Were is god when there is so much evil in the world?

Question

Were is god when there is so much evil in the world?

Answer 1

God is where he always is.

Answer 2

To answer the question we need to understand that God does, in fact, weep over every sparrow and grieve over every evil and every suffering. Jesus is with us in all of our suffering, feeling all of our pain. That's what compassion means, to suffer with another. God could eliminate all evil. However genuine love cannot exist unless freely given through free choice and will and thus man was given the choice to accept God’s love or to reject it ... choose 'good' or 'evil.'

Evil (at least in my book) is rebelling against God. And if God didn't give us the choice to rebel against Him, we wouldn't have much in the way of free will. We'd be able to take our pick of Good (and, therefore, we'd be following God's will (which is, be Good), which is what He wants us to do). Ooh. Big whoop. No real choice there. It's like saying, "You're gonna get executed. But take your pick as to how you wish it done!" It doesn't matter what you do, you still end up dying. The same applies here. If all of your options are good, (in accordance with God's will), then it doesn't matter what you choose.

God knew the consequences of giving us free will, and He obviously found them acceptable, probably because love due to free will is a far greater thing than love on command. To rob humanity of mind, the source of all human dignity, would be an evil which makes the sum total of all the atrocities humanity has ever committed look positively benevolent by comparison. Simply going back to retcon the decision has the same basic effect.

So the only way for God to eradicate all evil (at least, in the quick-fix manner which most people who make this argument seem to want to happen), now that the proverbial genie is out of the bottle, would be to do something far, far more evil than anything which has ever been done: the mass dehumanization of some six billion people, plus all their descendants. If God is truly omnibenevolent, then this is not acceptable.

Answer 3

Well, if you believe that we are created by/from God than he is right in "here" with us. Fortunately we are steadily making progress against evils such as child slavery, and murdering everyone who frustrates our personal ambitions. And we are making progress on equal rights and opportunities that comes with personal liberty.

Its a long way from perfect, but such evils as these are much less common now than they ever were.

The following is one of my favourite passages by inspired author and teacher JJ Dewey. Its simple and effective.

"The basic difference between good and evil is this:

Good is that which takes us forward on the path of Spiritual evolution toward greater freedom, livingness, intelligence, light and love.

Evil is that which takes us back into the past to lesser freedom, lesser livingness, lesser intelligence, light and love.

Evil is the reverse reflection of good, corresponding to the fact that "evil" is "live" reflected in reverse.

Hitler was evil because he wanted to take us back into an age of the Kingdoms where the right of the king or dictator was more important than the good of the individual and the whole. Churchill was good because he sought to move us into greater freedom where the individual could work for the good of the whole according to his or her own decisions."

Answer 4

Assume that god exists and created the universe, including evil things.  God is all-powerful and all-knowing.  God lets the evil things happen, from a lion killing the cubs of a lioness so he can breed with her, to tanks rolling over children.

Since god can do anything he wants, these things must be OK with him.

So if god exists, then he does nothing by choice.

The answer which makes more sense, however, is just that the universe is like that.  There is no god.  And if there is, then he's not taking any interest in our affairs whatsoever, in any way which we can detect.

It was put very well over two thsouand years ago:

"Is [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?"-Epicurus.

Answer 5

Having a cup of Tea.

Oh, and trying to stop the fabric of the universe from being unravelled by his "almighty design".

Answer 6

How would you know there was evil unless God told you so?

Don't heed the advice of chatroom scholars. Each of us only have a small piece of the truth. Try to understand his message. And then you can understand why evil is allowed to persist. The curse began in Genesis.

Answer 7

In your head

Answer 8

probably taking a nap  

Answer 9

God, this is the easiest question ever.

Let's start by assuming there is a God that created everything. For whatever reason, he gave his creations on earth a free will that his angels could never know and set them lose. This "free will" supposes that we have the choice between right and wrong, and will be rewarded or punished according to our choices.

Now, many years later, God looks down and sees many of his creations making bad choices. Doing drugs, killing others, kicking puppies, ect. But he knows that if he divinely intervenes then that would be taking away these people's free will. How are we "free" to make our own choices if we know that God has the power to literally smite us down or change history so our choice never happened, even if it's for the "better"?

So, by that train of thought, the best God can do is punish us in the afterlife. And then you get into ideas of Heaven and h**l, and I don't feel like going into that right now.

Also, there's a much simpler answer to this one that really has nothing to do with religion:

Without evil, there can be no good.

Easiest question ever.  

Answer 10

Where is God?  Wondering why more humans don't pitch in a hand in stopping evil in the world.

Answer 11

I thought things were going pretty well.

I see a lotta good around me.

I guess it's all in the way you perceive it.  

Answer 12

Meaning, if God can stop evil, why doesn't he?

Ok, if God has to stop evil actions, he must also stop evil speech.

If he stops evil speech, he must stop evil thoughts.

So, what do we have left? Robots.

Thats the short answer. Free Will.

What about his SENSE OF JUSTICE?

Okay, in your whole life, have you done anything evil or bad?

telling a lie? stealing? Jesus even said lusting= adultery in your heart. He also said that hating someone makes you a murderer in his eyes.

If that is how a totally pure being sees evil. Then we would all be evildoers in his sight.

So what do you suggest he does?

1. He annhialates us all.

2. He forgives us and tells us to change.

2= is what he did for us when he sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.

We comitted the crimes and Jesus took the death penalty for us.

So Jesus said,  love God and Love your neighbors.

That still hasn't stopped the evil people right? We do want evil to stop... So when?

Well thats what Jesus is going to do next. Jesus will come back one day and finally judge everyone. EVEN CHRISTIANS.

But those who accept his sacrifice will be freed, since their sins are paid for.

Those who are too proud to admt that they cant save themselves.

Well.... They wont be able to save themselves.

God does have to go by the rules that he makes. Thats part of his justice.

The payment for sin is death, but which death was he talking about.

h**l is the second death.

This death is what Jesus saved us from. IF you accept him.

everything else is just details