Evil And Omnipotence

Many theologians accept the criticism that their beliefs lack rational proof, and still insist that they are right to believe in the existence of God. However, it is much harder for them to be confronted with the problem of evil, because this makes their beliefs irrational and contradictory, instead of simply unreasonable.
Evil is logically inconsistent with the existence of an omnipotent and omni benevolent God. If we define ‘evil’ and ‘good’ as opposites, and determine that good will always try to destroy evil, we can conclude that an all-powerful and good being would get rid of all evil; since this is not the case, an omnipotent good being cannot exist.
An adequate solution to the problem of evil is a change in the fundamental definition of either ‘good’, ‘evil’, or ‘God’. Some people choose not to believe in the omnipotence of God; others argue that evil does not really exist. This does not actually solve anything, as the rejection of a premise often turns out to be false, and the theologian who does so actually restates said premise later in the argument.
There are also many fallacious arguments that claim to retain all of the



 

 
   
 
  
 
 
 
John Mackie:Evil And Omnipotence
In the essay, "Evil and Omnipotence " John L. Mackie states the problem of evil, as a contradiction between the propositions "God is omnipotent; God is .... (2618 10 )
  
Evil Exists
JL Mackie was no different, and in his writing of "Evil and Omnipotence, " attempts to formulate an argument on this topic. JL .... (746 3 )
  
Why does God allow us to suffer
.... In the article "Evil and Omnipotence " by JL Mackie, Mackie criticizes the argument for even the existence of God by stating that parts of the essential .... (1762 7 )
  
Is there a God
.... Lurz, R. (2000). Mackie, JL Evil and Omnipotence. Humanities: Philosophy HUM1533 Indian River Community College The Zondervan Corporation. (1994). .... (1689 7 )
  
Evil
.... good. This explains the existence of evil in God?s creation without threatening either omnipotence, or His goodness. The opportunity .... (672 3 )
  
 
 

The most important attempted proof of God is the free-will defense. It claims that in order for men to have free will, they must be able to choose evil as well as good. But if God was truly all-good, he would have logically created men who were free, but who always chose to do good. The objection to this is that men would be reduced to automata, and that evil is necessary for freedom. But this implies that ‘freedom’ is really randomness, and not determined by will at all, as God created the will of man, and could have created it to be good. Also, an omnipotent God could control the wills of men to prevent evil; theists argue that he chooses not to. But surely an omni benevolent God with the power to control men would at least try to stop them from doing evil. So either he is not truly all good, or he lacks the omnipotence to control men. This leads to the Paradox of Omnipotence – can an all-powerful being create rules to bind himself? If he can’t, he is not omnipotent, and if he does, he is no longer omnipotent.

A third case contends that the universe is better with the presence of evil, because evil(suffering, misery) makes pos


Some topics in this essay:
God, Logic, Argument, Philosophy Of Religion, Omnipotence, Problem Of Evil, Existence Of God, Theology,

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PROFESSIONAL ESSAYS:

The Problem of Evil .... Great Thinkers of the Western World, Annual, 441. Mackie, JL (1955) Evil and Omnipotence. Mind 64, 200. Whitehead, AN (1927) Science and the Modern World. .... (1452 6 )

God and the Problem of Evil .... Great Thinkers of the Western World, Annual, 441. Mackie, JL (1955) Evil and Omnipotence. Mind 64, 200. Whitehead, AN (1927) Science and the Modern World. .... (1452 6 )

Problem of Evil .... is beyond reason, which cannot wrap itself around eternity, omnipotence, and the origin of creation. God is also all good; who would wish to worship an evil God .... (1249 5 )

Mencius: The Problem of Good and Evil .... Mackie points out that such a statement denies God's omnipotence and suggests that God is not capable of creating good without also creating evil or at the .... (1452 6 )

God's Relation to the World .... to Aquinas), is at least slightly better than "the nothing that theorists of religion" have offered as a solution to the problem of evil (Omnipotence, p. 13 .... (6559 26 )

Voltaire's Candide .... Unable to relinquish the tenet of divine omnipotence, the Christian answer to the problem of evil must be that evil is the name given to what really is an .... (2197 9 )

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