A Philosophical Theological Response to the 'Problem of Evil'

[N.O.R.F]

A Philosophical & Theological Response to the 'Problem of Evil'

 

By Hamza Andreas Tzortzis

 

 

In the philosophy of religion ‘natural atheology’ is defined as the branch of philosophy that attempts to prove the central beliefs of theists (people who believe in a God) as false [1]. One of the most impressive and strongest arguments of natural atheology is to do with the problem of evil.

 

The problem of evil claims that it is unbelievable, if an omnipotent and good God exists, that he would permit so much pain and suffering in the world. The famous philosopher David Hume in his ‘Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion’ aptly puts it,

 

“Epicurus’s old questions are yet unanswered. Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?”[2]

 

The problem of evil is without a doubt one of the key intellectual obstacles that a Muslim or theist has to overcome in order to be convinced that God exists (or convince others for that matter). There are two versions of the problem of evil, the internal problem of evil and the external problem of evil.

 

The internal problem of evil is presented as an argument whose premises the Muslim is committed to due to his belief in Islam. The external problem of evil is presented as an argument whose premises the Muslim is not committed to but can have good reasons to believe the premises to be true.

 

The Internal Problem of Evil

 

The internal problem of evil presents its premises as follows:

 

1. A good God that is omnipotent exist

 

2. Evil exists

 

3. Therefore a good God that is omnipotent doesn’t exist

 

H. J. McCloskey in his article ‘God and Evil’ summarises the problem well,

 

“Evil is a problem for the theist in that a contradiction is involved in the fact of evil, on the one hand, and the belief in the omnipotence and perfection of God on the other.”[3]

 

Responding to the Internal Problem of Evil

 

The first point that needs to be made is that statements (1) and (2) are not logically inconsistent as there is no apparent contradiction. For the atheist to jump to the conclusion that a good God that is omnipotent doesn’t exist is an unwarranted, unless he has assumed, in the words of Philosopher William Craig, “some hidden premises”[4]. These hidden premises seem to be the following,

 

4. If God is omnipotent, then he can create any world he wants

 

5. If God is good, then he prefers a world without evil

 

Statement (4) suggests that since God can create and do anything, then he can create free human beings who always decide to do the right thing and do not fall into evil or suffering. Statement (5) suggests that God is all good so much so that if he could create a world without evil and suffering he would. Otherwise he would himself be evil to prefer that humans experience evil and suffering.

 

The proponent of this version of the problem of evil has made some unjustified assumptions. These hidden premises make some daring assumptions; firstly it assumes a Christian type of God, one that is just good and omnipotent. Secondly it assumes that God doesn’t have any reasons to permit evil and suffering in the world.

 

Responding to the first assumption

 

Muslims do not only believe that God is just good and omnipotent. Muslims believe that part of God’s names and attributes include ‘the Just’, ‘the Severe in Punishment’, ‘the Wise’, ‘the Avenger’, and ‘the Compassionate’, amongst many others. So statements (1, 4 and 5) are inaccurate as the Muslim does not reduce God to parts, rather God is seen as one and unique in context of all his names and attributes. So if God was just good and omnipotent, then there may be problem in reconciling suffering and evil in the world. However if you include attributes such as ‘the Severe in Punishment’ and ‘the Wise’, these problems would not exist. Because perceived evil and suffering in the world can be due to,

 

• God’s punishment as a result of our sins and bad actions.

 

• God’s wisdom, as there may be divine wisdom in permitting evil and suffering. Even if we can’t evaluate what the wisdom is, it doesn’t mean it is not there. To argue such a thing would be a logical fallacy, known as the argument from ignorance (argumentum ad ignorantiam). The story of Khidr which can be found in the 18th chapter of Qur’an from verses 60 to 82 is an eloquent account of how God’s wisdom, whether understood or not, has positive results and benefits for humanity.

 

In addition to this the Muslim can argue that the problem of evil is logically posterior to the existence of God. You need to establish that God exists first before attempting to reconcile who God is with our perception of reality, in this case, evil and suffering.

 

Lastly the meaning of the word ‘good’ attributed to God needs to be understood in a divine context. In general terms the word ‘good’ has a meaning that relates to human experience, whereas in Islamic theology ‘good’ as an attribute of God is primarily viewed as a unique attribute that can be appreciated but not fully comprehended due to his uniqueness and transcendental nature. Therefore the underlying assumption that evil and a good God cannot coexist may be true with a Christian view of God. However it doesn’t apply to the Islamic concept of God as the atheist will have to reconcile evil and suffering with something that he cannot fully comprehend. So his premises are false due to his incorrect assumption that ‘good’ in the context of God is related to a human understanding of good.

 

Responding to the second assumption

 

A sufficient response to the second assumption is to provide a strong argument that God has justified reasons to permit suffering and evil in the world. The intellectual richness of Islamic Theology provides us with many reasons, some of which include:

 

1. The primary purpose of the human being is not happiness rather it is to know and worship God. This fulfillment of the divine purpose will result in everlasting bliss and happiness. So if this is our primary purpose other aspects of human experience our secondary. The Qur’an, the book of the Muslims states: "I did not create either jinn or man except to worship Me." [5]

 

2. God also created us for a test, and part of this test is to be tested with suffering and evil. The Qur’an mentions “The One Who created death and life, so that He may put you to test, to find out which of you is best in deeds: He is the all-Almighty, the all-Forgiving” [6]

 

3. Having hardship and suffering enables us to realise and know God’s attributes such as ‘the Victorious’ and ‘the Healer’. For example without the pain and suffering of illness we would not appreciate the attribute of God being ‘the Healer’. Knowing God is a greater good, and worth the experience of suffering or pain as it will mean the fulfillment of our primary purpose.

 

4. Suffering allows 2nd order good. 1st order good is physical pleasure and happiness and 1st order evil is physical pain and sadness. 2nd order goodness is elevated goodness such as courage and can only happen if suffering or evil exist. [7]

 

5. People can also suffer from past, present or future sins. God has knowledge of everything which is not contingent on time. Please refer to the story of Khidr in the Qur’an where it mentions Khidr’s reply to Prophet Moses “All this was done as a mercy from your Lord. What I did was not done by my own will. That is the interpretation of those actions which you could not bear to watch with patience.”[8]

 

6. God has given us free will, and free will includes choosing evil acts. [9]

 

The external problem of evil

 

The internal problem of evil fails to convince, however the external problem of evil seems more persuasive because it seems to acknowledge the co-existence of God and evil in the world, but denies God’s existence due to the level of the evil in the world. The external problem of evil argues the following:

 

1. A good God that is omnipotent exists

 

2. Gratuitous evil exists

 

3. Therefore, God does not exist

 

For the Muslim statement (2) is subjective and not entirely true. The Muslim will believe that evil exists, but not that gratuitous evil exists, and since this is based upon human subjectivity then the external problem of evil carries no weight. The proponent of this argument will have to show that gratuitous evil or evil itself are objective without reference to human subjectivity.

 

The essential problem with this argument is shown in the following questions:

 

• What makes our value judgments objectively true?

 

• What are our definitions of gratuitous evil?

 

The proponent of the problem of evil is faces a problem because God is required a rational basis for objective good and evil (whether gratuitous or not). Without God these terms are relative as there is no conceptual anchor, apart from God himself, which transcends human subjectivity. So the terms evil and good make no sense or are just ephemeral without God. Therefore in order for the atheist’s premise to make objective sense, God’s existence is necessary. In this light the Muslim or theist may argue:

 

1. If God did not exist, then objective moral values would not exist

 

2. Evil exists

 

3. Therefore objective moral values exists (from premise 2)

 

4. Therefore, God exists

 

Explaining the key premise: Premise (1)

 

The question about objective good or bad, in other words objective morality, has been discussed by many theists and non-theists alike. Many have concluded that there is no objective morality without God. Humanist philosopher Paul Kurtz aptly puts it,

 

“The central question about moral and ethical principles concerns this ontological foundation. If they are neither derived from God nor anchored in some transcendent ground, are they purely ephemeral?”[10]

 

Paul Kurtz is right because God is the only conceptual anchor that transcends human subjectivity, so without God there is no rational basis for objective morality. In God’s absence, there are only two possible alternative conceptual foundations.

 

• Social pressures

 

• Evolution

 

Both social pressures and evolution provide no objective basis for morality as they both claim that our morality is contingent on changes: biological and social. Therefore morality cannot be binding, in other words true regardless of who believes in them.

 

Therefore without God there is no objective basis for morality. God as a concept is not subjective therefore having God as basis for morality makes them binding and objective, because God transcends human subjectivity. The following statement by Richard Taylor, an eminent ethicist, correctly concludes,

 

“Contemporary writers in ethics, who blithely discourse upon moral right and wrong and moral obligation without any reference to religion, are really just weaving intellectual webs from thin air; which amounts to saying that they discourse without meaning.”[11]

 

Therefore evil in the world actually proves that God exists. This argument shows how God and evil can co-exist without attempting to explain why. So in a rhetorical response to the atheist the Muslim or theist can pose the following question,

 

“How can the atheist formulate an argument against the existence of God when God is required as an objective basis for the formulation of the argument in the first place?!”

 

At first sight the problem of evil seems to present insuperable difficulties for the Muslim. However under intellectual scrutiny the problem of evil actually fails to present a convincing argument.

 

Concluding with the Emotional Argument

 

There is a well known Buddhist saying that states ‘desire causes suffering ‘and since human beings desire then we will always suffer. Whether this is true or not clearly reinforces our intuition that we will suffer and experience evil at some point in our lives. This suffering can be the making of our own hands, other peoples or external forces like natural disasters. A consequence of this suffering is that many of us may fall prey to our emotional dispositions thereby questioning God’s existence or entering into a state of some form psychological malady.

 

Islamic Theology however provides the conceptual ‘tools’ necessary for the Muslim to overcome this problem. Islamic Theology is derived from two main sources, the Qur’an and the hadith literature. The Qur’an is a divine book that Muslims believes to be the word of God, and the hadith are divinely inspired statements attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The following verses from the Qur’an and sayings from hadith provide all the necessary comfort for the Muslim.

 

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

 

"Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good/happiness befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him." [12]

 

“Anyone who dies of the plague is a martyr. Anyone who dies of a stomach illness is a martyr. Anyone who drowns is a martyr.” [13]

 

"There are seven classes of martyrs except the one who is killed while fighting in the cause of God: one who dies in plague is a martyr; one who dies due to drowning is a martyr; one who is killed of Zat al-Janb disease (a disease that attacks ribs and causes inner ulcerations) is a martyr; one who dies of diseases of stomach is a martyr; one who is killed by fire is a martyr; one who is crushed under a wall is a martyr; and a woman who dies while delivery (or pregnancy) is a martyr." [14]

 

"No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn." [15]

 

The Qur’an says,

 

“Do you think that you will enter paradise without any trials while you have known the examples of those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so violently shaken up that even the Prophet and the believers with him cried out: ‘When will God’s help come?’ Be aware, God’s help is close.” [16]

 

“Surely with every difficulty there is relief. Surely with every difficulty there is relief.” [17]

 

“Let there rise from among you a band of people who should invite to righteousness, enjoin good and forbid evil: such are the one, who shall be successful.” [18]

 

Since the Muslim is intellectually convinced that these statements are from God, then it follows they are truth claims that not only comfort the Muslim, but fills his heart with tranquility.

 

References

 

[1] Avin Plantinga. God, Freedom and Evil. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1977, p 7.

 

[2] David Hume. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, part 10.

 

[3] “God and Evil” Philosophical Quarterly, X (1960), p 97.

 

[4] J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. IVP Academic, p 538.

 

[5] Qur’an 51:56-57

 

[6] Qur’an 67: 2

 

[7] Although this is contended by some philosophers such as John Mackie, philosopher Avin Plantinga provides an interesting response in his book God, Freedom and Evil.

 

[8] Qur’an 18:82

 

[9] This requires an in-depth discussion which will be discussed in another article

 

[10] Paul Kurtz. Forbidden Fruit. Prometheus. 1988, p 65.

 

[11] Richard Taylor. Ethics, Faith, and Reason. Prentice Hall. 1985, p. 83–84.

 

[12] Saheeh Muslim

 

[13] Ibid.

 

[14] Narrated Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah

 

[15] Saheeh Bukhari

 

[16] Qur’an 2:214

 

[17] Qur’an 94:5-6

 

[18] Qur’an 3:104

[Abu-Salman]

Quite interesting, so I'll try and add few points:

 

-Ethical living is the quintessence of Human nature with even Atheists concurring with the central importance of Altruism; one of the fathers of Western Thought, Aristotle, was long ago stating that "doing good" and attaining the "Supreme good", as core requirements, can only be fulfilled within the confins of an organised society or Polis (Greek for City-State) and its human interactions.

 

How could then ethical consciousness be refined and rekindled?

 

Clearly, evil or suffering has here an important role to play, in the sense that practical hardship naturally lead to greater sympathy towards fellow human beings.

 

 

-If the receiver of a device accompanied by crystal clear operating manual fail to abide by those instructions, harming himself in the process, who is to be blamed?

 

Thus, there is a clear distinction between allowing evil as a consequence and causing it deliberately.

 

 

-Evil or suffering is often in itself a cause of greater good, ie preventing much higher levels of suffering.

 

Let's consider a reckless father allowing his daughter to dress provocatively until they both get attacked one night and find himself in his local intensive care unit.

That father subsequently regains his appetite for regular worship or convince the rest of his household of the necessity of change. Thus, that incident, however painful, served as a vivid reminder against much higher risks.

 

 

Having found myself unwell last Sunday and visiting the local A&E, I passed by a nearby mosque whose proximity I was unaware; the following morning, my landlord came unexpectedly and upon hearing that incident, apologised profusely (going to greater lengths that was required) and both reassured me and fixed the faults in my new flat.

My sudden unwellness disappeared as spectacularely as it manisfested itself...leaving me with two major concerns addressed!

[N.O.R.F]

I recently discovered the author's blog. He has well thought out and well reasoned articles.

 

Check out his next debate in London.

[Muriidi]

too much bla bla...

 

Adam & Eve "TASTED" a bad fruit from a bad tree they weren't supposed to "EAT" from.

they pbuthem had a "vision" of all the evil that happened...but do you live inside a "vision" of Adam& Eve pbuthem or any other creature for that matter?

who's "world" do you live in?

living in "even" the prophet Adam's (pbuh) world is considered "worshipping" him ...thus putting too much responsibility and weight upon a creature (even a chosen prophet pbuthem)

so ..who's world "DO" you live in?

 

i don't believe in the "existence" of evil...though sometimes i do find myself in a strange world..with things that need not be understood,but taken to the garbage disposal where environmental experts can check for the recycling potential.

one example is the "natural logarithm" or deterioration rate.

[Positive]

In my mind the universe is so extensive and have corners for every sort of experience. Ours is a place where beings can experience evil while conversely in other corners, the heavens, exists a life of joy untouched by evil.

 

For an eternal life for Soul its earthly sojourn is like a second.

 

The Awakener2

[Muriidi]

nicely put +++

[Paragon]

Interesting, Norf & Abu-Salmaan.

 

TheAwakener, it's good to see you again brother. Interesting opinion there.

[SeefTa]

The point thats mostly overlooked when debating atheists is, THEY DONT BELIEVE IN THE END OF TIME, NOR THAT THERE IS AN AFTER LIFE....so wit that in mind...lets see the logic of such a debate...if one doesn't believe in the end of times, one can never comprehend the belief in God, and a being such as god ( the creater ) allowing evil to exist. believers in god (monotheists/abrahamic), such as muslims, christians and jews believe life is just a test to determine one's afterlife: hell or heaven. Thus life is a test to determine one's afterlife.

 

so here's the part the atheist just simply cannot comprehend...allah is the creater of everything and all-knowing...therefore we can say allah is well aware of the existence of evil, and he allows it to remain in existence...

 

evil is that which influences man to commit evil: dambi/sins. And god is the one who influences man to do good: ajar/blessings. therefore man is tested in life by how many sins one commited or how many blessings one gained.

 

if evil didnt exist, good would also not exist. because you need the existence of evil to determine what is good...and vice versa

 

so when the atheists debate believers of allah on why a being so great and powerfull would allow evil to exist....the answer in short is....believers of allah believe in an after life..the after life consists of two..HELL AND HEAVEN...to get into heaven you need AJAR (by doing good)...to be cast into HELL, you have committed many sins ( influenced by evil)....therefore allah allows evil to remain in existence to test man..and through this test..those who believe in allah and those who dont are determined.

 

P.S. im new to this forum...so whats up ppl

[N.O.R.F]

^Interesting take. Thanks. Welcome to SOL.

[SeefTa]

so with that resolved...the question that remains is...if any of you actaully know someone who is an atheist...why he/she doesnt believe in anything ( the atheist )?

[Positive]

Indeed it is an interesting discussion; and thanks Paragon; I visit this forum regularly but I limit my contributions. I contribute only when I feel it is a right time to say something.

 

Now if I may say several words about the topic in discussion the true nature of creation makes no sense unless we add Soul to the equation. We mostly lack knowledge for example of the role, power and position of Soul in the constitution of man. Regardless of our level of education we remain ignorant and in a confused state of mind unless these factors are known to us.

 

Evil exists because it is in the Divine Plan of the Creator to exists. In the religious circles it is agreed that God creates, preserves and destroys! Evil then is the destructive force in the created universe. It comes into force when an old has to go so that a new thing can replace it. The challenge here is when we believe that one for example dies. One does not die in the real sense of the word! One passes over to another reality and lives on.

 

The materialistic conceptual view that one ceases to exist when one dies is in fact a delusion of colossal proportions.

 

Wisdom and LOVE can be antidotes to the effects of Evil.

 

The Awakener2

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

theologians have attempted and failed to give sufficient answer to this problem for hundreds of years. there is no way to win this one guys, lol, i would leave it alone if I were u guys, there are two answers and neither one looks good.

 

A-God is omnibeneveleant (All Good)

B-God is omnipotent (All Powerful)

C-Evil (Both moral and Natural) exists

 

Two possible solutions to this logical inconsistency:

A is false

B is false

 

No matter how many modifications you attach to those two attributes, they cannot both be true with the existence of evil

[SeefTa]

the soul...what is the soul?...where does this soul reside?...how does the soul function?...and in fact, where did this soul originate from?

 

every person regardless of origin, religion or mindset is aware of their possession of a inner

matter. invisible matter. yet we are as certain of this matter as we are of our other internal organs. we commonly refer to this matter as SOUL.

so then one asks, where is this soul? is it in my heart? is it in my head( brain )? or is it in the center of me: my gut? the soul is one's second state of being. it is within and throughout every part, every cell of man. never concealed, yet never explicitly evident in one's consience. the soul, a vital part in the grand scheme of things: man's journey through life, his deeds, his afterlife, and soul are intertwined. the soul is the battle field where good and evil clash, day in day out. the soul is the canvas where a man's past is vividly painted. the soul, present from the day allah sends his angels to blow life into you, and again, present as a testament for or against man on his judgement day. the soul, the very reason evil undertakes its relentless effort to deceive man: capture. some refer to the soul as the bridge or gateway to afterlife. on the contrary, it is death which serves as the bridge, and the soul is that which determnines in which vessel one's eternal life will dwell in. my dear brothers and sisters, guard your soul.

 

P.S. did you know that every human body loses exactly 21 grams at the instant of DEATH.

[SeefTa]

Originally posted by Naxar Nugaaleed:

theologians have attempted and failed to give sufficient answer to this problem for hundreds of years. there is no way to win this one guys, lol, i would leave it alone if I were u guys, there are two answers and neither one looks good.

 

A-God is omnibeneveleant (All Good)

B-God is omnipotent (All Powerful)

C-Evil (Both moral and Natural) exists

 

Two possible solutions to this logical inconsistency:

A is false

B is false

 

No matter how many modifications you attach to those two attributes, they cannot both be true with the existence of evil

there arent TWO possible solutiions actually...all THREE statements are true...

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

how so?