Is God the author of Evil?
820165
Isaiah 45:7\nI form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.\n\nFrom your own Bible, Christians.\n\nI dare you to pull the "out of context" card on me.
544058
if god is perfect, how could he create evil?  evil is an imperfection, a perfect being could not create something imperfect.
625041
I think no god will arrange and furthermore enjoy the killing of people.\nI think the god you are talking about is the one from the \nbible.   THAT GOD IS MADE UP  by the ones who wrote that book.\nIt is impossible that a god can can be so twisted !\nOr maybe the bible is a book about the devil....what do you think?!
401871
No.  Morality CANNOT be based on God.  Does God command certain things should be done simply on a whim or does he command certain things are good or bad because they ARE good or bad?  If God commanded that it was good to go out and kill people would it be good?  Heck no!  Killing would still be bad.  Thus, good and bad cannot be based on God because God must use some kind of rationale to determine what is good and bad.  Why do we need God to figure this out?  It is perfectly logical that it is not a good thing to kill other people, so we do not need God to tell us that or determine any other moral questions.\n\nUse your mind.  It's much better than mindlessly following the bible like a sheep.
470843
The book of Job suggests that Satan was created by God. He was the greatest of the Angels, and his pride caused him to rebel against God (very similar to the Adam and Eve Story).\nEvil is the result of the brokeness of creation. When God created he looked and it was good. The consequences of human rebellion against God lead to suffering and death.\n\nSo you would be right to thing that God created all things but not that he created evil. The next question however is if God knew that evil would happen why did he still create?
1070249
"If God is good and all-powerful, why does evil exist in this world?"\n\nTime to bust out the big words:  Theodicy.\n\nTheodicy:  "an explanation for the presence of evil and suffering that is consistent with the nature and character of God."\n\nBoy, I'm not sure where to start.  There's so many points to make and I'm not sure how to organize my thoughts....but here goes nothing.  This is my theodicy:\n---------------------------------------------------------\nFirst, let's start by defining "evil."  Evil is not a force or a created thing, so it would be faulty to use the circular logic that either God created evil (meaning God isn't good) or that God isn't the Creator of everything (since He didn't create evil).\n\nEvil is the absence of good, much like rust on a car.  God, by giving us free will, allowed us to "create" evil by choosing against Him.  For, if God is good, then to choose against Him would by evil and the consequences would be death (since God gives life).  Just as darkness is the absence of light, so evil is the absence of good.\n\nSometimes evil is the perversion of good.  Cancer is a good non-moral example.  It's a harmful mutation of otherwise healthy cells.  Whether evil twists good or flat-out rejects it, the results are the same.\n\nEvil is not God's fault.  He created only good and we distorted it, which is evil.\n\nEnough on this topic.  I'm leaving a few loose ends and there's much more to say on this, but I would be getting off track.\n\nSecond, let's point out a major implication of the question.  Anyone who asks our topic question for today is demonstrating the influence of Christianity on western thinking.  Hindus don't ask this question.  Animists don't grapple with it.  To them, the gods themselves are evil and corrupt and evil is to be an expected, embraced part of this world.  Suck it up and live with it.  It's the ying and the yang.  The Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force.  It's still the same Force.\n\nBut by asking the question, you are saying that there is a definite "evil" in this world that can be defined and identified.  There's something wrong and not right.  There is injustice.  And you presume that whoever this God fellow is, it's supposed to be His job to oppose this stuff and He's doing a lousy job.\n\nThis is a Christian worldview:  that evil is not normal and should be opposed.  The Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc. are Christian influences in our society.  There is something in us as human beings that desires to fight injustice, help the suffering, etc.  This would make sense if we are made in God's image... but I'm getting off track again.  Let's move to the third point.\n\nThe question is usually vague and impersonal.  What I mean is that people who ask this question usually have in mind for God to go over and fix that mess in Iraq, or do something about sweat shops and child labor in China.  Why doesn't He oppose child pornography, or hold to account genocide in Africa?\n\nBut they don't want God to interfere with the sin and evil in their own hearts and lives.\n\nSee, for God to come in judgment, He would have to be fully just and judge all...  and this brings me to my final point.\n\nThe question neglects another key element of God's character.  Yes, He is good.  Yes, He is omnipotent.  But He is also merciful.  This may seem like a contradiction (i.e., why would He then allow suffering?), but let me explain.\n\nGod holds back His judgment with patient love in order to give us time to repent and be set right.  The painful side of this is that we also then have more time choose evil.  But the day will come when He will judge the earth.  The sweat shop owners will be held to account...and so will you and I.  God is good.  He is perfect, holy, and righteous.  He is pure.  He opposes evil.  We all have evil in our lives:  the t
701719
Not at all. No beliefs, no probelms!\n\nKnowledge is the answer. Ignorance is the root of all evil.
1104086
Nice book. (If you’re a sadist)\n\n\n(edit)\nWhy would the old testament be in the book if this god decided to change his cruel, voilent and hatefull ways. Then you shouldn't present the old testament to me. If I tell you "Hey man, here is the word or GOD, the creator of all the universe! He is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-present!!!! ..But why then is there a part in his word that doesn't apply to our time?? I thought he is all-present which would mean his word will be timeless.
439895
God is all-powerful; he can turn water into wine and cure the blind. Heck, he created the whole universe. So what makes you think he can't change the text of the bible written by the misguided kings, warlords and other misguided beings who wrote the bible? \n\nAnd I love a God who punished people for the slightest sin as depicted in the infallible bible. So much for the all-forgiving God. \n\nThank you God for making us kill the very people who discovered that the glorious earth You created is not flat.\n\nThank you God for condemning me and 20 billions of soul into hell for being misguided by satan you created. I would rather sit in hell then to be in heaven thinking about all the people suffering in hell, esp my loved ones and the people in the jungles of the third world who has not even heard of You or people who were brought up being a jew, muslim, hindu etc. For that reason, even if He does exist and offers me a place in heaven, i'd say no thanks because it wouldn't be much better in heaven either.
672210
Did God create murderers to keep the population under control?
1085834
I think evil must exist, it helps us from stagnating and gives us a reason to be and create good, so I am bad, it is not easy,but someone has got to do it, and I think it is was Voltaire the french philosopher that said artists must have the very devil in them to create, something like that, and I choose to believe him to, so I have the devil inside me as well.
1147274
A better question: Since Satan is so smart, would he REALLY make it so that "his work" can be picked out so easily? Satan could be GOD for all humans know; don't you think that would be the more ingenious move?
304621
I was always told that God allows evil because He is all about free will and doesn't want to impose himself on us. God allows us to see Him if we chose to see him and he will leave us alone if we don't. As for the evil thing, i beleive that evil comes from your inability to resist temptation. Satan doesn't make you do anything, he just suggests it.  You do the rest.
370809
'God made man in His own image,\nIn His own image he made him.'\n    There is evil in us, so there is evil in His image. So, Evil is not separated from God. It is in Him/Her only, otherwise as per Bible, we, His image should not have these VICES.
1108187
On this question I'd say evil is as evil does.
93482
There is evil in the world because Adam deferred to the devil by eating the fruit. But don't worry, God has the hairs of all our heads numbered. He sent His Son to endure every hard thing we have had to endure, physically and emotionally, on the cross. evil will not reign forever. And when it's all over, and you go to live with Him, He will wipe away all your tears.
1162480
No he only works in obvious ways. god works in mysterious ways because he is a sneaky bastard.