J. L. Mackie on the problem of evil and omnipotence

God is good, but He coexists with evil. The universe is filled with evil. Humans are born and die virtually every hour. God created an evil-filled universe. Can there be both right and wrong at the same time? Is it possible for light and darkness to coexist? No, each must make way for the other. So how can a good God and an evil God coexist? Does the existence of evil imply the absence of God? God is all-powerful and present everywhere (Davies, Pg. 125). The argument on the existence of a good God and evil has caught the attention of many philosophers. People wonder how a good God would allow evil to exist. Others have argued that there is no God and that if God would exist there would be no evil in the Universe. Researchers have posed different arguments, but none has come to a constructive conclusion (Luft, Pg. 98). Mackie presents an argument that the world is better with evil in it than it would be without evil. Can this be correct? This paper contains a discussion of this case.

Mackie’s argument

According to Mackie, evil contributes to the good and that the world is better than it could be if there were no evil. In his explanation, Mackie provides an example of an organization’s success. At the beginning of business, the owner will experience various challenges which are equivalent, evil (Mackie, Pg. 200). By overcoming the evil, the company gradually starts to grow a step after another up to a point where it becomes a successful organization. Through this example, Mackie is communicating that it is quite impossible to achieve the good thing without evil. It is evil that shapes the universe to be right (Mackie, Pg. 203). The various challenges at the start of a business enable the organization to develop more innovative strategies which result to a higher level of growth and success. In his argument, Mackie provides that the existence of pain gives rise to love, sympathy, heroism, and benevolence (Mackie, Pg. 204). The struggle for evil and suffering gives rise to spiritual goods. Suffering brings sympathy and danger brings courage. According to Mackie’s explanation, good does not eliminate evil, but evil brings in what is good.

The world is better than it would be without evil

The world is better than it would be without evil. The existence of evil does not mean that God does not exist. God exists. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. He is a loving God full of grace and power (Zagzebski, Linda, and Timothy, Pg. 312). Following are some of the reasons why this loving God would allow himself to exist together with evil at the same time.

God allows evil as discipline and a way of discouraging immoral behavior

God allows evil to exist in the universe as a way of disciplining his people. Let’s take an example of a loving father. This father will always discipline his children to ensure that they grow up to be meaningful people in the society. No parent is happy when their children become most indiscipline in the society (Salza, Pg. 416). Every parent will do all it takes to ensure that their children become role models. The same applies to God. As his children, God will always discipline the world. By disciplining the world, He allows evil to his people. According to the bible in the book of Proverbs, God disciplines those he loves (Pojman, Louis, and Michael, Pg. 264). As a loving father, God allows evil to his people as a way of punishing them for their evil deeds. It is a way of discouraging people from engaging themselves in immoral behaviors.

Mackie points out that evil contribute to goodness. Like the indiscipline child, punishment keeps him away from doing the same action another time. Punishments shape the child into obedience. Without punishment, the child cannot recognize that whatever he did was wrong (Mulgan, Pg. 194). As God allows people to experience evil, it discourages them from getting engaged in the same behaviors and hence a righteous nation. For instance, HIV and AIDS mainly come as a result of sexual immorality. Why would God allow such as a disease which has got no cure to his people? Should people say that God does not exist due to the existence of this illness? No. God does exist. HIV and Aids is a discipline to those who practice immorality. It is a way of discouraging people from practicing sexual immorality. Those who continue practicing sexual immorality is at risk of getting infected which serves as their punishment (Gottfried, Pg. 382). Therefore, God allows evil to the world as a discipline and a discouragement towards immoral behavior.

Evil brings strength

The most successful people have bitter past experiences. Barack Obama, the former president of America, was not born in the white house. No one knew that Obama would become among the most successful people in the world. Obama is known to be a strong man through with tough experiences. Through the various challenges he faced in life right from his childhood, Obama had no other hope other than to study hard and remain focused in his career. According to the Bible, in the book of James, he tells the people to rejoice when they face trials of many kinds for it is through such circumstances that their faith is made complete (Davies, Pg. 128). God would allow people to suffer as a way of strengthening them.

Imagine a situation where everyone would get anything they want at any time. A situation in which there would be plenty of food throughout. Would people work hard to cater for their needs? People would be lazy. Nothing is impossible with God. He can let every plant grow by itself and produce everything required by man. The Garden of Eden was full of all kinds of fruits for food and Adam had planted none of them. However, God allows us to go through famine, hunger and other problems to make us strong (Luft, Pg. 243). According to Gottfried, Suffering builds people’s strengths. It increases creativity and innovation. Some will opt to do irrigation. People farm as much as they can, while others engage themselves in other activities such as trade among others to obtain a living. The strongest people in the world are as a result of evil. Like the example provided by Mackie, a person will face various challenges at some time as God builds him to someone significant not only to himself to the whole world (Salza, Pg, 392). Therefore, Mackie is true by saying that evil produces good.

It’s a way of informing the world that God exists

Evil tells us of God’s existence. In the book of Exodus, the children of Israel experienced famine. There was no food to eat, and they had no hope. At that situation, God dropped them manner from heaven. This was a lesson to them that God indeed exists. If it was not God, the Israelites would have died of hunger (Davies, Pg. 128).Why did God allow them to go through that and yet he was in a position to ensure that they had sufficient supply of food? Why does God allow us to fall sick and yet he has the power to keep us healthy throughout? Why do God allow some people to spend a long time without a job and yet he has the power to create jobs for them? Hunger, incurable diseases, unemployment and accidents are experienced throughout the world.

If it was not for such experiences, people could not recognize the existence of God.

Therefore, some forms of evil exist as a way of informing people concerning God’s existence. Some of the occurrences such as drought, floods, and earthquake are beyond any man’s control. No one can prevent earthquake. Though evil, such events teach man to completely rely on God. It teaches people to know that God truly exists and no one can exist without him (Pojman, Louis and Michael, Pg. 95). It is a way of God communicating to the world that he is the giver of life and that no one can exist without him. We can try to prevent accidents, malaria, or even hunger but no one can control earthquake. This is an indication that irrespective of the level of knowledge or wisdom a man may have, no one can attain the power of God.

Evil shapes people to be good

Through evil, people get to understand the feeling of reject, hunger, lack, among other forms of pain and suffering. God allows people to go through such situations so as to mould them to be full of love, compassion and patience. A person who has never experienced hunger becomes hard for him to show compassion for those without food. The one who has never been rejected will not have compassion for those going through rejection. It has been said that experience is the best teacher. Going through a certain situation makes a person develop compassion towards a similar issue when experienced by someone else. It helps people to love, be patient, and be companionate about others (Zagzebski, Linda and Timothy, Pg. 183). Why would God not allow us to go through a smooth life? In the bible, the sinful woman uses her perfumed hair to wipe Jesus’ feet. Jesus tells the woman that her sins are forgiven. He adds that the one who has been forgiven much will love more than that who has been forgiven little. The more a person has gone through pain and suffering is the more they develop love and compassion towards others.

These people understand the meaning of going without food, they understand the feeling of staying for a year in the seek bed, and they understand the pain of going through fire. When they meet others going through the same situations, they become the first people to offer their help to save them as compared to those who have not experienced such problems. According to the book of Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth and everything that exists was created by Him. After the creation, God looked at everything and found that it was good. How would the same God love evil? Go does not love evil, rather, He allows evil in the world to form the good thing (Mulgan, Pg. 127). As Mackieclaims, evil produces gives rise to good.

Conclusion

According to the above explanations, Mackie’s argument concerning the existence of evil is correct. God and evil exists at the same time. The universe is better than it would be without evil. Evil makes the world good. God uses evil to create the good thing out of man. Among the reasons why God allows evil to exist is to discipline people and discourage them from immoral behavior, to show people that God truly exists, to make people strong and more productive, and to shape people’s character and behavior. If it was not evil, no one would rely on God. The society would not have experienced a continuous growth and development as it happening. There would be no technology. No one would have invented the internet. All these developments have come as solutions to the experienced problems which originates from evil. It is found that God exists in the midst of all evils that are happening. The paper supports Mackie’s argument that the world is better than it could be without evil. Therefore, evil is important and it should exist as the loving father, God, exists.

Work Cited

Davies, Brian. The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil. London: Continuum, 2006. Internet resource.

Gottfried W. Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man, and the Origin of Evil. New York: Cosimo, 2009. Print.

Mackie, J.L “Evil and Omnipotence,” Mind, New Series, Vol. 64, No. 254 (April, 1955). pp. 200-212.

Luft, Eric . God, Evil, and Ethics: A Primer in the Philosophy of Religion. North Syracuse, NY: Gegensatz Press, 2004. Print.

Mulgan, Tim. Purpose in the Universe: The Moral and Metaphysical Case for Ananthropocentric Purposivism. , 2015. Print

Pojman, Louis P, and Michael C. Rea. Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.

Salza, John. Mystery of Predestination: According to Scripture, the Church, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Charlotte, North Carolina: TAN Books, 2010. Internet resource..

Zagzebski, Linda T, and Timothy Miller. Readings in Philosophy of Religion: Ancient to Contemporary. , 2009. Print.