The Problems Caused by God's Divine Attributes

Omniscience

What about evil? As God knows the past, present and future, why does he allow evil? Why do the innocent suffer and die young? Omniscience as a concept seems to go against the idea of free will. It says in the Bible that God has planned out out lives and decided upon our fate, so does this mean humans aren't responsible for their actions? Does God plan evil? If God is the most perfect possible being, it may still be impossible for him to know everything, which means his knowledge is limited in some way by what is logically possible. Can God limit himself in his knowledge to allow us free will? (The Bible said he 'turned his face away' as Jesus was crucified, so does this mean God was limiting himself? 

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If God knows everything, what's the point in praying? Are we actually free if he knows what we will do? Does knowing about evil and not stopping it make God morally responsible for it?

Omniscience cont'd

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Omnipotence

Could God do something logically impossible? For instance, could he make 2+2=5? Could he create a married bachelor? Does God have the power to prevent evil? If so, why doesn't he? If not, isn't this a flaw in what should be perfect power?

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Why does God allow evil?

To teach us a lesson (Job) To test our limits (Job) Suffering can make us stronger. It makes us realise we need God - since the Fall, humans have lost righteousness, and are unable to become righteous in God's eyes in their own strength. It shows God to be ultimately good by contrast. God's power will ultimately triumph over evil (the Rapture); it says in Revelations that Satan will eventually be destroyed.  Evil is an illusion - doesn't actually exist. Augustinian theodicy says we must have evil to appreciate the good. It's not God's responsibility. The Devil causes evil to happen, and since God gave humans free will, humans can choose to create/be a part of evil actions.

Humans must have some responsibility to repent, forgive, reconcile and be accountable for their wrongdoing. Furthermore, humans will be judged at Judgement Day, so they must have accountability, otherwise they cannot be judged. Humans have free will and a destiny. Perhaps even God does not have the power to change this. God may not have the power to stop evil, as it is not logically possible to possess this power. 

Why is God good?

Morally He gave us free will and freedom to choose. Evil is not his will.  He is graceful - he sent Jesus to die to redeem all of mankind. Augustinian theodicy says that we must have evil to appreciate the good. He uses evil for good. For example, the lustful desires and actions of Bathsheba and David produced the line that Jesus descended from. He kept his covenant with the Israelites, even though they broke it. God forgives people.

Naturally He has ultimate qualities, such as omnibenevolence, omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. God is perfect, forgiving and merciful. He is immanent and transcendent simultaneously. He created the world, and "he saw that it was good." The earth's natural beauty is purely for human enjoyment, for example, the flowers do not have to be colourful and pleasing to the eye. God's goodness does not depend on circumstances or apparent irrational behaviour.

Why isn't God good?

He inflicted punishment on humans. In Genesis, he banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and declared that Eve would suffer pain in childbirth, whilst Adam would have to work hard all his life and eventually die. He allows pain and suffering. He has omniscience and omnipotence, surely he can stop it? Psalm 147:8-9 shows that he has control over everything - why not over evil? He was willing to allow Job to suffer in order to test his faith. The attribute of God as judge conflicts with omnibenevolence. The sinners are said to be 'thrown into the fire', which doesn't sound particularly loving. He gave moral responsibility to humans, with foreknowledge we couldn't handle it.

If God created everything, why did he create evil? Was creating evil a mistake? If so, this shows that God cannot be perfect. John Stuart Mill said that a good God should act no differently to a good person, and that we cannot justify evil actions just because he's divine. He can heal an injury, but he fails to stop a tsunami that kills thousands. He allows destruction to happen - the sacrifice of Issac However, this question may be futile, because God is transcendent, therefore he cannot be measured by human standards of goodness. Also, it may be the case that we will never fully understand God's way because he is infinite and our minds are not.

Is God responsible for good + evil?

Yes If God is omnipotent and omniscient, he could stop evil, but he doesn't. If something is within your control, doesn't that mean it is your duty to do something about it if you're the only one that can? If God sets the moral standard for what is evil, why does he make it so difficult to attain? Also, he is the one who enforces it on pain of punishment, so surely he has some responsibility towards evil? Natural evil is out of human control, so it cannot be our responsibility. However, natural disasters are more likely to happen as a result of climate change, which is caused by humans, so ultimately, does this mean we are responsible for evil? God is the Creator of the universe, and as such, he is responsible for all that happens within it. 

No He gave humans free will, and evil entered the world as a result of humans disobeying God. God could not have revoked giving free will as this would mean he would not be morally good or have perfect wisdom. Also, free will by definition is not controlled by anything, therefore he could not have controlled us, otherwise it is no longer free and God cannot lie (because of his perfect moral nature).  The attribute of God as judge would be biased, because God would have to judge himself. Also, God having to be judged takes away from some of his perfection, as this means there is a standard he may not of met. God is unable to stop evil; he may have more power and knowledge than anything else in the universe, but perhaps it is impossible to completely stop evil. God could know something about evil that we don't. He could know about the universal purpose of evil in our lives, and therefore cannot eradicate it because its purpose is important. 

The Euthyphro Dilemma 

In Plato's Euthyphro, Socrates asks; 'Is conduct right because the gods command it, or do the gods command it because it is right?'The first option:God causes things to be good. All of the Bible is correct. Humans are completely at the mercy of Scripture and its interpretation. We have no independent way of deciding right from wrong. This makes God seem like a divine dictator.The second option:God commands what is already good. This implies that human reason provides us with a standard to judge what is good. Perhaps it even sets the authority of human reasoning over God's. This also means that there is a moral system independent of God, which is to say that God is restricted by it somewhat, which challenges the idea of his limitless perfection. 

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Creatio Ex Nihilo

This is Latin for 'creation out of nothing'. This is the belief that God created the whole universe, along with everything in existence, out of nothing. This is based on the Genesis accounts and the book of Job.  However, this contradicts the idea in Genesis 1 that God crafted an order from existing mass; the earth was 'without form or void'. But the passage starts with; 'in the beginning, there was nothing' - contradictory? Is creatio ex nihilo Biblical or not? Creatio ex nihilo is appealing because it fits with the Big Bang.