Roughly 2300 years ago, a Greek philosopher named Epicurus made a most intriguing postulation regarding the presence of evil — one especially poignant for all those who considered themselves to be in any way religious … It went (and still goes) something like this:

This is indeed a brilliantly concise summation of the problem for any member of any religion, and yet it is a summation that is not fully complete … For all those secular folks tuning in, allow me to briefly elaborate, and — for all you religious folks out there who either believe in a just & loving God; or at least want to do so — allow me to provide you with a solution to this conundrum.

First of all, let’s quickly examine the options presented by Epictetus — not to judge them as “right” or “wrong”, but simply to remember how we are to respond to such a God if He does indeed exist in any of these forms.

*God #01 — Good but relatively impotent … IF God exists and is a God who wants to eradicate evil but has become too old or too tired to do so (or who was never able to in the first place), then it is up to us to do so for Him — remembering, of course, that evil can only be defeated using means that oppose its own; namely forgiveness given to the evil of condemnation; kindness given to the evil of violence; peace given to the evil of war; acceptance given to the evil of bigotry & compassionate caring given to the evil of hatred.

*God #02 — Powerful but callous (or even malicious) … IF God exists and is a God who is powerful enough to eradicate evil but purposefully chooses to allow pain & suffering — maybe to “teach us a lesson”, maybe so we will “we get what we deserve” or even maybe because He enjoys watching us writhe & despair, then this is a God who is — at the very least by conscious omission — actively participating in that evil. And as such, this is a God who we as decent, moral & just beings must fully & openly oppose. “God works in mysterious ways” is no defense for a God who has the ability to limit suffering and yet maliciously instigates or amplifies the same.

*God #03 — Uninterested & relatively impotent … IF God exists and is a God who is not powerful enough to stop evil and doesn’t even try to do so (&/or doesn’t really care either way), then this a God who is worthy of our Compassion (and maybe even our pity), but certainly not our worship.

And yet, THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION …

Initially, please note that I am not offering this alternative as an objective Truth. No one ever has known the full nature of God and no human being ever will. And yet IF you happen to believe in a God who is all-Loving (and therefore a “Father” or “Mother” worthy of worship) and quite powerful (and therefore a “Creator” or “Source” worthy of honor & gratitude) then there remains a fourth possibility that satisfies this yearning while reconciling Epicurus’ apparent contraction; a solution that actually already rests at the heart of the oldest teachings of the founders of all the world’s major religions — including the heart of your own.

Simply stated, IF God is a highly potent Creator (or evolutionary Instigator) who is the embodiment (or the essence) of perfect, unconditional LOVE, then the existence of evil and a lack of Divine response thereto can easily be explained in the following way:

Goodness comes from the Divine — a Goodness that includes free will “granted” (in all probability via evolution) to all sentient beings. Since sentient beings have free will without objective understanding, and since their free will is coupled with a highly potent and purely narcissistic drive to survive & procreate, radically selfish choices are frequently made — choices that often knowingly inflict others with pain in order to ensure the betterment of the ones making them … These are, in essence, “evil” choices that engender and enliven “evil”.

Now IF this Godhead is anywhere near all-Knowing, then He (or She) is aware of the fact that the maximum amount of Bliss available to any sentient being comes in those moments when free will is used to transcend reasonable selfish impulses of “self-respect” or “self-love” or “self-defense” or “justified retribution” or “fair punishment” — and choose to exude a practical facet of selfless solidarity instead. In other words, to psychological “salvation” comes to those who choose LOVE over sadness or fear or anger.

And because this Godhead is aware of this Truth, it is an act of great Love — indeed, an act of great Self-Sacrifice — for Him (or Her) to NOT interfere with the “evils” that occur in our lives; to NOT soothe them or eradicate them in any way; to thereby grace us with the opportunity to transcend our more primitive selfish instincts and respond to evil with Kindness instead — and thereby enter a state of raw, fear-free, Joy-full & Peace-full euphoria that Jesus called “The Kingdom of Heaven” …

Thank GOD for that!

“For the LORD is good and his Love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” ~ Psalm 100:5

“We know that God makes all things work together for good for those who are called according to God’s purpose … Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God: what is good and acceptable and perfect.” ~ Romans 8:28 & 12:2

 

Filed under: My Favorite Verses by Scaughdt