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DEBATE NEWS5/15: The Daily Report with John Dickerson
John Dickerson reports on what to expect from the newly scheduled presidential debates, the biggest foreign threats ahead of the November election, and why the price of cocoa is so...
In this Debate
With So Much Evil in the World Why Doesn’t God Just Stop It and Does this Mean God Does not Exist?
Debate Information
Everywhere we turn we see something that appears to be wrong, something that is out of place and against what should be good. Everywhere we turn there is suffering, destruction, and plain out evil. These things are all over the news, in our communities, and amongst our families. There is hate, violence, and pain being inflicted on others. There are illnesses and tragic deaths that befall our loved ones. At some point in every person’s life, one or multiple of these things will be a part of life. Why? If there is so much evil in this world why doesn’t God just stop it? This question has been one that has been on the minds of people all around the world, both believers and non-believers alike. It is a question that challenges people’s faith in God, it is a question that can be extremely difficult to answer, and in all honesty, is one that cannot be definitively answered. However, the lack of a definitive answer does not mean that there are no explanations. When I speak of a definitive answer, I mean that we cannot answer exactly why God chose or chooses to do things the in the ways He did or does, we cannot really answer for Him, but what we can do is shed some light on what His Word says and gain a better understanding of why He might allow evil to exist. Before getting into that, however, it is important to get a better understanding of the definition of evil:
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines evil as the following: Morally reprehensible; arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct; causing discomfort or repulsion; causing harm. I prefer, however, the definition provided by J.P. Morland where he states that “Evil is a lack of what should be the case. Evil is when things aren’t the way they are supposed to be.” Another very important question that we must answer in this conversation, is how do we know what is evil? C.S. Lewis points out that when he was an atheist his “argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust…”, but he began to realize that he needed to figure out where he got the idea of just and unjust. He states “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.” And Lewis asked himself, “What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?” As believers, we are very aware of what is evil and how we have come to understand where evil comes from, however, when an atheist argues that there is evil in the world and therefore there is no God, it begs the question, “where do they think our idea of evil has come from?” If we are just a ball of matter and there is nothing more to us then wouldn’t our idea of evil be completely relaitive? I pose this question mostly because I do believe that it is important for there to be an understanding of what one believes to be evil and why they feel that way, what gave that idea?
The fact that these questions are asked, or that these arguments are made could very well be just one of the reasons we have evil in the world. But let's take a look at where Christians believe that evil started. Genesis 3:4-7 gives an account of when Adam and Eve (the first of mankind) made the decision to disobey God by eating the fruit that was on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Prior to eating the forbidden fruit, all Adam and Eve knew was of the good that God had created for them. At that time there was no evil among them or His creation of the universe. What is very important to understand, however, is that by God giving the one and only command of them to not eat the forbidden fruit, we see the initiation of free will. A choice was given to the first man and woman and they chose, by their free will to do what God had told them not to do and from that point on, things have not been the way they are supposed to be (Evil). Evil comes from the free will of mankind, therefore it is not God’s fault that we have evil in this world but simply mankind’s fault. You see, there can be good without the existence of evil but there cannot be the existence of evil without the existence of good.
But why does God allow it to continue? I do not have a definitive answer. But what I do know, is that in many peoples’ lives, when they are going through trials and pain, it becomes natural to question why, which in many ways can draw people to asking God why. When we are at our lowest points, we tend to cry out, and many times, yes they are in times of desperation, we cry out to a god that most of us have never believed in before. C.S. Lewis points out that, “God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” As time as gone on since the fall of Adam and Eve, our world has become more and more deaf to God, and have chosen through their free will to do things that are against the way things are supposed to be. We have corrupted what is good for our own pleasures and selfish desires. But, when one sees the hope that they can have in God even during our darkest times, there becomes an unexplainable peace. The fact of the matter is that God’s word tells us that there will be a day when He puts all evil to rest and that it will no longer exist on this earth, and that we can trust in Him because even though the evil that does exist in this world is because people have turned their back on Him, He still loves us and He wants what is good for us, just like any loving father wants for their children and He wants to rescue us. All we have to do is turn back to Him and hold tight to His promises.
This is for School Credit so Please respond respectfully and only if You are Believe God does not exist.
Debate Type: Traditional Debate
Voting Format: Casual Voting
Opponent: RickeyHoltsclaw
Rounds: 3
Time Per Round: 20 Hours Per Round
Voting Period: 24 Hours
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