Importance of the Question

Since you live in the 21st century, it is very probable that you have at least come across, if not been influenced by, what is known as “the problem of evil”. You might have heard it at school or work after someone was murdered: “How could God allow this to happen?!” You see it in articles and blog posts after the bombardment of an entire village: “What kind of God would allow these things to happen?!”

You will even find it in intellectual circles and philosophy books: “If there really were a perfectly good, all-knowing, all-powerful God, then there would be no evil and suffering in the world.”

This so-called problem is one of the most common arguments that skeptics use to deny the existence of God. They assume that they have found an Achilles heel in the religions that believe in God. The common picture we have in our minds is of the skeptic atheist calmly presenting a logical, intellectual, and scientific argument while the religiously-inclined defendant becomes emotionally charged and tries to beat around the bush.

However, the strength of this argument does not, in any way, have to do with logic or rationale but rather is emotionally charged to the core and attempts to hijack any sensitive event it can find. Nor is it a new question.

In fact, we find the angels asking something similar even before man was created:
*“When your Lord told the angels, ‘I am putting a deputy on earth,’ they said, ‘How can you put someone there who will cause damage and bloodshed, when we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your holiness?’ but he said, ‘I know what you know not’”* (Qur’an, 2:30).

In other words, God was asked, “Why would you allow this human, who will do bad things, to exist? Why not create someone who won’t do anything bad, like us?” The answer was, “I understand the wisdom in what I am doing, and you don’t.”

*Exploding the Myth*

That, in a nutshell, is the answer to the so-called problem. There is no logical contradiction between God being Infinitely Good, Infinitely Powerful, and allowing bad things to happen. The idea that the evil and suffering in the world present an unanswerable challenge to believers is finally being admitted by more open-minded researchers.

Stump and Murray make the following confession in their book, Philosophy of Religion: The Big Questions: “The logical problem of evil has been severely criticized in recent years and is regarded in the contemporary literature on the subject as largely discredited. In brief, the problem with this argument is that it assumes something false. Specifically, it assumes that a good being would prevent every evil it can under any circumstances…Thus, at best, the logical problem of evil shows us that if God exists, the only evil that exists is evil for which there is some good reason.”

The rhetorical questions now change to inquisitive questions. Rather than blurting out, “How could God do that?! What kind of God does these things?!” the question now is “Why is the world this way and what wisdom lies in that?”

*Life is a Test*

The secret to understanding the issue is so simple that it often eludes us. Life is a test. Man has been given a limited free will to do good or bad.
Look at the following statement of the Prophet:

*“The life of a believer is truly amazing. Everything that happens to him is good. This is only true for a believer and none else. If something pleasant happens to him, he is thankful and that is good for him. If something bad afflicts him, he is patient and that is also good for him.”* (Muslim)

Affliction is part of the test of life. If God were to interfere and prevent every bad thing from happening to each individual, it would be like taking the test away from a student. Saying that the bad that exists in the world is necessary does not mean that it is justified or praiseworthy. Believers are always commanded to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, which is another test in itself.

*Wisdom is behind the scenes*

Skeptics tend to focus on the negative aspects of things and claim that evil and suffering are ugly facts of life while believers try to see the bigger picture and find an explanation for the existence of such things. It is like someone who observes two people fighting and judges that both of them are in the wrong without thinking that one of them may be defending himself or standing up for justice. Evil is, to an extent, relative. A juicy hamburger may be a good thing for someone who’s hungry, but it’s definitely a bad thing for the cow that was slaughtered.

Being able to see the big picture often affects how we perceive what is good and bad. Someone with little foresight may claim that the injection of a vaccine into a patient, which contains traces of disease, is a bad thing while the injection of heroin, which leads to euphoria, is a good thing. Not being able to understand that the vaccine will help develop immunity to that disease or that taking heroin will develop into a drug addiction is due to a lack of medical knowledge and experience.

However, we do have enough insight to see some of the wisdoms behind the general occurrences of bad things.

*What good reasons could there be for evil?*

*1. Suffering and affliction often help return us to the obedience of God.*

God said: *“We sent messengers before you [Prophet] to many communities and afflicted their people with suffering and hardships, so that they might learn humility. If only they had learned humility when suffering came from Us! But no, their hearts became hard…”* (Qur’an, 6:42-43).

There is a lesson in the conversion of the famous rock star, Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam. He related the story himself: “After a year of financial success and high living, I became very ill. I contracted T.B. (tuberculosis) and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think; what is going to happen to me? Am I just a body? Is my goal in life merely to satisfy this body? I realized this calamity was a blessing given to me by God and a chance to open my eyes, to learn ‘Why I am here, why I am in bed.’ I started looking for some of the answers.”

*2. It differentiates between the good and bad people.*

God said: *“Do people think they will be left alone after saying, ‘We believe’ without being put to the test? We tested those who went before them: God will certainly mark out which ones are truthful and which are lying”* (Qur’an, 29:2-3).

Upon analysis, we realize that the Prophets, who are the highest in rank in the sight of God, faced the most difficult tests of all people. Clearly, merit must be earned.

*3. Affliction is necessary to experience its opposite feelings of joy and achievement.*

God said: *“With hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.”* (Qur’an, 94:5-6)

The appreciation of ease and comfort could only exist and be appreciated if the feelings of hardship also existed and were known or experienced. In Chinese Philosophy, the concept of yin and yang is employed to explain this phenomenon. Each part is necessary to understand the unity of the whole. They are in equilibrium: if one disappears, the other must disappear as well, leaving emptiness.

Conclusion

It should be patently clear that the inability to see the wisdom behind something should not be a cause of criticizing that thing. Of course, the final word on all of this is that God knows best.

ademobi:
Importance of the Question

You spoke rubbish!

God does not and cannot support any bad thing, therefore He Has No Hand in any bad thing, thus, there is NOTHING LIKE ALLOWING BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN!

Therefore, the Answer is that because He Has Sent His Word, The Law, and it can not return to Him unaccomplished.

The Word of The Law of "Whatsoever a man planteth, that shall he take up Again"!

Oh! You are Muslim, therefore you are talking about About someone else!

But una get una own house na, you for go dia!

ademobi:
Importance of the Question

Since you live in the 21st century, it is very probable that you have at least come across, if not been influenced by, what is known as “the problem of evil”. You might have heard it at school or work after someone was murdered: “How could God allow this to happen?!” You see it in articles and blog posts after the bombardment of an entire village: “What kind of God would allow these things to happen?!”

You will even find it in intellectual circles and philosophy books: “If there really were a perfectly good, all-knowing, all-powerful God, then there would be no evil and suffering in the world.”

This so-called problem is one of the most common arguments that skeptics use to deny the existence of God. They assume that they have found an Achilles heel in the religions that believe in God. The common picture we have in our minds is of the skeptic atheist calmly presenting a logical, intellectual, and scientific argument while the religiously-inclined defendant becomes emotionally charged and tries to beat around the bush.

However, the strength of this argument does not, in any way, have to do with logic or rationale but rather is emotionally charged to the core and attempts to hijack any sensitive event it can find. Nor is it a new question.

In fact, we find the angels asking something similar even before man was created:
*“When your Lord told the angels, ‘I am putting a deputy on earth,’ they said, ‘How can you put someone there who will cause damage and bloodshed, when we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your holiness?’ but he said, ‘I know what you know not’”* (Qur’an, 2:30).

In other words, God was asked, “Why would you allow this human, who will do bad things, to exist? Why not create someone who won’t do anything bad, like us?” The answer was, “I understand the wisdom in what I am doing, and you don’t.”

*Exploding the Myth*

That, in a nutshell, is the answer to the so-called problem. There is no logical contradiction between God being Infinitely Good, Infinitely Powerful, and allowing bad things to happen. The idea that the evil and suffering in the world present an unanswerable challenge to believers is finally being admitted by more open-minded researchers.

Stump and Murray make the following confession in their book, Philosophy of Religion: The Big Questions: “The logical problem of evil has been severely criticized in recent years and is regarded in the contemporary literature on the subject as largely discredited. In brief, the problem with this argument is that it assumes something false. Specifically, it assumes that a good being would prevent every evil it can under any circumstances…Thus, at best, the logical problem of evil shows us that if God exists, the only evil that exists is evil for which there is some good reason.”

The rhetorical questions now change to inquisitive questions. Rather than blurting out, “How could God do that?! What kind of God does these things?!” the question now is “Why is the world this way and what wisdom lies in that?”

*Life is a Test*

The secret to understanding the issue is so simple that it often eludes us. Life is a test. Man has been given a limited free will to do good or bad.
Look at the following statement of the Prophet:

*“The life of a believer is truly amazing. Everything that happens to him is good. This is only true for a believer and none else. If something pleasant happens to him, he is thankful and that is good for him. If something bad afflicts him, he is patient and that is also good for him.”* (Muslim)

Affliction is part of the test of life. If God were to interfere and prevent every bad thing from happening to each individual, it would be like taking the test away from a student. Saying that the bad that exists in the world is necessary does not mean that it is justified or praiseworthy. Believers are always commanded to enjoin the good and forbid the evil, which is another test in itself.

Conclusion

It should be patently clear that the inability to see the wisdom behind something should not be a cause of criticizing that thing. Of course, the final word on all of this is that God knows best.

You are reasoning from the perspective of a Muslim , which is unfortunate and disastrous .

With reference to surah 2:30 , the angels were correct but Allah was wrong.

What does Allah stands to gain by woes and sorrows which he subjects people to ?
Is it not also in your Quran that no matter what someone does , what Allah has written concerning him or her is what will prevail and determine where he will spend eternity.

This clearly shows your Allah is not God but the devil.

So that we can express ourselves before and be known of.

This is the best write up i have read from a muslim since i was born. Wao, i never knew there was such beautiful and knowledgible muslims arround...


Thanks a lot.

You captured reality and God..and it made perfect sense..

sonmvayina:
This is the best write up i have read from a muslim since i was born. Wao, i never knew there was such beautiful and knowledgible muslims arround...


Thanks a lot.

You captured reality and God..and it made perfect sense..

You are a praising rubbish write up which portrays God as the evil one.

Show me one sense in the op's write up.

enilove:


You are a praising rubbish write up which portrays God as the evil one.

Show me one sense in the op's write up.

Do you not know this man is Insane and one of the many mad men of Nairaland?

Dtruthspeaker:


Do you not know this man is Insane and one of the many mad men of Nairaland?

I didn't. If I knew I would have neglected his post.

Thanks

enilove:


I didn't. If I knew I would have neglected his post.

Thanks

I thought so!,

enilove:


You are a praising rubbish write up which portrays God as the evil one.

Show me one sense in the op's write up.
.

Maybe if you read isaiah 45:7 you will have more sense...or lamentation 3:38...or the story of noah....

Devil does nothing without hearing "ok" from God

enilove:


You are a praising rubbish write up which portrays God as the evil one.

Show me one sense in the op's write up.

Maybe if you read isaiah 45:7 you will have more sense...or lamentation 3:38...or the story of noah....

Devil does nothing without hearing "ok" from God.

Dtruthspeaker:


Do you not know this man is Insane and one of the many mad men of Nairaland?

İ am still waiting oh....try and fish it out..


And please, no body ever said the truth is comfortable, but at least it will set you free..

Dtruthspeaker:


I thought so!,

Ass wipe, you know you you are a dummy. Hope you are going to allow people learn...

sonmvayina:


Maybe if you read isaiah 45:7 you will have more sense...or lamentation 3:38...or the story of noah....

Devil does nothing without hearing "ok" from God.

What you need is the light of God to drive out the evil in you.

The Isaiah 45:7 is simply telling you that God is a good God and a rewarder of evil to the evil ones .

Isaiah 45:7-8 KJV
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

The evil created by God is designed to bring righteousness to the earth by destroying the children of the devil and the devil himself .
That can be read in the scripture that follows it :

[8] Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

God will destroy the wicked in hell and hell itself is evil created for the devil and agents of darkness.

Lamentations 3:38-40 KJV
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? [39] Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? [40] Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.

From the above scriptures it is clear that it is evil to quote half truth .

Out of the mouth of God proceeds good and evil. But the evil that proceeds out of the mouth of God is to purnish the sinners .

But what is right about the write up of the OP ?
The op is confused by his Quran that says God created the earth for mischievousness right from the creation of mankind .

The God of the Bible says in :
Jeremiah 29:11 KJV
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

enilove:


What you need is the light of God to drive out the evil in you.

The Isaiah 45:7 is simply telling you that God is a good God and a rewarder of evil to the evil ones .

Isaiah 45:7-8 KJV
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

The evil created by God is designed to bring righteousness to the earth by destroying the children of the devil and the devil himself .
That can be read in the scripture that follows it :

[8] Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

God will destroy the wicked in hell and hell itself is evil created for the devil and agents of darkness.

Lamentations 3:38-40 KJV
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? [39] Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? [40] Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.

From the above scriptures it is clear that it is evil to quote half truth .

Out of the mouth of God proceeds good and evil. But the evil that proceeds out of the mouth of God is to purnish the sinners .

But what is right about the write up of the OP ?
The op is confused by his Quran that says God created the earth for mischievousness right from the creation of mankind .

The God of the Bible says in :
Jeremiah 29:11 KJV
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Try reading isaiah 45:1-7...

God is either UNWILLING or UNABLE to stop evil.

Either way you look at it makes him look like an asshole.

1Sharon:
God is either UNWILLING or UNABLE to stop evil.

Either way you look at it makes him look like an asshole.

You will soon know who is an asshole.

sonmvayina:


Try reading isaiah 45:1-7...

There is nothing in the verses 1-7 above that shows God is evil .
You need to read the whole chapter to understand the large context of this message .

The conclusion of the chapter reads :

Isaiah 45:20-23 KJV
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image (Idol), and pray unto a god that cannot save.
[21] Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord ? and there is no God else beside me; a JUST God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
[22] Look unto me, and be ye SAVED , all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
[23] I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in RIGHTEOUSNESS, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.


This is to tell you that God does not allow or want evil to befall us , as long as we draw near to Him and drop idols and sins.

God has promised to end evils of this world by destroying the disobedient people along with Satan.

After the judgement day , there will be no more evil and deaths in the world put peace , love and joy.

enilove:


You will soon know who is an asshole.

Yh you

1Sharon:


Yh you

Do your parents believe in God?

Because it’s part of his divine plans for people to suffer from evil and never get the opportunity to protest.

HellVictorinho:

Do your parents believe in God?

No