Have you ever heard the trilemma posed by Epicurus:
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
It seems pretty rational at face value doesn't it. However if we read Proverbs 18:17 then we should examine him
"The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him"
Let's take this piece by piece. The format of each of these is a question (A), a qualifier (B) and a conclusion (C) as exemplified
“Is God willing to prevent evil (A), but not able?(B) Then he is not omnipotent. (C)"
(A)Is God willing to prevent evil- Yes.
(B) Is He unable to prevent evil- No, He IS able
(C) The conclusion that He is not omnipotent is then false.
"(A)Is he able, (B) but not willing? (C) Then he is malevolent."
(A) Is He able- Yes
(B) but not willing- That depends on how evil is being used for greater good
(C) Then He is malevolent- False. This is to state that evil is without purpose. Evil is a byproduct of freewill, and something that we chose rather than God gave us.
"(A) Is he both able and (B) willing? Then whence cometh evil?(C) "
(A) He is able
(B) He is willing
(C) Evil comes from man, not God.
God made the world and everything in it, Mankind included. He made everything in a state of perfection. We were in paradise with no sin, no war, no suffering. God made everything and everything was Good. Now, we as Mankind took it upon ourselves to think that we could be as God and have our eyes opened and we get to define what is and is not good and evil- and we rejected God, His word, Paradise, and goodness. We began the war with God.
If God were to eradicate all of evil, He must do away with the source that allowed it into a good world to begin with- Mankind. He would have to completely destroy humanity. God, not out of malevolence, not out of evil, but immense grace and compassion to a people whom He loves and is patient with, has allowed evil for a time
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.-2 Peter 3:9
A loving and compassionate God that has allowed for a time mankind to taste of how disgusting and how awful evil is - because we chose it- and has stated that if we choose to lay down arms and stop our feeble rebellion against Him and what He deems as good, He will redeem us. That is the farthest thing from malevolence. For God to say that He'll forgive us for our continually petulant offenses to both Him and all the goodness He has given us. Romans 3 testifies to the ingratitude to God which is at the core of the question of "Then whence cometh evil? "
as it is written: “There is no righteous person, not even one; There is no one who understands, There is no one who seeks out God; They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The venom of asps is under their lips”; “Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And they have not known the way of peace.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
There are still today that will look at starving people and curse God, but they will not feed those starving people as God commanded them to. There are people that will look at homeless people and they will blame God, but they will make no effort to alleviate the homeless from their predicament. Evil exists, and continues to exist because mankind has allowed, and continues to allow it. There are many Atheist's that dogmatically and viscerally attack God and that which is good but they condemn Him as evil for their own perpetuation of evil.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride, arrogance, the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate. - Proverbs 8:13
God would be fully justified in wiping out all of humanity away that has spat in His face and said, "I understand everything created by you and for you, better than you". That is the real assertion of the core of the argument. It is to day "If God were God, why would God not do things based on my standard- of which I do not even do them myself". Even the question supposed are stealing from God as, without God what is the standard of morality in which one can even gage both good and evil? If one gages them based off a morally subjective state, then they have no standing to accuse God.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.- Genesis 50:20
"(A) Is he neither able (B) nor willing? Then why call him God?(C)
(A) As presented He is Able (B) and willing, and He is God (C)
The conclusion is that God is good. Man is not.
