No-Win Situation: Evil and Suffering

Is God good or evil? If God is all-loving, why does evil exist? Why allow people to suffer before His very own eyes? These are extremely common questions people ask in their daily lives. In recent months, the number of terror incidents has gradually been increasing. In April, there was a report of at least 20 children being killed in South Africa after a bus crash. Consequently, people are suffering. For both of the scenarios below, we will be considering the existence of God to be 'true'.

Scenario 1:

God = omnipotent, benevolent and omniscient.

He could easily stop evil and suffering in this world by intervening, and by reacting to the situation.

If God does not intervene, he is branded evil and is now a being who allows people to suffer.

Ultimately, we strip God of his 'benevolent' and 'omnipotent' titles.

Scenario 2:

God = omnipotent, benevolent and omniscient.

He stops the evil and suffering in this world by intervening, and by reacting to the situation.

What happens to our free-will? Our autonomy? The natural order of the world?

At this point, we ultimately argue that God stripped us of our right to free-will and autonomy.

Evidently, it is a lose-lose situation. Logically speaking, without pain and suffering, we would not appreciate happiness. We would not even be aware of what happiness is without having experienced suffering first. For instance, how does one know if they enjoy the taste of marmite? First, you must taste it. Your senses will automatically note whether you like the taste of marmite or not, just like their slogan 'you either love it or hate it!' Similarly, without experiencing pain, we would not be able to appreciate the true nature of our happiness.