Introduction
The suffering and evil in the world lead people to wonder whether there is truly a perfect God. As such, arguments that arise include if God was all-knowing (omniscient) then He ought to be aware of the suffering and evil present in the world. If God was indeed all-powerful (omnipotent) then it is expected that He has the power to eliminate or even prevent any kind of suffering in the world. Furthermore, if God was truly all good (Omni-benevolent) as it is believed He is then He would not allow the existence of suffering in the world. Since God has not been able to keep evil and suffering at bay despite possessing these titles that depict perfection, then atheists conclude that He certainly does not exist.
The logical reasoning that God is not all-powerful because he does not prevent evil and suffering in the world may actually not be true. If the situation is looked at from a theist’s perspective then it may be argued that God is all-powerful even though He does not prevent or eliminate evil.
God may have a good reason for allowing evil to exist in the world. Similarly, I rebut the argument that God is not omniscient or Omni-benevolent because He has allowed the existence of evil and suffering. It may also be said that He has a reason that is morally sufficient in allowing people to suffer and for evil to prevail in the world. In other words, the evils that are present in the world are merely necessary evils.
Furthermore, it may be argued that God is not actually perfectly good because He permits the worst kinds of evils and suffering to occur. For instance, a situation where a five-year-old girl is raped and murdered is a serious evil. Nothing would justify God’s goodness if he allowed an innocent girl, who knows little about life and its social evils to be sexually abused. Another example of suffering can be seen in the case of a fawn that undergoes a slow and painful death in a forest fire. These evils and suffering affirm the premise that denies the existence of a God who is a perfect being. Evils in the world seem to be vast and even worse is that they tend to take several forms. This supports the claim that God is not perfectly good.
Actually, the evils that are present in the world play a role in making the entire system of nature so perfect. Furthermore, those holding a theist view may argue that evils in the world are not really significant. The evils and suffering only appear to be significant from the narrow human perspective. For instance, the evil and suffering of raping a five-year-old girl may be deemed to be significant from the human perspective. However, the divine view of the ills and suffering is that they are not significant. In fact, the removal of such evils and suffering may cause greater evils or even worse is that they could eradicate all the good present in the world. In any case, the suffering in the world is not as terrible as human beings tend to make it appear to be. This is clearly depicted because human beings are so afraid of death that none would be willing to put an end to their suffering and grief.
The other argument that can be put forth to refute the premise that no good justifies the fact that God permits evils like raping a young girl and killing an innocent fawn is the one in which He has given us free will. God is certainly good as He has given human beings free will rather than impose his will on them.
A lot of moral value is attached to free will thus God’s aim was to create the best world possible. Therefore, God is not responsible for the evils that arise from the wrong choices made by human beings. In any case, the Bible states that God will punish evildoers thus showing that He is not in support of evil. As such, this argument contradicts the position that God does not exist simply because He permits evil in the world. The presence of evil in the society does not in any way mean that God does not exist. Despite the existence of evil, a greater good that supersedes the ills in the world has been realized. Therefore, it would be safe to say God is indeed perfectly good because of his positive aspects like the good health and the life he has given human beings.
I hold the theistic view that God indeed exists. The absence of God means there would be no such thing as morality or being good. I believe that it is God who gives me the resolve and moral strength to do good. The whole idea of moral values, moral accountability, and moral duty only makes sense when God is in existence. Otherwise, the whole issue of morality would just be a human convention, therefore, not binding on anyone. Human beings can act in a manner that is morally right even in the absence of God. However, such acts would not be considered as either good or evil because moral values cannot exist in the absence of God. Therefore, human beings cannot claim to be good without God. In contrast, believing in the existence of God would mean that moral duties and values truly exist. God is associated with holiness and goodness thus He takes the greatest responsibility for setting the standards in which actions are measured. Moreover, God is naturally generous, kind, loving, just, and other kinds of positive attributes, as such it is believed that moral values stem from him.
My belief about evil is that it is brought about people’s misuse of the freedom given to them by God. Human beings do evil as a matter of choice and not because this is the will of God. God cannot interfere with the freedom given to human beings to make a choice of whether to do good or evil. Given that, God is not responsible for the evils in the world then He is perfectly good and also that He truly does exist. I also believe that the purpose of Human beings is to know God. Therefore, evil and suffering occur in order to enhance people trust and their dependency on God since their main purpose in life is not happiness, but to know God.
Conclusion
It is assumed that the presence of evil and suffering justify people to conclude that there is no God. Human beings believe that because God is perfectly good he should give no room for evil. However, theists oppose this view because it is still possible for both God and evil to coexist. Generally, I believe that God exists and He is associated with such things as morals and good.
