If you recall Eljay, we had discussed this in some detail a while back.

Evil cannot be the act alone. If evil is solely the result of an act then natural disasters would be evil, disease would be evil, flesh eating animals would be evil. And, of course, since God created all the things that are naturally prone to conduct these acts then God created evil.

There was no reason to design flesh eating animals. A God who designs thing from a master plan could have easily made all animals herbivores and made flesh taste so bad that no animal would even consider eating another animal. But that’s not what God did.

Clearly an all-powerful God could have controlled disease as well, and the timing and location of natural disasters. Therefore these acts cannot be considered evil unless God is evil.

This leaves evil as being something that only man can do. A hurricane can wipe out a nursery school full of children and that’s not an evil act. But if a man takes a gun and rushes the school shooting all the children, then it’s an evil act.

Evil is contextual and is dependent on intent.

It’s also quite subjective in many cases. If our country goes to war we view the actions of the other side as evil acts of terror. But we view our actions against them as justified victories. In the case of war, evil is entirely subjective depending on which side you are on.

To try to simplify evil as merely action or non-action is an oversimplification. Also, by your definition of evil as being ‘lack of action’ then an all-powerful God who can intervene at will would certainly be guilty of inaction in many significant events throughout history.

Clearly, an all powerful God who can, and supposedly does, intervene at his whim, would be quite evil based on your definition simply due to his ‘lack of action’ when decent people were praying to him and counting on him.

Evil is necessarily a subjective thing as clearly shown by war where both sides believe that God is on their side. Are they both evil? Are they both innocent? And if there are absolutes, then how lucky would you have to be to have been born in the country who is on the side of true righteousness? And would you genuinely be evil just because you happened to have been born on the other side?

Clear there is a lot of context to the concept of evil. To simply say that it’s the result of an action or non-action would make God an evil entity for sure. God would be guilty of a lot of non-action.

God would also be guilty of a lot of evil action if evil is simply the action itself, without any context with respect to who or why that act is being committed. Clearly flooding the entire earth to kill all men, women, and children, including newborns and pregnant mothers, not to mention drowning all the wildlife, would clearly be an evil act if evil is nothing more than action without context.

The concept of evil is meaningless without including context. And this is why sin is meaningless without including context as well. Context is everything. It can’t be the action alone. It has to be associated with the motive behind the action. And thus the need for judgment. If something is to be considered to be evil it must be judged to be evil based on the motive behind the act. And judgments are always subjective.

Therefore, all evil is necessarily subjective. It cannot be reduced to just the action.

OK Abracadabra,
You seemed to have thought about the nature and definition of evil a lot.
But,
I am not clear, are you saying God is NOT omnipotent? That he doesn't care? That he does, and his acts are justified, even the flood?
In short did He create evil?

OR
To quote Cambolay, are you saying ;-

I don’t believe in the biblical personification of God. I just used the flood as a popular example of an evil God by Eljay’s simple definition that evil is just the action.

I’m a pantheist. I believe that you are God.

So your question then becomes, “Are you creating evil?”

Only you can answer that one.

God did not create evil.......satan did.......He thought he was better then God....1st mistake.....Then God cast him out for thousands of years........and now my friends he is back with a vengeance and he wants all.......and so every little thing that is evil or wrong is of him......And for the most part man plays right into his hands......And those that no better say to him, "Satan you have no power in my life, I cast you to the pits of hell where you belong."

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

So then Satan’s more powerful than God because he can create things without God's permission.

I see.

You didn't read it well enough my sweet.......God cast him out......but only for a specific time......And now he is back.....and what better way for God to save souls then to have someone else that can give people an option.....What you choose is how it plays my dear abra. The choice is yours........No one can make it for you....But also let me make it very very clear.....God has nothing to do with the evil that has taken over.....because as God gave us freewill to choose which path we take......And this implies a whole array of choice in ones life.

Yes, all of these labels attributed to the actions which represent them. Now - where's the evil that "God created"?

"There's man all over for you - blaming his boots for the faults of his feet"
- Samuel Beckett -

Eljay.......man I have missed my peeps in these threads.....And when I can I come back and respond to those that I am led to do so.

That is a good point, but I think we just omitted to go into such detail.

It is an action or inaction with "intent" as the main factor. you are correct.

Abra;

Yes, I recall our discussion of this. I'm not "giving a defenition" of evil as all inclusive - merely offering an example. Surely you can agree that there are actions which are evil, but by no means is "evil" merely an action. However, the OP asks about God creating evil. So I ask - name me something that is evil that is not attributed to an action or event.

For instance - for some people chocolate is "evil", because they can't stop eating it. Put your logician's hat on. How does this statement prove that chocolate is "evil"?

So I ask. Name me one thing God created that is evil. Not that "does" evil - but "is" evil, outside of it's actions and intent.

Charles Manson never killed anyone. His followers also had free will when they did their evil tasks. Do you free will backers then believe that Manson is sin free?

Hitler was not at the gas chambers killing people. Do you free will backers think that Hitler is sin free?

Genesis 1: 28-31


And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

This question makes absolutely no sense to me. The answer is so obvious, I can't imagine why this question was asked... Are you trying to trap someone with an answer? I'm very confused, maybe it's the flu.

Now also note in the last paragraph that God states that all is good and right......That means exactly what it says.....so I think that brutality in the animal kingdom did come from satan....because he will do whatever it takes to take man from God....So if he turns a happy go lucky beasts into a mean nasty creature...would that not make sense....The answers are all there just seek them.

Jeremiah 1:5 (Today's New International Version)


5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;

Is this statement true?

No difference to God my friend when you think or you actually do......So heck yes Manson was guilty......Hitler same applies they are satan at his best.....cmon manson worshipped satan be real here. And please no one tell me different because I lived the manson deal...I lost an uncle to that evil evil man.

God always gets a free pass because his devil did the deed not him. Since you Christians really believe that you cannot trace responsibility back to the source because we all have free will then Hitler and Manson should be home free cause all of their followers had the same free will.

Manson didn't do it. His followers with free will did it. They are responsible for their own use of free will. You couldn't possibly blame that which they worship for what he created because they all have free will.