Problem of evil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
nickdouglas (via missingmuse; via browneyes; via cowboyo)
Logical problem of evil
- God exists. (premise)
- God is omnipotent and omniscient. (premise — or true by definition of the word “God”)
- God is all-benevolent. (premise — or true by definition)
- All-benevolent beings are opposed to all evil. (premise — or true by definition)
- All-benevolent beings who can eliminate evil will do so immediately when they become aware of it. (premise)
- God is opposed to all evil. (conclusion from 3 and 4)
- God can eliminate evil completely and immediately. (conclusion from 2)
- Whatever the end result of suffering is, God can bring it about by ways that do not include suffering. (conclusion from 2)
- God has no reason not to eliminate evil. (conclusion from 7.1)
- God has no reason not to act immediately. (conclusion from 5)
- God will eliminate evil completely and immediately. (conclusion from 6, 7.2 and 7.3)
- Evil exists, has existed, and probably will always exist. (premise)
- Items 8 and 9 are contradictory; therefore, one or more of the premises is false: either God does not exist, evil does not exist, or God is not simultaneously omnipotent, omniscient, and all-benevolent (i.e. God is omnipotent and omniscient but not all-benevolent, omnipotent and all-benevolent but not omniscient, or omniscient and all-benevolent but not omnipotent).
This whole thing presumes that your definiton of “benevolent” and “evil” are the same as God’s. Now if you add in the other staple premise that no mortal can understand God’s will, how can you make that presumption? Everything falls apart in Step 3.
Now quit distracting me with theology. I’ve got shit to do.