ON THE QUESTION OF GOD & THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

2017

Evil is the opposite of good. This phenomenon has unleashed serious threat to human existence. The problem is that it is difficult to understand and even to deal with. Evil is a subject that has defied solution politically, socially or religiously. This paper examined the issue of the origin, effect and ways of dealing with evil for a better society. The research adopted the historical and literary methods of research. Various views are examined. Findings affirmed that God created evil as well as good. However, this view challenged the omnipotence and the goodness of God. The research identified bloodshed, corruption, demonic activities, human trafficking, child abuse and child dumping/abuse and many others as social vices associated with evil. This research recommends that man should learn to live with it, overcome it with good, while religious groups should lead in the campaign to end evil and/or reduce its effect on society.

The present study aims to analyze the relationship between God and the problem of evil from the perspective of inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary methodology. After a brief introduction in which the ontological, social, economic or political implications of evil are shown, follows a historical excursion of the idea of divinity, both in its religious and philosophical sense. Chapter God and the model of realities presents the experimental research on the divine entities, made by Charles Tart and Stanislav Grof on subjects in psychedelic-induced states of consciousness. The second part of the study focuses on the problem of evil. Thus the following issues are addressed: the problem of evil in the history of religions, the problem of evil in patristic literature, the problem of evil in philosophy, the theodicy process and theodicy as quidistic discourse.

Review of Ecumenical Studies, 2024

This second issue (Religion and the Problem of Evil II) compiles studies that examine themes from modern and contemporary viewpoints. Here, the authors open the dialogue beyond the main theological discussions concerning the nature of evil, particularly from more philosophical perspectives. https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/ress-2024-0015

Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions

The evidence of human wickedness in the world is so transparent that no rational person can dispute its reality. This paper approaches the question of the human person from an African philosophical perspective and explores the relation between the apparently free-acting human being and God conceived as the creator of the world and the ultimate cause of the human being. The paper will proffer answers to the following question: to what extent can the human being be absolved of blame for the evil they perpetrate in a world conceived in African traditional religion and thought as the creation of a high deity who could have foreseen the negative bent of human nature and should have made human nature inclined to goodness all of the time? The paper will make novel contributions to the debate about human nature in African philosophical discourse by recasting the human being as a homo melancholicus, or melancholy being, whose evil inclination in the world can best be understood in the ...

Verbum, 2014

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. "Throughout the history of mankind countless theologians, scholars, and philosophers have grappled with the concept of evil, the existence of God, and if God exists, whether He is omnipotent and representative of infinite goodness. Ever since the first human being gazed up to the heavens and contemplated the origins of natural phenomenon or the reasons dreadful things happen to good people, humanity has engaged in a continuous debate over evil and its relationship to God's existence and whether He embodies boundless righteousness or tempered vengeance. Numerous scholars and philosophers such as J.S. Mill have argued that the presence of evil within the natural world offers a rational basis to conclude that it isn't necessary to infer that a being of infinite goodness is at the root of their cause. Others such as St. Thomas Aquinas contend that the existence of evil within our world doesn't present a dilemma or contradict the idea or concept of an omnibenevolent being or God as its source.

The problem of evil is of universal concern to humankind. Various attempts have been made to account for it in Western philosophy as well as in world religions such as Christianity, Islam and African traditional religion. This article examines the Yoruba existentialist attitude to the problem of evil. Using the Yoruba oral tradition, it posits that for the Yoruba evil is the creation of each individual, so that God cannot be blamed for its existence. I conclude the article with my own personal view that given the individual as a carrier of evil seed, the best existential outlook is to be ready to face, with stoic courage, whatever life brings one's way.

2019

The continuous experiences of evil by Christians and non-Christians are gradually affecting negatively the cordial relationship between God and His children. Many are said to be clamoring for self-help and protection from other sources, thus questioning the sovereignty of God. This paper argues for a theological reflection on the sovereignty of God about the problem of evil. It concluded with the assertion that the reality and experiences of evil must never be allowed by Christians to downplay their trust and confidence in the sovereignty of God.