How might Christians respond to the problem of evil?

Answer 1

The problem of evil is a philosophical argument against the existence of a; all knowing, all powerful, all loving God

It goes about like this;

1. If a perfectly good god exists, then evil does not.
2. There is evil in the world.
3. Therefore, a perfectly good god does not exist.

now this could be a problem, but the way I (as a Christian) reply is;

God did create a world without death, suffering, natural disasters (any thing that can be concidered evil). However, God gave us the gift/curse of free will, which means we can choose to do good, or evil things. God gave us one rule, don't eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. We choose to eat the tree, to disobey the one rule God set forth.

So now, God could prevent all the evils in the world, and start over, but he would be infringing upon our free will, which he has promised not to do.

Answer 2

A:There are many ways in which a Christian could respond to the problem of evil. When the Christian accepts responsibility for that evil, there are two quite common responses: recognise guilt and seek forgiveness; or say that the devil made me do it. In Christian thought, the devil is an excellent proxy for evil, allowing the individual to absolve himself or herself of blame.

If evil exists elsewhere in the world, the response of Christians mirrors that of non-Christians. Some seek to help in overcoming evil and should be commended for doing so, while others consider it not to be their problem and so ignore it. In responding to a perceived evil, Christians must always obey the law, and should seek to resolve that evil in the most non-confrontational manner possible.

Another Answer:

There are numerous Scripture on 'evil' in both parts of The Bible. Jesus tells us we all are evil and children of the god of this world (Luke 11:13). A simple Scriptural summary of how Christians are to respond to evil is:

Romans 12:9New International Version (NIV)

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Psalm 37 is a good read for understanding the best ways to live with evil and the rewards to be expected.

Answer:In 2006, a man stormed into a one room Amish school house in Pennsylvania and shot ten young girls, killing five of them. He then killed himself. How "could" a Christian respond to the problem of evil? The murderer was not Amish but they all knew him as the milk truck driver who made deliveries. The Amish community donated money to the killer's widow and her three children. They also attended the killers burial service at the cemetery hugging the widow and other members of her family. This is a sad and touching example for all people of all faiths to follow.

In the New Testament (KJV), Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:44..."Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you".

The Bible also teaches Christians that God deals with evil through the incarnation, the cross, and the resurrection. The problem of evil is not completely solved on an intellectual level from our limited perspective. On the practical and experiential level we can say, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:37).