The Problem of Evil Argument
The Problem of Evil is one of the biggest critiques of theism. It is evident that there is evil and wrongdoing in our world. If there was an all powerful, all knowing, all good God, then why does evil exist? Philosophers have been wrestling with this question for centuries. Theists always try to provide a theodicy: vindication of God and his sovereignty despite evil. Alvin Plantinga creates his theodicy through the concept of free will and creates the Free Will Defense:
1. God created human beings with free will, meaning they are allowed to choose between right and wrong.
2. If humans are allowed to choose between right and wrong, it is inevitable some will choose the wrong/evil action.
3. Humans choose the wrong/evil action. (1,2 MP)
4. Evil and suffering will exist in the world if and only if humans choose the wrong action.
5. Evil and suffering exists. (3,4 MP)
By this argument, evil exists only because God values genuine moral responsibility. He wants humans to make the right choice on their own accord, not because they are forced to do so. God could not create free beings that are only allowed to choose goodness without losing freedom of choice. I do not think that this argument is very strong. Premise 4: Evil and suffering will exist in the world if and only if humans choose the wrong action, is where the argument begins to unravel to me. This premise fails to account for some evils that humans do not hold responsibility for. Natural disasters happen and humans had nothing to do with catalyzing the event. How would human beings acting freely lead to the horrors of major earthquakes or tsunamis? It also seems like a scapegoat response. I believe that God could have created free will with some limitations. Free will seemingly gets frequently abused in our world and I can comprehend a world where it does not get abused as often. It also does not feel logical to me that an all knowing, all loving, powerful God would value free will over eradicating evil, since it seems as though that is his main goal throughout the Bible.
