Essay on Evil in The Holy Bible -- Holy Bible Essays

The Purpose of Evil in the Bible God looked at everything He had made, and it was very cheeseparing (Genesis 131) Five times in Genesis 1, God looks at that which He has created, and pronounces it good. Then on the sixth day He creates Man, and says that His creation is now very good. Gods authority of His creation, which would be everything around us and includes ourselves, as very good is hard to reconcile with that which we see on a daily basis -- a truthfulness in which we experience much pain and cruelty from man and nature. These negative experiences we call grievous. Evil, in this sense, is a very broad term, and needs to be defined. In general terms, evil is that which works against the life-giving power of God, and seeks to thwart Gods will. In the Bible, the term evil is used to describe anything that brings sorrow, distress, calamity, and moral wrong-doing. In to a greater extent modern times, evil has been associated with warfare, especially chemical and nuclear wa rfare, as well as problems associated with over-population, racism, ecological destruction, and worldwide disease. Indeed, evil is so much a crock up of our lives, the very term seems to have lost meaning. It is not uncommon in public debates to hear one side associate the other with evil, casually placing their opponents on the side of Satan and destruction. So, what did God mean when He said that His creation was very good? Did He simply mean that He was finished, and that evil was an intentional part of His design? Or did evil come afterward, suggesting that it was beyond His control? This is a vexing question to those of faith, especially in the Judeo-Christian faith, who believe in an all-powerful, loving God. If God is good and lo... ...gardless of my worth to God, I know I will fall. If I choose to do wrong, I know that the responsibility is mine. If I catch a disease, I would not blame God, or ask why he chose me to suffer. If I am to accept all the possible good aspects of being a thinking, reasoning human being with freedom of will, I have to accept the fact that I live in an existence where evil can happen. Works Cited Dobson, James C. (1993). When God Doesnt Make Sense. Illinois Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Green, Joel B., & Longman, Tremper (Eds.). (1996). Holy Bible -- The Everday Study Edition. Dallas Word Publishing. Hick, John H. (1990). Philosophy of Religion. New Jersey scholar Hall. Kushner, Harold S. (1981). When Bad Things Happen To Good People. New York Avon books. McFague, Sallie. (1987). Models of God. Philadelphia Fortress Press.