I posted this on a philosophy forum, where a lot of nonsense is posted about "the problem of evil" - the scoffer claim that God couldn't allow evil.

If you haven't encountered this silliness, this may not mean a lot, but I'll share what I wrote.

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Advocates of the problem of evil have definitions backwards. They define 'good' as simply and exclusively "opposition to evil". Of course we know the truth of the matter: Evil is properly defined as "opposition to good."

Advocates for theism need to stop letting this narrow, self-serving, and utterly worthless definition of 'good' pass. It is an abomination, and failing to point out its failure only serves to build the confidence of the liars who employ it. Here are some things to keep in mind the next time you encounter this "problem of evil" nonsense, okay?

There is much more to 'good' than merely opposing evil. Causing flowers to grow is good, whether or not any evil beings are present to resent their beauty. Generosity, mercy, patience, and grace are also good. Note the voluntary nature of these things.

If generosity were compulsory, it would be something other than generosity. Paying a debt you owe is not the same as voluntarily giving a gift. By definition generosity is voluntary rather than compulsory - by definition! No amount of weaseling with words, finite or infinite, can possibly make it otherwise.

The "problem of evil", in all its formulations, treats good as strictly compulsory, strictly and exclusively a matter of responding to evil. This is a set / subset fallacy. There are some obligations associated with being good, but not everything good is, or even can be compulsory. Compulsory good acts (duties) are only a subset of all possible good acts.

In order for the good act of forgiving to ever, even once, be performed, there must be something to forgive. With no sin, this is not the case. Forgiving is not possible if there is nothing to forgive. The temporary and transient existence of evil (not permanent, as scoffers happily presuppose) is the very prerequisite for this good act, for an entire class of potential good actions! That's the case under the true definition of 'good'.

So from a logical standpoint, "the problem of evil" is a trainwreck. The whole idea is to get people thinking about all the pain and suffering in the world, and then transfer the guilt from the responsible parties to the loving God who sent His Own Son to suffer and die for sinners. The consequences of sin are ugly, disgusting, vile, and repugnant. What do you expect to result from opposition to good?

The appeal of this trickery is blatantly superficial and strictly emotional, and even there it fails. Which is better: our loving, living, caring, forgiving God, or the "maximally good" god they posit as being "better"? The "better" god they propose isn't better at all! It never forgives, never shows mercy, never demonstrates love. How can anyone prefer such a being, even on an emotional basis?

In what twisted, misbegotten sense would things really be better if God immediately hammered everyone who committed any sin? Think about that. I don't think that's what you want. That's how these scoffers misdefine 'good'. Remember? That's their strict requirement: an instant and overwhelming response, without hesitation or mercy. That's what they insist would be "better" than the God some of us sinners have come to know and love. In my opinion, the deception fails emotionally almost as much as it does logically.

The word 'almost' in that last sentence was not an accident. We do have pride, and pride helps one to deceive oneself if one really puts a whale of a lot of effort into it. Be lazy.

[quote=CTD]I posted this on a philosophy forum, where a lot of nonsense is posted about "the problem of evil" - the scoffer claim that God couldn't allow evil.

If you haven't encountered this silliness, this may not mean a lot, but I'll share what I wrote.

------------------------------
Advocates of the problem of evil have definitions backwards. They define 'good' as simply and exclusively "opposition to evil". Of course we know the truth of the matter: Evil is properly defined as "opposition to good."

Advocates for theism need to stop letting this narrow, self-serving, and utterly worthless definition of 'good' pass. It is an abomination, and failing to point out its failure only serves to build the confidence of the liars who employ it. Here are some things to keep in mind the next time you encounter this "problem of evil" nonsense, okay?

The "problem of evil", in all its formulations, treats good as strictly compulsory, strictly and exclusively a matter of responding to evil. This is a set / subset fallacy. There are some obligations associated with being good, but not everything good is, or even can be compulsory. Compulsory good acts (duties) are only a subset of all possible good acts.

The temporary and transient existence of evil (not permanent, as scoffers happily presuppose) is the very prerequisite for this good act, for an entire class of potential good actions! That's the case under the true definition of 'good'.

What do you expect to result from opposition to good?

The appeal of this trickery is blatantly superficial and strictly emotional, and even there it fails. Which is better: our loving, living, caring, forgiving God, or the "maximally good" god they posit as being "better"? The "better" god they propose isn't better at all! It never forgives, never shows mercy, never demonstrates love. How can anyone prefer such a being, even on an emotional basis?

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Thank you, CTD!
This is a very profound post. If I may add this "Perspective on Pain" in light of this misconception of evil vs good....

'What do people mean whey they say "I am not afraid of God because I know he is good?" Have they never even been to a dentist?'- BY: C. S. Lewis

Susan Lenzkes authors, "No Rain, No Gain"...(Devotions to guide you through the storms of life)--~

~~C. S Lewis had a great mind and a great faith, both of which were shaped on the anvil of living and loving in this broken world. He was a realist. And he was honest. He permitted the questions that pain brings. I suspect he had learned that faith speaks loudest to fears that are faced.

When he and his beloved wife, Joy, were dealing with her terminal illness, he commented to a friend in a letter, "We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."

Susan goes on to share her own personal situation;---- -

My husband and I are wondering the same thing. Recently Herb was told his cancer is active again--the doctor mentioned it only a few days before his body began to spread the painful news. He has now begun treatment with an experimental drug that we pray God will use to bring him back into remission--a rarity at this stage of his illness. So we don't really know what God has ahead for us. We are living by faith in a hailstorm of uncertainty.

Our visibility is hampered in these weather conditions. It's easy to see misery and need--they are right in front of our eyes. Pain medications are increasing, and Herb is moving with greater difficulty. But to see through this storm to a future and a hope is more difficult. Through tears, we strain to see God's goodness and purpose.

How thankful we are that, long before these dark clouds gathered, the Apostle Paul prayed for our vision problem. His words are recorded in Ephesians 1:18-19: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." -

So "hope," and the "riches of Christ," and the "power of God" come as we are huddled in our corner of heartache. And we are comforted, yes, but we also gain perspective. Such perspective keeps us from blaming God for bringing this trouble to us. It keeps us from focusing on our fear of the pain. Instead it allows us to begin to praise Him for using this trouble for our good and His glory, even if we never see it on this earth. It helps us to trust His purpose in the midst.

All of this is true, and it sounds so good in the daylight when I'm writing about the realities of life as a child of God. But at midnight--and it's midnight now--it hurts to believe the truth. 'Can any of this actually be right? It just doesn't seem fair! This dear man who has been my strength shouldn't have to be suffering; he shouldn't be struggling to stand, or jerking in his sleep like this. Can this frightening disease actually be allowed in God's plan? And is God with us now in this room, surrounding and caring for us as I cry while my husband sleeps fitfully?"

Yes, He's here now.
And I find a certainty gripping me--a deep knowledge: God doesn't waste anything. Not doubts or rain; not suffering or pain.

From the suffering of His Son, He produced salvation. He leaves it to us to prove what He will create if we trust Him through our pain.

We go on finding Him in life's dark unlikely days. He still comes to light our darkness. ~

"In our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many...

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthinas 1:9-11,21-22

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." --Romans 8:18 --

Thank you, Abishag. Pain and suffering are important issues. They are indeed troubling and difficult.

I don't remember where exactly, but recently I read an insightful piece which noted that those around the world going through these difficulties are not the ones trying to twist them into "proof God does not exist". It doesn't happen. Rather these deceptions are the products of "ivory tower" types. You'll see such contentions coming from a well-to-do professor sitting in an air conditioned office; not from the impoverished mother of 3 children, one of whom just starved to death. People who are dealing directly with the issues do ask why. They should. But they don't twist things around completely backwards because they are more concerned with true answers which have meaning in reality.

You know, I should probably review my emails. That piece might've even been something you sent me! My memory is a blessing, surely, but it is below average.

-Blessings CTD!

-Baasha's Evil-God's Judgment
-By: Paul G. Humber, M.S.

". . . in the third year . . . did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the Lord . . . In the third year . . . began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah. . . . And he did evil in the sight of the Lord . . ." (I Kings 15:28-29,33-34).

Christians today are perplexed when they see evil thriving. They believe God is able to intervene but wonder why He does not (according to their preconceived notions). Like Habakkuk, they wonder how God could use evil (like Babylon) to punish "good" Christians.

We can gain some wisdom by considering today's obscure passage. Baasha acted sinfully; nevertheless the Lord caused even his evil to serve His purpose (to bring judgment on Jeroboam and his house). What is evil from man's (and even God's) perspective may also be God's sovereign judgment.

Some Americans, for example, flaunt their liberties, scorn life in the womb, and mock the God of creation, but the Bible says that "the wrath of man shall praise" Him (Psalm 76:10). God resists pride. As He can send a famine into the life of a prodigal, so He can also send judgment into the lives of the arrogant (even using arrogant others).

Among the greatest examples of interplay between men's sin and God's sovereignty came from Peter:- "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:22-23).
ICR/ PGH

-TIME TO PRAY ~
Psalm 70
--
Make haste to
help me, O LORD!--Psalm 70:1 -
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The time to pray is any time--especially when we're in crisis. Fear, worry, anxiety, and care are the most common occasions for prayer. It is when we are desolate, forsaken, and stripped of every human resource that we naturally resort to prayer. We cry out with the words of David, "Help, O LORD!" (Ps. 70:1).

John Cassian, a 5th-century Christian, wrote of this verse: "This is the terrified cry of someone who sees the snares of the enemy, the cry of someone besieged day and night and exclaiming that he cannot escape unless his Protector comes to the rescue."

May this be our simple prayer in every crisis and all day long: "Help, Lord!"

Any hour when helping others,
Or when bearing heavy care,
Is the time to call our Father,
It's the proper time for prayer.
---
--There is no place or time we cannot pray.

Yes, God is good all the time. He is available for us to call upon Him 24/7's. We never give up on the Sovereign One!

Evil happens in this fallen world. Yet God is far greater than evil! He is SOVEREIGN!

Thank you once again, CTD, for this post. Wow! It truly makes us realize how God uses/used evil and good for His purposes. Blessings!
----
-BEDLAM

Romans 12:9-21
---
Those who leave the
paths of uprightness
...rejoice in doing
evil, and delight in
the perversity of the
wicked.
--Proverbs 2:13-14 -
---
England's Imperial War Museum is housed in a buiding in London that was a former location of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, a care center for the mentally ill. The hospital was commonly known as "Bedlam," which gradually became a term used to describe scenes of chaos and madness.

It's ironic that the War Museum would occupy Bedlam's former location. As you walk through it, in addition to stories of heroism and sacrifice, you find bone-chilling accounts of the madness of man's inhumanity to man. From the exhibits about modern genocide and ethnic cleansing to the one on the Holocaust, it is evil on display.

Solomon observed mankind's prepensity for evil, describing it as those who "rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked" (Prov. 2:14). While this may describe much of the world around us, followers of Jesus have a different way to handle life. Paul challenged us: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). Christ-centered actions such as living morally (v.17), making peace (v.18), and treating our enemies with care (v.20) will affect the world for good.

If each of us were to live as a reflection of God's love, perhaps there would be a lot less bedlam.
---
A despairing world needs caring Christians.

ODB/BC

Thank you once again, CTD, for this opportunity to post regarding 'good/evil/pain/suffering'. Our God is still in control. Yet we live in a fallen world. Let's draw closer to God in midst of suffering.

-PAIN NO MORE

1 Corinthians 15:51-57
---
O Death, where
is your sting?
O Hades, where is
your victory?
--1 Corinthians 15:55
---
For a good portion of my life, I shared the perspective of those who rail against God for allowing pain. I could find no way to rationalize a world as toxic as this one.

As I visited people whose pain far exceeded my own, though, I was surprised by its effects. Suffering seemed as likely to reinforce faith as to sow doubt.

My anger about pain has melted mostly for one reason: I have come to know God. He has given me joy and love and happiness and goodness. It leaves me with faith in a Person, a faith so solid that no amount of suffering can erode it.

Where is God when it hurts? He has been there from the beginning He designed a pain system that, in the midst of a fallen world, bears His stamp. He transforms pain, using it to teach us if we allow it to turn us toward Him.

He has hurt and bled and cried and suffered. He has diqnified for all time those who suffer, by sharing their pain. But one day He will gather the armies of heaven and will unleash them against the enemies of God. The world will see one last terrifiying moment of suffering before the full victory is ushered in. Then God will create for us a new, incredible world. And pain will be no more (Rev. 19:11-22:6)~
----
Pain will either turn us against God or draw us to Him.
ODB/PY

Yes, there certainly are legitimate concerns regarding evil and suffering. That's really the essential factor in the trap.

Apologists can appear cold and unfeeling if they stick to addressing the alleged ''logical problem '' from a purely logical standpoint.

Of course logically it is absurd for the creature to second-guess his creator. The scoffers have no hope in that arena and they know it. They bluff when they claim a ''logical problem'' and then proceed to appeal to emotion, hoping to confuse, and mix in sentiments which properly should be associated with the legitimate problem.

Certainly Christians and others ask how come there is suffering and evil. But this is in the context of honestly seeking answers - not lying and claiming God doesn't exist. It's an entirely different context. The objective of my response is to show the sham argument for exactly what it is, a disingenuous and deceitful attempt to drive a wedge between sinners and the loving savior, our Living God.

Thank you, CTD. Yes and Amen! Thank you for always being ready to give an answer of the hope you/we Christians have in Jesus, the Creator of the universe. God bless you!

-Mockers--Ancient and Modern

"But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews." (Nehemiah 4:1)

The art of mocking God and His people has changed little through the ages. The pagan enemies that surrounded the Jews as they were trying to rebuild Jerusalem 400 years before Christ, tried various means to defeat them--essentially the same devices used by God's enemies today.

They tried political and sociological means, after their efforts at infiltration failed, but these also failed (see Ezra 5:6, 17; 6:6-7; 9:1; 10:11-12). Then, when Nehemiah actually began work on the city's wall, they tried discouragement by ridicule (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:1-3), by threat of violence (4:7-8), and by attempted treachery (6:2).

Likewise, the enemies of God's Word and God's plan today are trying all these devices in a modern format. They use political means (such as the ACLU), compromising infiltration (liberal teachers in once-sound Christian schools), and even persecution (as in communist countries).

The strategy of "mocking" is often especially effective against Christians in education, science, or other professional fields. Such people place a high premium on peer recognition, and thus are sensitive to snide remarks about the Bible. Thus when, in the words of 2 Peter 3:4, latter-day scoffers come saying: "Where is the promise of his coming? . . . all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (which is essentially a denial of God and creation), there is great pressure to tacitly agree with the scoffers, and many Christians will seek some compromise.

But Nehemiah did not compromise, and neither should we. The Bible says that those who ridicule God's Word are "willingly ignorant" (2 Peter 3:5), and there is no need to pander to willful ignorance of God's invulnerable truth.
--HMM

-God's Perspective on War
-ROMANS 13:1-4

War is a very controversial subject in both the world and the church. Considering the broad spectrum of views and opinions, those who follow Christ would do well to search the Scriptures and ask, What does the Lord think about war?

In order to gain a proper understanding, we must first consider the condition of our fallen world. War is a natural consequence of sin. Some conflicts are fueled by evil intentions and desires, but others are a battle between right and wrong. God hates bloodshed, but if evil is not forcefully resisted, the wicked will prevail.

The Lord established government as a means of promoting good and restraining evil. National authority comes directly from Him. But some rulers abuse this authority and act wickedly, making war unavoidable. When evil men attack, a refusal to fight is an abdication of a government's responsibility to protect the innocent and avenge wrong.

The Old Testament offers ample evidence that God sometimes uses war to achieve His purposes. He commanded the Israelites to fight for possession of the land He'd promised them and to kill the inhabitants, who were extremely evil (Deut. 20:1, 17-18). He also used war to judge and punish wicked nations (Jer. 25:12-14) and even to discipline His own people (Jer. 5:15-17).

As you think about this difficult subject, remember that God's goal is the destruction of wickedness, not people.

In the final battle, Jesus will defeat sin and death, wars will cease, and righteousness will reign (Rev. 19:11-16). Until that day, we are left on earth to do our part in overcoming evil.

--In Touch

In the final battle, Jesus will defeat sin and death, wars will cease, and righteousness will reign (Rev. 19:11-16).
Until that day, we are left on earth to do our part in overcoming evil.
Amen!