The Problem of Evil

Sometimes bad things happen, like storms or getting hurt, and it makes us wonder why the world is not always nice. Think of it like a big beautiful painting that has some dark messy shadows in the corners. Without those dark parts, we might not be able to see how bright the light really is. The hard times often teach us how to be brave and how to take care of each other. Even when it is cloudy, the sun is still behind the clouds waiting to come back. We are here to help turn the messy parts into something kind.

You need the dark to see how bright the light really is. A flashlight in the sun is invisible. A flashlight in the dark is a miracle. Without the possibility of evil, goodness has no meaning. Without the possibility of cruelty, kindness has no weight. The shadow does not exist to defeat the light. The shadow exists to reveal the light. Every religion has wrestled with this question. None of them have solved it with logic. All of them have survived it with faith.

Theodicy: if a deity is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent, why does suffering exist? The soul-making model posits evil as necessary environment for virtue development. In information theory, evil acts as the noise or entropy providing contrast necessary for the signal of goodness to be recognized. Without potential for disorder, order has zero informativeness — indistinguishable from static vacuum. None solved it with logic. All survived it with faith.

SOUND: Thunder echoing after a flash of light: destruction announcing that creation is coming.

SMELL: Smoke from a fire keeping people warm: destruction serving life.

TASTE: Dark chocolate that turns sweet as it melts: bitterness transforming on the tongue.

TOUCH: The sting of ice that eventually numbs the pain: cold serving as medicine.

SIGHT: A small green plant growing through a crack in dark sidewalk: life using damage as a door.

BODY: Heaviness in your chest when you feel sad: the body measuring the weight of the question.

Music: Daughters by John Mayer

Music: True Love (Live at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney) by Coldplay

Music: ABC by The Jackson 5

Part of Good & Evil — RELIGION — Education Revelation