempt to rebut the atheists' argument from evil by insisting that any imperfections that occur n the world are not God's doing - evils may be real (and even be unjustified), but insofar as they are not from God, God is excused.
Each of us will have to make up his or her own mind about whether any of these moves are even remotely plausible.
- Some (or all) evils may amount to humans' misdeeds and their results
- We humans cause it by misusing our free will. Although evil is not necessary for free will to exist, the possibility of it is. Humanity has chosen (numerous times) to misuse its free will, and when we do, we suffer the consequences. But if we chose to live as morally perfect people, none of the murders, wars, and tortures would have taken place. When these evil things do happen, we are to blame. God is not obligated to prevent humanity from accepting the responsibilities and consequences of our actions.
- What would it look like for God to have a morally sufficient reason for allowing evil? Let’s first consider a down-to-earth example of a morally sufficient reason a human being might have before moving on to the case of God. Suppose a gossipy neighbour were to tell you that Mrs. Jones just allowed someone to inflict unwanted pain upon her child. Your first reaction to this news might be one of horror. But once you find out that the pain was caused by a shot that immunised Mrs. Jones’ infant daughter against polio, you would no longer view Mrs. Jones as a danger to society
- Some (or all) evils may amount to fallen angels' misdeeds and their results
- Fallen angels (who are also commonly known as demons) work for evil purposes that lead to destruction in the world, in contrast to the good purposes of the missions that faithful angels fulfil.
- Some (or all) evils may amount to the working to the dark side itself
- The Dark Side is when the temptation to fall has an added oomph. It's more than just the cumulative result of ones actions; there's a corrupting force that speeds things along. This is often the Phlebotinum-powered justification of Jumping Off the Slippery Slope, which results in the Fallen forgetting why they fell in the first place. The Dark Side often promises pleasure with power and respect.
- We have closed our collective eyes to evil for so long, we can hardly recognise it, let alone make sense of it. Dazed, frightened, and confused, some of us--for want of a more psychologically accurate, integrating, and meaningful myth--seize blindly upon the timeworn symbol of the devil, in order to somehow express this disturbing encounter with the dark, destructive side of the daemonic.
Note: If evils are not God's fault because of logical necessity, then they are not our fault, either, for the same reason. So much, then, for moral responsibility - divine or human.
Letter to Menoeceus
Quotes About Fear Of Death
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