Omnipresent God of light(Good) in a world filled with darkness(Evil).

[Bagger_Vance]

I have heard often that evil is nothing but the absence of good. Much like cold is just absence of heat or dark is the absence of light. If that is so and God is omnipresent and Good then nowhere in this universe could there be a place absent of God/Good/Light/Heat. Light and dark can't coexist. It can't be both light and dark at the same time. You can't be blazingly hot and bone chillingly cold at the same time. So if a good God is everywhere and Evil is simply the absence of Good then how does Evil exist at all? It would seem that it has to be in his/her/its nature.

[ApologiaPhoenix]

I have heard often that evil is nothing but the absence of good. Much like cold is just absence of heat or dark is the absence of light. If that is so and God is omnipresent and Good then nowhere in this universe could there be a place absent of God/Good/Light/Heat. Light and dark can't coexist. It can't be both light and dark at the same time. You can't be blazingly hot and bone chillingly cold at the same time. So if a good God is everywhere and Evil is simply the absence of Good then how does Evil exist at all? It would seem that it has to be in his/her/its nature.

Sigh. Looks like it's the same thing again.

First off, God is omnipresent but that does not mean that God is spatial. God is not made of matter that goes throughout the whole universe. Thus, where sin is present, it is where God's relational presence is denied.

So why does evil exist? Because of us. We have free will in the Christian paradigm. God doesn't cause the evil but allows it and for a good reason, even if we don't understand it!

[Cynic Sage]

Isn't there also the school of thought that Evil is not necessarilly a polar oppisite of Good, but a corruption of Good?

[Bagger_Vance]

Sigh. Looks like it's the same thing again.

First off, God is omnipresent but that does not mean that God is spatial. God is not made of matter that goes throughout the whole universe. Thus, where sin is present, it is where God's relational presence is denied.

So he is not everywhere? You can "cast out" God for instance?

So why does evil exist? Because of us. We have free will in the Christian paradigm. God doesn't cause the evil but allows it and for a good reason, even if we don't understand it!

Blind faith.

[shunyadragon]

I have heard often that evil is nothing but the absence of good. Much like cold is just absence of heat or dark is the absence of light. If that is so and God is omnipresent and Good then nowhere in this universe could there be a place absent of God/Good/Light/Heat. Light and dark can't coexist. It can't be both light and dark at the same time. You can't be blazingly hot and bone chillingly cold at the same time. So if a good God is everywhere and Evil is simply the absence of Good then how does Evil exist at all? It would seem that it has to be in his/her/its nature.

Christians generally will not agree with you that evil is simply the absence of good, and from the Baha'i or Buddhist perspective this would not be a good comparison either. It would be a more humanist materialistic karmic view of the nature of existence.

I would contend that the nature of creation has attributes like light and dark, heat and cold, and we experience these attributes in our journey and interpret them. Much of what appears to be evil from the human perspective is essentially natural attributes of the nature of existence as created. Example, the storm may appear chaotic and violent, but the the course of each rain drop is to join the sea. The human journey may appear chaotic and violent at times, but the ultimate course of each individual is to join the sea.

All of existence as we know it consists of evolving cycles of birth, life, and death. Humans often view this suffering as evil and try and fix it, but in reality this worldview creates more suffering, when humans make vain attempts to fix what cannot be fixed. Suffering created by human selfish motives is what I consider as true evil.

[Richbee]

I have heard often that evil is nothing but the absence of good.

Another Strawman argument? This is a Humanistic POV.

[ApologiaPhoenix]

So he is not everywhere? You can "cast out" God for instance?

Sorry Bagger. You don't know the difference between transcendence and imminence. The answer is the same as to why when I take a step, I'm not stepping on God.

Blind faith.

No. Blind faith is the area of the naturalist that says "Laws of logic and objective morality exist, but we can't explain them!"

Instead, I am deailng with a person. If a person shows himself to be trustworthy, then I will give him my trust. Because of the resurrection, God is trustworthy. The ultimate answer to evil is Christ. Christ took on himself the sins of the world, all the evil that I've ever done, and is with me in my transgressions and suffering. That is the answer. What is the naturalistic answer?

[Ruth]

God doesn't cause the evil but allows it and for a good reason, even if we don't understand it!

The xian god said he created evil.

[ApologiaPhoenix]

The xian god said he created evil.

Two questions:

Are you familiar with the meaning of the Hebrew word "ra"

Are you familiar with the concept of Hebrew parallelism in poetry?

[Bagger_Vance]

Another Strawman argument? This is a Humanistic POV.

Talk to jason about that one. His whole contention is that evil is only the absence of good.

[Constantine]

Evil is not a "thing". Evil is a description of things. Therefore evil does not really "exist" as its own entity but rather it is something that is expressed through bad happenings.

Sorry Bagger. You don't know the difference between transcendence and imminence. The answer is the same as to why when I take a step, I'm not stepping on God.

I also don't know the difference. Could you enlighten me?

No. Blind faith is the area of the naturalist that says "Laws of logic and objective morality exist, but we can't explain them!"

You and I cannot explain gravity nor can we explain why there is a God. If an atheist or agnostic say that logic and morality exist and admit they don't know where it came from isn't that just being honest? They could just as well say that your theistic view on logic and morality is nothing more than a "goddidit" excuse.

Not to mention that I think a great deal of non-believers would say they do have a way of explaining them.