Albert Einstein has been accredited with proving that evil doesn't exist by comparing it with cold - the absence of heat and darkness - the absence of light therefore evil only exist via the absence of God . This is how the alleged story goes:
Does evil exist?
The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!"
"God created everything? The professor asked.
"Yes sir", the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?"
"Of course", replied the professor.
The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.
The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
The professor sat down.
The young man's name — Albert Einstein.
First of all, according to Snopes.com, Mr. Einstein never had this encounter with this professor, his name was “dropped” to give the story credibility. Yet right-wing christians have added this lie to their repertoire in, yet another, vain attempt to gain credibility. However from my POV it has backfired. Spreading a false story reeks of desperation and gullibility.
Nonetheless it raises an interesting question, Does evil exist and if so did God create it?
Does evil exist and if so did God create it?
First a little background. I m not a christian, at this point in my life I consider myself a skeptic - I am questioning everything I was taught growing up in Fundamental Pentecostal preachers home, which is to say I was raised in a very strict, extremely dysfunctional home.
Nevertheless I was raised to believe that the Bible was the infallible, inspired Word of God, that it not only contained the Truth but was the Truth and was the only source for Truth and was to be lived by, without exception.
For purposes of these writings I am going to suspend my skepticism that the Bible is God’s infallible Word and that it not only is God’s own Truth but is the truth about God.
This means I am writing as if every story, every parable, and every teaching is True, further I am taking them at face value. Please forgive me if I ramble, forgive me if I rage, forgive me if I am offensive.
I am not a scholar, a philosopher, or a theologian. I am in no way “called of god”, “lead of the holy spirit”, or otherwise claim any non-human inspiration( well other than the Bible, if it is inspired of God that is). Frankly my “inspiration” comes from right-wing christian fanatics who have a highly overrated sense of morality and are compelled by their narcissism(and gullibility) to impose them on others.
However, it should come as no surprise that the followers of a deity that demands to be praised and worshiped despite the atrocities he has committed over the centuries are narcissistic.
Which brings me to my original question, Does evil exist and did God create it? So here is my Point of View(POV) on the matter. The short answer, Yes and Yes.
According to Revelations 4:11(NKJV) :“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
Hmm, all things , by HIS WILL they exist. This is why I don’t buy the “evil is the absence of God” theory. His own Word states that he created all things, IMO that includes evil. From my POV God did more that create evil HE perpetuates it, allows it, overlooks it, condones it, and has committed acts of evil and continues to do so. Evil exists by his will, in fact, the KJV of Rev. 4:11 states ‘all things were created for his pleasure!’(see also John 1:1-3)
Let that sink in. It is in the Bible.
Bottom line, God has a dark side. He does not try and hide it. In fact, He went out of His way to make sure his prophets, kings, judges and patriarchs recorded every demented act of evil. Acts of mass murder, Genocide, infanticide, and other violations of our basic human right - Life.
Some argue that God is God and as such has the right to “wipe us off the face of the earth” They even admit that God has intentionally killed many because God never does anything by accident. Before that admission, however, they split hairs by attempting to differentiate between the use of the word kill in the sixth commandment “Thou Shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13 KJV) and murder. In their own words: “However, the word kill is a translation of the Hebrew word ratsach, which nearly always refers to intentional killing without cause. The correct rendering of this word is “murder,” and all modern translations render the command as “You shall not murder.” The Bible in Basic English best conveys its meaning: “Do not put anyone to death without cause.”
They go on to argue that God has cause, but do they cite external works and writings? Of course not, they cite God's own Word, in some cases, word for word. Really? Thats like Frank writing a thesis and citing his own works as proof. Last I checked that is unacceptable in any reputable literary circles that I have ever heard of.
IMO, the whole “God is Sovereign” is a load of BS anyway. It seems any time christians cannot come up with proof or in the face of proof they always fall back on that tired old line.
The folks over at Got Questions Ministries go on to explain that God is justified in wiping out whole cities and nations because every man, woman, child and animal were “wicked”. Um, explain to me how an unborn child is wicked? A breastfeeding infant? A cow, a sheep? I advise caution the next time you pass through a cow pasture, for surely they are wicked and desire your destruction!
Simply put a “wicked” person(or creature) is anyone who chooses to live their life free of the ”mighty terrible one”A.K.A God. These “wicked” ones will be destroyed(more on this later).
God’s ultimatum: Serve Me or die. All the good things said about God are reserved for those that serve him, for those that “bless and praise His name forever and ever.” Those that do not serve him will suffer the wrath of an angry and vengeful God, who because he is God our ‘creator’ has the right and just cause to do so(sic). HItler thought that he had “just cause’ Al Qaeda, ISIS feel that they have ‘just cause’. in fact most homicidal psychopaths sincerely believe that their cause is ‘just’.
Yet most Americans would not build shrines or temples to Hitler or the like and gather at least once a week to praise and worship them. Most are not hell bent on converting others into Nazis or radical Islamist. Yet hundreds of thousands of people gather every week in buildings dedicated to God to worship and praise him. Psalms 145 is a great example of this it also bears out that God will preserve those that love him but will destroy the wicked(vs. 20).
My conclusion, Does evil exist due to an absence of God?No, Evil exists and it’s because of God.
My conclusion, Does evil exist due to an absence of God?No, Evil exists and it’s because of God.
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