🌍 If God Exists, Why Is There Evil?
A Multifaith Reflection on Suffering and the Sacred
It’s one of the oldest and most unsettling questions in human history: If God is good, why does evil persist? Why do the innocent suffer, the unjust thrive, and violence echo through generations?
Every major religious tradition wrestles with this tension—not to solve it neatly, but to live with it faithfully. Here’s how some of them approach the paradox:
✝️ Christianity: Free Will and Redemptive Suffering
Christian theology often frames evil as the consequence of human free will. God, in love, allows choice—even when that choice leads to harm. Suffering, while painful, can also be redemptive. The crucifixion of Christ is seen not as divine failure, but as a profound act of solidarity with human pain. Evil exists, but grace persists.
🕊️ Islam: Divine Wisdom Beyond Human Understanding
In Islam, everything happens by the will of Allah, but not all is meant to be understood. Evil and suffering are seen as tests—opportunities for patience (sabr), faith, and moral growth. The Qur’an acknowledges hardship but emphasizes that with every difficulty comes ease. God’s wisdom is vast, and human perspective is limited.
🕉️ Hinduism: Karma and Cosmic Balance
Hindu thought often views evil through the lens of karma—the law of cause and effect across lifetimes. Suffering may arise from past actions, not as punishment, but as part of a soul’s journey toward liberation (moksha). The divine is present even in suffering, guiding the soul through cycles of learning and transformation.
☸️ Buddhism: Suffering as a Universal Truth
Buddhism doesn’t posit a creator god, but it offers profound insight into suffering (dukkha). Evil is not a divine mystery but a human reality rooted in attachment, ignorance, and craving. The path to peace lies in understanding suffering, cultivating compassion, and awakening to the impermanence of all things.
✡️ Judaism: Wrestling with God and Moral Responsibility
Jewish tradition doesn’t shy away from questioning God. The Book of Job, the Holocaust, and centuries of exile have shaped a theology that embraces lament, protest, and moral accountability. Evil is not explained away—it is named, grieved, and resisted. Faith is not blind; it is courageous.
🌿 Indigenous and Earth-Based Traditions: Disharmony and Restoration
Many Indigenous spiritualities view evil as a rupture in the balance between humans, nature, and spirit. Healing comes through restoration—ceremony, storytelling, and communal responsibility. The sacred is relational, and evil is often a sign that those relationships need tending.
🧭 A Shared Thread: Mystery, Agency, and Compassion
Across traditions, one truth emerges: the existence of evil does not negate the sacred. It deepens the call to compassion, justice, and humility. Whether framed as test, consequence, illusion, or imbalance, evil invites us to respond—not with despair, but with courage.
post inspired by A Theology for the Rest of Us by Arthur Yavelberg.
Book description:
If God exists and is good, why is there evil? Avoiding such questions underlies the spiritual emptiness and anxiety in today's world. A Theology for the Rest of Us explores how to approach the divine through Eastern and Western religious traditions without dogma, challenging readers to "be you lamps unto yourselves."
In a time of internecine wars and all kinds of abuse of authority and trust, too many good, thoughtful people are "voting with their feet" and turning away from organized religion. Popular "spirituality"-a sort of mysticism-lite articulated in memes-is often unsatisfying as well.
A Theology for the Rest of Us is a straightforward approach to the fundamental questions of religion and philosophy:
- Does God exist?
- Is there free will?
- What is 'evil'?
This book draws on the traditions of the East as well as the West-Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism in addition to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-to see what can make sense in today's world. Whether exploring the implications of 17th century Enlightenment philosophers, quantum physics, or the insights of writers such as Dostoyevsky and Alan Watts, the reader is offered a rational, coherent approach that can provide understanding and a basis for hope in a world where the spirit has been all but decimated by doubt and worse.
Most important, the reader is encouraged to sift through these sources and choose what resonates and what does not. As the Buddha taught so many years ago, the Prime Directive is "Be ye lamps unto yourselves." A Theology for the Rest of Us makes teachings accessible to those who have already begun their spiritual journeys, validating their questions and showing that reasonable answers are available.
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