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Atheism and the Problem of Evil (view source)
Revision as of 07:12, March 9, 2017
, 07:12, March 9, 2017→Defences to the Problem of Evil
The infinite reference point for distinguishing good from evil can only be found in the person of God, for God alone can exhaust the definition of "absolutely good." If God does not exist, then there are no moral absolutes by which one has the right to judge something (or someone) as being evil. More specifically, if God does not exist, there is no ultimate basis to judge the crimes of [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]. Seen in this light, the reality of evil actually requires the existence of God, rather than disproving it.<ref>Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries - [http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Atheism.html Strategies for Dialoguing with Atheists]</ref>}}
The infinite reference point for distinguishing good from evil can only be found in the person of God, for God alone can exhaust the definition of "absolutely good." If God does not exist, then there are no moral absolutes by which one has the right to judge something (or someone) as being evil. More specifically, if God does not exist, there is no ultimate basis to judge the crimes of [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]. Seen in this light, the reality of evil actually requires the existence of God, rather than disproving it.<ref>Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries - [http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Atheism.html Strategies for Dialoguing with Atheists]</ref>}}
[[Ken Ammi]] wrote:
{{Cquote|Imagine considering the problem of evil and (illogically) concluding that God does not exist—what happens next? Well, you look around the world again and notice that evil still exists and now you do not even have God to blame. Rejecting God does nothing about evil. Thus, atheism does nothing about evil. Of course it does nothing—it cannot do anything and is not supposed to do anything. Atheism is merely an idea and thus, has no volition by which to do anything at all. Indeed, and that is just the point: atheism is an idea, but God is a being who can and does various things about evil: God can condemn it absolutely, God can make provision for redeeming evil, God can abolish evil.
Atheism not only does nothing about evil; atheism actually makes evil even worse. Atheism guarantees that evil is for nothing, it has no greater purpose or meaning; it guarantees no redemption of evil.
However, it is inaccurate to state that atheism guarantees that evil is for nothing and has no greater purpose or meaning. This is because in the absolute materialism that atheism implies, evil is very purposeful in that it benefits the evildoer. The evildoer commits evil acts, and as long as they are not caught they evade the judicial systems of this world and simply get away with it, the victim suffers and may suffer for decades while the evildoer enjoyed committing evil deeds.
Also it is inaccurate to state that atheism does nothing about evil; it actually makes it go away by pretending that it does not exist. A tsunami that drowns thousands of people is not “evil”; it is a large wave. A hurricane that destroys cities and kills people is not “evil”; it is high winds. An animal, whether human or otherwise, that kills another animal is not “evil”; it is acting according to all that there is; its own will. It may be inconvenient, we may not like it, we may attempt to do something about it, against it, but it is not evil; it just is.
The fact of evil in the world is one of the very best reasons for rejecting atheism.<ref>[http://creation.com/atheism#atheisms-problem-of-evil Atheism by Ken Ammi]</ref>}}
== Natural evil and the fall of man ==
== Natural evil and the fall of man ==