http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=890
The Problem of Evil
On February 12, 2009, in a debate with Kyle Butt, Dan Barker affirmed
the proposition that the God of the Bible does not exist. Three minutes
and 15 seconds into his opening speech, he stated that one reason he
believes God does not exist is because “there are no good replies to the
arguments against the existence of God, such as the problem of evil.
All you have to do is walk into any children’s hospital and you know
there is no God. Prayer doesn’t make any difference. Those people pray
for their beloved children to live, and they die” (Butt and Barker,
2009). Barker suggested that “the problem of evil” is one of the
strongest positive arguments against the existence of God.
What, precisely, is the so-called “problem of evil”? Atheists like
Barker note that the Bible depicts God as all-loving as well as
all-powerful. This observation is certainly correct (e.g., 1 John 4:8;
Genesis 17:1; Job 42:2; Matthew 19:26). Yet everyone admits that evil
exists in the world. For God to allow evil and suffering either implies
that He is not all-loving, or if He is all-loving, He lacks the power to
eliminate them. In either case, the God of the Bible would not exist.
To phrase the “problem of evil” more precisely, the atheist contends
that the biblical theist cannot consistently affirm all three of the
following propositions:
-
God is omnipotent.
-
God is perfect in goodness.
-
Evil exists.
Again, the atheist insists that if God is omnipotent (as the Bible
affirms), He is not perfect in goodness since He permits evil and
suffering to run rampant in the world. If, on the other hand, He is
perfect in goodness, He lacks omnipotence since His goodness would move
Him to exercise His power to eliminate evil on the Earth. Since the
Christian affirms all three of the propositions, the atheist claims that
Christians are guilty of affirming a logical contradiction, making
their position false. Supposedly, the “problem of evil” presents an
insurmountable problem for the Christian theist.
In truth, however, the “problem of evil” is a problem for the
atheist—not the Christian theist. First, atheistic philosophy cannot
provide a definition of “evil.” There is no rational way that atheism
can accurately label anything as “evil” or “good.” On February 12, 1998,
William Provine, a professor in the Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology at the distinguished Cornell University, delivered
the keynote address at the second annual Darwin Day. In an abstract of
that speech on the Darwin Day Web site, Dr. Provine asserted:
“Naturalistic evolution has clear consequences that Charles Darwin
understood perfectly. 1) No gods worth having exist; 2) no life after
death exists; 3)
no ultimate foundation for ethics exists;
4) no ultimate meaning in life exists; and 5) human free will is
nonexistent” (Provine, 1998, emp. added). Provine’s ensuing message
centered on his fifth statement regarding human free will. Prior to
delving into the “meat” of his message, however, he noted: “The first 4
implications are so obvious to modern naturalistic evolutionists that I
will spend little time defending them” (1998, emp. added). If there is
no foundation upon which to base any ethical conclusions, then how could
an atheist label any action or occurrence as “evil,” “bad,” or “wrong”?
Frederick Nietzsche understood atheistic philosophy so well that he
suggested that the bulk of humanity has misunderstood concepts such as
“evil” and “good.” In his work
Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche
wrote: “We believe that severity, violence, slavery, danger in the
street and in the heart, secrecy, stoicism, tempter’s art and devilry of
every kind—that everything wicked, terrible, tyrannical, predatory, and
serpentine in man,
serves as well for the elevation of the human species as its opposite”
(2007, p. 35, emp. added). Nietzsche’s point simply was that what we
might call morally “evil,” actually helps humans evolve higher thinking
capacities, quicker reflexes, or greater problem-solving skills. Thus,
if an “evil” occurrence helps humanity “evolve,” then there can be no
legitimate grounds for labeling that occurrence as “evil.” In fact,
according to atheistic evolution, anything that furthers the human
species should be deemed as “good.”
As C.S. Lewis made his journey from atheism to theism, he realized that
the “problem of evil” presented more of a problem for atheism than it
did for theism. He stated:
My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust?
A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a
straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it
unjust...? Of course, I could have given up my idea of justice by saying
it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my
argument against God collapsed too—for the argument depended on saying
that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to
please my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that
God did not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was
senseless—I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely
my idea of justice—was full of sense. Consequently, atheism turns out
to be too simple (Lewis, 1952, p. 45-46, italics in orig.).
Theistic apologist, William Lane Craig, has summarized the issue quite well:
I think that evil, paradoxically, actually proves the existence of
God. My argument would go like this: If God does not exist then
objective moral values do not exist. (2) Evil exists, (3) therefore
objective moral values exist, that is to say, some things are really
evil. Therefore, God exists. Thus, although evil and suffering at one
level seem to call into question God’s existence, on a deeper more
fundamental level, they actually prove God’s existence (n.d.).
Craig and Lewis are correct. If evil actually exists in the world, and
some things are not the way they “should” be, then there must be a
standard outside of the natural world that would give meaning to the
terms “evil” and “good”—and the atheistic assumption proves false.
AN EMOTIONAL APPEAL
In addition to the fact that “evil” cannot even be discussed without
reference to God, Barker rested the force of his statement on an
emotional appeal. He said: “All you have to do is walk into any
children’s hospital and you know there is no God.” Is it really the case
that anyone who walks into a children’s hospital is immediately struck
by the overwhelming force of atheism? No, it is not true. In fact, it is
the farthest thing from the truth. Anticipating Barker’s tactics, one
of us [KB] visited the children’s hospital in
Columbia, South Carolina and met a lady who volunteered there. When
asked why she volunteered, she pointed to a bullet hole in her skull.
She said that it was a blessing she was still alive and she wanted to
give something back since God had allowed her to live. When asked if
many of the volunteers in the hospital were religious, she responded
that many of them were from churches in the area, i.e., churches that
believe in the God of the Bible.
According to Barker’s “line of reasoning,” the lady with whom we talked
should not believe in a loving God, the volunteers that gave their time
to the hospital should not believe in a loving God, we should no longer
believe in a loving God (since we walked through the hospital), nor
should any other person who has visited that facility. The falsity of
such reasoning is apparent. Seeing the suffering in a children’s
hospital does not necessarily drive a person to atheism. Truth be told,
most people who visit a children’s hospital, and even have children who
are patients there, believe in the God of the Bible. Barker’s assertion
does not stand up to rational criticism.
Furthermore, Barker’s emotional appeal can easily be turned on its
head: Walk through any children’s hospital and observe the love, care,
and concern that the parents, doctors, and volunteers show the children,
and you know atheistic evolution cannot be true. After all, evolution
is about the survival of the fittest, in which the strong struggle
against the weak to survive in a never-ending contest to pass on their
genes. If evolution were true, parents and doctors would not waste their
valuable resources on children who will not pass on their genes. Only
theism can account for the selfless devotion and care that you see in
children’s hospitals.
SOME SUFFERING IS ACCEPTABLE
When the “problem of evil” is presented, it quickly becomes apparent
that the term “evil” cannot be used in any meaningful way by an atheist.
The tactic, therefore, is to swap the terms “suffering,” “pain,” or
“harm” for the word “evil,” and contend that the world is filled with
too much pain, harm, and suffering. Since it is evident that countless
people suffer physical, emotional, and psychological harm, the atheist
contends that, even though there is no real “evil,” a loving God would
not allow such suffering. [NOTE: The atheist’s
argument has not really changed. He is still contending that suffering
is “bad” or “evil” and would not be present in a “good” world. In truth,
he remains in the same dilemma of proving that evil exists and that
suffering is objectively evil.]
At first glance, it seems that the atheist is claiming that a loving,
moral God would not allow His creatures, the objects of His love, to
suffer
at all. Again, the atheist reasons that humans
are supposed to be the objects of God’s love, yet they suffer. Thus, God
does not love or does not have the power to stop the suffering—and
therefore does not exist.
The thoughtful observer soon sees the problem with this line of
reasoning, which even the skeptic is forced to admit: it is morally
right to allow some suffering in order to bring about greater good. On
numerous occasions, Dan Barker and his fellow atheists have admitted the
validity of this truth. During the cross-examination period of the
Butt/Barker Debate, Barker stated:
You can’t get through life without some harm.... I think we all agree
that it is wrong to stick a needle into a baby. That’s horrible. But, if
that baby needs a life-saving injection, we will cause that harm, we
will do that. The baby won’t understand it, but we will do that because there is a greater good.
So, humanistic morality understands that within certain situations,
there is harm, and there’s a trade off of values (Butt and Barker, 2009,
emp. added).
In his debate with Peter Payne, Barker stated: “Often ethics involves creating harm.
Sometimes harm is good” (Barker and Payne, 2005, emp. added). In his book,
Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for Young Thinkers, Barker wrote: “When possible, you should try to stop the pain of others.
If you have to hurt someone,
then hurt them as little as possible.... If you do have to hurt
someone, then try to stop as soon as possible. A good person does not
enjoy causing pain” (1992, p. 33, emp. added).
It becomes evident that the atheist cannot argue against the concept of
God based on the mere existence of suffering, because atheists are
forced to admit that there can be morally justifiable reasons for
suffering. Once again, the argument has been altered. No longer are we
dealing with the “problem of evil,” since without the concept of God,
the term “evil” means nothing. Furthermore, no longer are we dealing
with a “problem of suffering,” since the atheist must admit that
some
suffering could be morally justifiable in order to produce a greater
good. The atheist must add an additional term to qualify suffering:
“pointless.”
POINTLESS OR UNNECESSARY SUFFERING
Since the skeptic knows that some suffering could be morally justified,
he is forced to argue against the biblical concept of God by claiming
that at least some of the suffering in this world is
pointless
or unnecessary. The skeptic then maintains that any being that allows
pointless suffering cannot be loving or moral. In his book
The Miracle of Theism,
J.L. Mackie noted that if the theist could legitimately show that the
suffering in the world is in some way useful, then the concept of the
God of the Bible “is formally possible, and its principle involves no
real abandonment of our ordinary view of the opposition between good and
evil” (1982, p. 154). In light of this fact, Mackie admitted: “[W]e can
concede that the problem of evil does not, after all, show that the
central doctrines of theism are logically inconsistent with one another”
(p. 154). Did Mackie throw in the proverbial towel and admit that the
“problem” of evil and suffering does not militate against God? On the
contrary, he contended that even though some suffering or evil might be
necessary or useful, there is far too much pointless evil (he terms it
“unabsorbed evil”) in the world for the traditional God of the Bible to
exist. He then concluded: “The problem, therefore, now recurs as the
problem of
unabsorbed evils, and we have as yet no way
of reconciling their existence with that of a god of the traditional
sort” (p. 155, emp. added). Notice how Mackie was forced to change the
“problem of evil” to the “problem of
unabsorbed evil.”
Dan Barker understands this alteration in the “problem of evil” and has
used it himself. In a debate with Rubel Shelly, Dan used his standard
argument that the suffering in a children’s hospital is enough to show
God does not exist. Shelly responded with a lengthy rebuttal, bringing
to light the idea that suffering in this world can be consistently
reconciled with God’s
purposes for mankind. In
concluding his comments, Shelly stated: “The kind of world, apparently,
that unbelief wants is a world where no wrong action could have bad
effects or where we just couldn’t make wrong actions” (Barker and
Shelly, 1999). Barker responded to Shelly’s comments, saying:
I’m not asking for a world that’s free of pain.... No atheist is
asking that the world be changed or requiring that if there is a God, He
be able to change it. I’m not asking for a world that’s free of
consequences. I think pain and consequences are important to a rational
education.... What I am asking for is for human beings to strive as much
as possible for a world that is free of unnecessary harm (1999, emp. added).
Barker went on to describe a scenario in which a forest fire forces a
baby fawn to flee its home. In the process, the fawn catches its leg in a
snare and is consumed by the flames. Barker then stated that he
believed no one’s soul or character was edified by the fawn’s suffering,
thus it would be an example of unnecessary or useless suffering. Barker
further admitted that even though some suffering is acceptable, there
simply is far too much to be reconciled with a loving God. Here again,
it is important to notice that Barker’s entire argument has been
altered. It is no longer a “problem of evil (harm)” but now he has
amended it to the “problem of
unnecessary evil (harm).”
The next question that must be asked is: What would classify as
“pointless,” “unnecessary,” or “unabsorbed” suffering? The simple answer
that the atheistic position must suggest is that any suffering that
the atheist
does not deem necessary is pointless. As Timothy Keller points out, the
fact is that Mackie and others use the term “pointless” to mean that
they, themselves cannot see the point of it. Keller stated: “Tucked away
within the assertion that the world is filled with pointless evil is a
hidden premise, namely that if evil appears pointless to me, then it
must
be pointless” (2008, p. 23, italics in orig.). Keller further noted:
This reasoning is, of course, fallacious. Just because you can’t see
or imagine a good reason why God might allow something to happen doesn’t
mean there can’t be one. Again we see lurking within supposedly
hard-nosed skepticism an enormous faith in one’s own cognitive
faculties. If our minds can’t plumb the depths of the universe for good
answers to suffering, well, then, there can’t be any! This is blind
faith of a high order (p. 23).
Indeed, it is the atheist who lives by the blind faith that he mistakenly attributes to the theist.
THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE
In his monumental volume,
Have Atheists Proved There Is No God?,
philosopher Thomas B. Warren undercut completely the atheist’s use of
the problem of evil. He insightfully demonstrated that the Bible teaches
that “God has a morally justifiable reason for having created the
world...in which evil can (and does) occur” (1972, p. 16). What is that
reason? God created the planet to be “the ideal environment for
soul-making” (p. 16). God specifically created humans to be immortal,
free moral agents, responsible for their own actions, with this earthly
life being their one and only probationary period in which their eternal
fate is determined by their response to God’s will during earthly life
(p. 19). Hence, the world “is as good (for the purpose God had in
creating it) as any possible world” since it was designed to function as
man’s “vale of soul-making” (p. 19). The physical environment in which
humans were to reside was specifically created with the necessary
characteristics for achieving that central purpose. This environment
would have to be so arranged that it would allow humans to be free moral
agents, provide them with their basic physical needs, allow them to be
challenged, and enable them to learn those things they most need to
learn (p. 47).
Whereas the atheist typically defines “evil” as physical pain and
suffering, the Bible, quite logically, defines evil as violation of
God’s law (1 John 3:4). Observe, therefore, that
the only intrinsic evil is sin,
i.e., disobeying or transgressing the laws of God. Hence, pain and
suffering are not intrinsically evil. (“[I]ntrinsic evil on the purely
physical level does not exist” [p. 93]). In fact, animal pain, natural
calamities, and human suffering are all necessary constituent variables
in the overall environment designed for spiritual development. Such
variables, for example, impress upon humans the very critical
realizations that life on Earth is uncertain, precarious, and temporary.
They also demonstrate that life on Earth is brief—that it will soon end
(p. 58). Such realizations not only propel people to consider their
spiritual condition, and the necessity of using this life to prepare for
the afterlife, they prod people to contemplate God! Suffering, pain,
and hardship encourage people to cultivate their spirits and to grow in
moral character—acquiring virtuous attributes such as courage, patience,
humility, and fortitude. Suffering can serve as discipline and
motivation to spur spiritual growth and strength. It literally
stimulates people to develop compassion, sympathy, love, and empathy for
their fellowman (p. 81).
WHO IS IN THE BEST POSITION TO KNOW?
Since atheists cannot say that real, moral evil exists, they must
adjust their objection and say that a loving God would not allow
suffering. This position quickly becomes indefensible, so again the
position is altered to posit that
some suffering is
morally permissible, but not pointless or unnecessary suffering. Who,
then, is to determine if there truly exists unnecessary suffering that
would negate the concept of God? Some atheists, such as Barker, are
quick to set themselves up as the final judges who alone can set the
proper limits of suffering. Yet, when those limits are analyzed, it
again becomes apparent that the “problem of evil” is a legitimate
problem only for the atheist.
In his book
godless, Dan Barker stated: “There is no big
mystery to morality. Morality is simply acting with the intention to
minimize harm” (2008, p. 214). In his explanation about how to minimize
harm, Barker wrote: “And the way to avoid making a mistake is to try to
be as informed as possible about the likely consequences of the actions
being considered” (p. 214). Reasoning from Barker’s comments about
morality, if there truly is an omniscient God Who knows every
consequence of every action that ever has been or ever will be taken,
then that Being, and only that Being, would be in a position to speak
with absolute authority about the amount and kind of suffering that is
“necessary.” Barker and his fellow atheists may object to God’s
tolerance for suffering, but were God to condescend to speak directly to
them, He could simply respond by saying: “What you do not know is...,”
and He could fill in the blank with a thousand reasons about future
consequences that would legitimize the suffering He allows.
Indeed, this is precisely the tact God employed with Job, when He
challenged Job’s knowledge and comprehension of the mysteries of the
Universe:
Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now
prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer
Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if
you have understanding. Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this. Do you know it, because you were born
then, or because the number of your days is great? Shall the one who
contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him
answer it. Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that
you may be justified? (Job 38:2-4,18,21; 40:2,8).
God’s interrogation of Job elucidated the fact of humanity’s limited
knowledge, especially as it relates to suffering. In contrast to this,
Barker wrote:
Why should the mind of a deity—an outsider—be better able to judge
human actions than the minds of humans themselves? Which mind is in a
better position to make judgments about human actions and feelings?
Which mind has more credibility? Which has more experience in the real
world? Which mind has more of a right? (2008, p. 211).
Of course, Barker’s rhetorical questions were supposed to force the reader to respond that
humans
are in a better position to understand what actions are moral, or how
much suffering is permissable. In light of his comments about knowing
the consequences of actions, however, Barker’s position falls flat.
Whose mind knows more about the consequences of all actions? Whose mind
is in a better position to know what will happen if this action is
permitted? Whose mind has the ability to see the bigger picture? And Who
alone is in the position to know how much suffering is permissible to
bring about the ultimate good for humankind? That would be the infinite,
eternal, omniscient Creator—the God of the Bible.
REFERENCES
Barker, Dan (2008),
godless (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press).
Barker, Dan (1992),
Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for Young Thinkers (Amherst, NY: Prometheus).
Barker, Dan and Rubel Shelly (1999),
Barker/Shelly Debate: Does God Exist? (Brentwood, TN: Faith Matters).
Barker, Dan and Peter Payne (2005),
Barker/Payne Debate: Does Ethics Require God?, [On-line], URL: http://www.ffrf.org/about/bybarker/ethics_debate.php.
Butt, Kyle and Dan Barker (2009),
Butt/Barker Debate: Does the God of the Bible Exist? (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Craig, William Lane (no date),
Pain and Suffering Debate, Part 1, [On-line], URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZTG5xyefEo.
Keller, Timothy (2008),
The Reason for God (New York: Dutton).
Lewis, C.S. (1952),
Mere Christianity (New York: Simon and Schuster).
Mackie, J.L. (1982),
The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God (Oxford: Clarendon Press).
Nietzsche, Friedrich (2007 reprint),
Beyond Good and Evil (Raleigh, NC: Hayes Barton Press), [On-line], URL: http://books.google.com/books?id=C7sRYOPWke0C&pg=PA1&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=0_1#PPP1,M1.
Provine, William (1998), “Evolution: Free Will and Punishment and Meaning in Life,” [On-line], URL: http://eeb.bio.utk.edu/darwin/DarwinDayProvineAddress.htm.
Warren, Thomas B. (1972),
Have Atheists Proved There Is No God? (Ramer, TN: National Christian Press).
