Christians' Beliefs About the Origins of Good and Evil

Furthermore Christians believe that evil creatures are fallen, originally good creatures created by God. Satan (or the devil) is the embodiment or 'personification' of evil, the great enemy of God, the opposser of all that is good and the promoter of all that is evil (Matthew 5:37). Satan is wicked, a liar, deceitful, arrogant, cruel a... ... middle of paper ... ...t God's fault. Some Christians believe that all evil is work of the Devil. In addition I believe the statement "If God really loved humanity we would never have to suffer."

The Power of Good and the Power of Evil According to Christian Belief Most Christians believe that the devil, or Satan, is the power of evil and that God is the power of good. Satan is an ancient Middle Eastern word meaning "an accuser". Satan appears at various times through the Bible as the opposite to God. Satan, in the form of a snake, tempts Adam and Eve to eat the apple and so disobey God. Satan also tests Job and even tempts Jesus to abandon his ministry (but is unsuccessful).

Since evil exists, how can God be both omnipotent and loving? The Christian Science answer to this question is that evil is an illusion of the human mind. The Judaic/Christian faiths do not hold to this theory. The Bible is full of descriptions of good and evil in human life. Evil is pictured as dark and ugly.

In other words, the opposite of God is the absence of God. One proponent for dualism was the Gnostics. This group promoted the concept of dualism by stating that reality is broken down into two “equal and opposite forces of good and evil”. In addition, the Gnostics used the... ... middle of paper ... ...ood v. evil, light v. dark, basically God v. Satan. However in every battle, the humans are merely pawns between these two forces.

Traditionally, the Devil is of a red colour, with horns and forked tail. Some people say wherever there is suffering in the world or people choose to do wrong, it is because of the power of Satan, causing tragedy or encouraging evil in people. It is also believed that the Devil is more a supernatural evil force (Esphesians 6:10 - 13.) Some Christians also say that Adam and Eve brought evil into the world, when they disobeyed God. This is called 'the Fall', and is a myth and a powerful metaphor for what happens when people turn away from God.

The choice being a choice between what is good and what is evil, the choice between God and Satan. Because God is loving, just, and caring, He allows a place for evil on earth to test his creation’s obedience and allegiance to Him. But, for Milton to hypothesis that Satan is a hero for being the fallen angel, is a mere overshoot and over-glorification of something that is evil, sinful and demonic. Satan is not the hero of anything, but in a way is a necessary component of the plan that God had for his creation, mankind. For without the temptations of Satan, there would be no need for Christ to come to earth as a man and sacrifice himself on a cross to save us from the fiery pits of Hell.

According to Augustine, there is no such thing as evil. It is simply the privation of good. In Augustine’s book, On Free Choice of the Will, he talks through Evodius, who presents God as one with absolute goodness. Everything that He created is good; therefore, humanity as body and soul combined is good (Augustine). Evodius holds the position: “The existence of a good, all knowing (omniscient), and all-powerful (omnipotent) God is contradicted by our experience of evil in the world.

Evil’s origin begins with Adam and Eve using their special gift, free will, to commit the first sin. They sinned because they were tempted from the free will to choose between following or disobeying God’s orders. Paradise Lost is an epic written by John Milton that describes the fallen angel Satan and the fall of man. The Grand Inquisitor by Fyodor Dostoevsky is about an archbishop who talks with Jesus and wants to burn him as a heretic. Paradise Lost and The Grand Inquisitor both discuss free will and the stories of two benevolent characters that use their free will to choose evil.

Describe what Christians may believe about the power of good and the power of evil The Christian God is believed to be both loving and omnipotent. Christianity teaches that as well as a power of good there is also a power of evil - traditionally this is said to be Satan (or Lucifer), one of the archangels who disobeyed God and was sent to hell (Luke 10:18). Christians believe that the power of evil, almost like a force, can persuade people to do the wrong thing. They also believe that it is up to the individual person to make the right choice and to follow God’s teachings, as God will judge us on how we lived our lives, and whether or not we lived good lives. The Old Testament teachings on the power of good and evil are based predominantly on the story of Adam and Eve.

(LPE5) Therefore, Christian theism is false (Merchant, 78).” The standard logical problem of evil brings God’s omnipotence into question, yet atheists have modified the logical problem of evil so that it also brings into question God’s omnibenevolence and even His omniscience. The modified logical problem of evil is as followed: “(LPE1) According to Christian theism, God is perfectly good and, thus, wills to prevent evil. (LPE6) According to Christian theism, God is all-knowing and, thus, foreknew that evil would exist. (LPE7) Therefore, according to Christian theism, God wouldn’t freely create this world. (LPE8) But, according to Christian theism, God freely created this world.