God, Evil and Omnipotence by Epicurus
c. 341 - c. 270 B.C
Epicurus was a Greek philisopher who taught that pleasure and pain are measures of what is good and evil; death is the end and should not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish; the universe is infinite and eternal; and events are based on the motions and interactions of atoms moving in empty space. Here he articulates one of the oldest arguments against the existence of God:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then God is not omnipotent. Is God able, but not willing? Then God is malevolent. Is God both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is God neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
To phrase it another way, only two of the three can be true:
1. God is good.
2. God is omnipotent.
3. Evil exists.
Reflection
I'll be brief so you can let the above rattle around in your head for a few days, if not longer. I first heard this when I "gave up/fasted/suspended" from belief in God for Lent last year during an online course taught by Peter Rollins entitled "Atheism for Lent." It was a fascinating 6 weeks of reading and audio material that myself and other spiritually curious people wrestled with and discussed. If you're interested, he offers the course every year (let me know if you sign up, I will re-take it with you!) If you've ever endured a crisis of faith and/or wonder on the existence of God, or have deep, lingering questions about the nature of the universe and our role in it, I can't recommend his course highly enough.
c. 341 - c. 270 B.C
Epicurus was a Greek philisopher who taught that pleasure and pain are measures of what is good and evil; death is the end and should not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish; the universe is infinite and eternal; and events are based on the motions and interactions of atoms moving in empty space. Here he articulates one of the oldest arguments against the existence of God:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then God is not omnipotent. Is God able, but not willing? Then God is malevolent. Is God both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is God neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
To phrase it another way, only two of the three can be true:
1. God is good.
2. God is omnipotent.
3. Evil exists.
Reflection
I'll be brief so you can let the above rattle around in your head for a few days, if not longer. I first heard this when I "gave up/fasted/suspended" from belief in God for Lent last year during an online course taught by Peter Rollins entitled "Atheism for Lent." It was a fascinating 6 weeks of reading and audio material that myself and other spiritually curious people wrestled with and discussed. If you're interested, he offers the course every year (let me know if you sign up, I will re-take it with you!) If you've ever endured a crisis of faith and/or wonder on the existence of God, or have deep, lingering questions about the nature of the universe and our role in it, I can't recommend his course highly enough.
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