Epicurean Paradox - the simple refutation by a theist
I must warn you to begin with that my answer didn't make him start believing God, he wasn't suddenly converted into a believer. But he was more informed, and I'm so glad I was able to clarify this matter for him, from a theist point of view.
He presented me with the Paradox, and I don't think my answer now would be as good as it was then, so I'll just copy and paste that part of the conversation!
Friend: "If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to,
Then he is not omnipotent.
If he is able, but not willing,
Then he is malevolent.If he is both able and willing,
Then whence cometh evil?
If He is neither able nor willing,
Then why call Him God?"
Me: Want the answer?
Friend: Sure! It's a paradox, but... you can give an answer
Me: It's the third one. He is able and willing to any time. But he doesn't.
And it's not paradoxal, you know why?
Friend: Why?
Me: Because the evil doesn't come from Him. It comes from our choice to disobey. And that choice comes from our free will. And if we have free will, God will give us the freedom to make choices and get the consequences. Good choices bring good consequences, bad choices bring bad consequences. But depriving us from both the options and the consequences would be depriving us from our own freedom and will. And God doesn't want that. He wants us to keep the freedom and will that He gave us, so that nobody is forced to follow Him and nobody is forced to distance themselves from Him.
He wants everything we to do be heartfelt and our own decision.
And this is what I got from my Friend:
*slams my hands on the table*
now that is a good argument
something I can look at and understand from your point of view!
~
Now I would just like to add two or three things as attatchements to what I said. I don't consider them to be essential to the refutation of the so called paradox, but it might be interesting if you feel like knowing more about my opinion, because there's a lot more to it. :)
- When I said that evil comes from our choice to disobey, I would just like to add to my point of view that, as I mention and explain Free Will, people may also come to mention the Devil. I do believe Satan exists, and that he is the father of evil, the "father of lies". Why?, you ask. And doesn't that mean evil comes from him, then? Well, based on the Bible, it's this simple: he became the "father of evil" because, in the beggining, he chose to disobey God. Lucifer chose to envy and try to decieve God, which goes agains God's perfect, omniscient, and loving nature. He was the first sinner, hence calling him the father of sin: sin is anything that goes against God's nature. In other words, sinning is disobeying God, going against Him. Now, by choosing to do the same as what Lucifer did in the beginning, we become not the father of sin, but sinners. If we don't repent our sins and choose to change, we will be choosing to not follow God. And as a consequence, we'll be followers of Satan: because, if we don't repent rebelling against God, it will be our choice to part ourselves from His nature, and evil is the only nature that will go with ours. So, about evil, it all comes down to when you choose to disobey God.
- The second thing I can add is that, by saying that each choice has its consequences, I must remind you that we live in comunity, we are social beings. Our actions often don't only concern ourselves. It's just like when you were a kid, in class, or with your siblings: one does it, everyone pays for/benefits from it, whether it's a good or a bad thing. Remember that time when somebody had a serious car accident, out of nowhere, that wasn't their fault? Maybe it was because of the other person's choice to be irresponsible, get drunk, and text while they were driving. Why are so many people dying of hunger in Africa? May I remind you of their corrupt government, filled with people who are greedy, selfish, power-thirsty, ect, ect? Free will, people, free will! You have it too, so why don't you go there and help solve the problem?
- This way I can conclude that God has many ways of working: the main one is through us! Everyday God is helping people fight evil, but he won't do so unless we choose that that is what we want! And sometimes, evil, the things that are against God's nature, are much more alluring than children dying in Africa. Gluttony, adultery, gossips, envy, lying, these are a few examples of things that sometimes "feel right" or "not that bad because of this and that", but are evil because they're against God's nature of self-control, Truth, loyalty, honesty, Love. But that's the thing: he won't help us fight the evil if evil things are what we actually want! Again, He wants everything we to do be heartfelt and our own decision! On the other hand, if we choose to live righteously before His eyes, follow Him, and let Him take action in our lives, He will help us, and he will use us to help others, because he is able to, and willing to, any time.
I hope this is helpful in whatever way to anyone who reads it. Have any questions or comments? Leave them in the comments section!
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