Does evil exist? Did God create evil?

topic posted Fri, January 6, 2006 - 8:17 PM by  @leksonder
A University professor challenged his students with
this question.

"Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"

"God created everything?" The professor asked.

"Yes sir", the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything,
then God created evil, since evil exists, and
according to the principal that our works define who
we are, then God is evil."

The student became quiet before such an answer. The
professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the
students that he had proven once more that the
Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask
you a question professor?"

"Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold
exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists.!
Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at
the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not
exist. According to the laws of physics, what we
consider cold is in reality the absence of heat.
Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it
has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body
or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero
(-460? F) is the total absence of heat; all matter
becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that
temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this
word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness
exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir,
darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality
the absence of light. Light we can study, but not
darkness. In fact we can use Newton 's prism to break
white light into many colors and study the various
wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure
darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world
of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how
dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of
light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term
used by man to describe what happens when there is no
light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does
evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as
I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the
daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the
multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the
world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir,
or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is
simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness
and cold, a word that man has created to describe the
absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the
result of what happens when man does not have God's
love present in his heart. It's like the cold that
comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes
when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name -- Albert Einstein

(Note: I received this posting via e-mail, so I cannot verify the veracity of this story. If someone does have the source to this tale, please share it with us.)
  • Re: Does evil exist? Did God create evil?

    Sat, January 7, 2006 - 4:53 AM
    Everything (every-thing) is one, unified and composed of "all" that is (any-thing, anything, tangible) and "all" that is not (no-thing, nothing, nothingness, intangible, the void, emptiness, null set, nilset etc.)

    Accessing an open channel to receive this unity is key to knowing. Polar opposites are a 3 dimensional viewpoint. Oppositions with a midpoint. Singularity is a 4 dimensional realm whereby balance and proportion justifies the true symbology of the equidistant cross.
  • Re: Does evil exist? Did God create evil?

    Sat, January 7, 2006 - 5:04 PM
    If there is good, then of course there is evil...think of it as if the yin and the yang in the aspects of life in general...keep in mind that there is a positive and negative to all and evil is simply the worst scenerio of good.
    • Re: Does evil exist? Did God create evil?

      Tue, January 10, 2006 - 2:36 AM
      I see "Evil" as a level of deficiency concerning what we would percieve to be "good/pure"

      I personally do not see things in terms of black and white... if it were so concrete how could there possibly be so many elements? Why does life seem so dynamic? Life is always changing...

      Why do things change? Due to influence... and how can these influences be what is deemed "good" or "bad"? I believe Einsteins intent was to prove that Evil is simply a name to slap on what is a "negative" influence. "Evil" manifests as a lack of love/positive influence.

      Thanks, @, for the post : ) I was having a conversation with my mother a while back and was trying to explain to her why evil is simply an idea (she was telling me someone is "evil")... that the idea is due to a lack of concern for the subject. This goes to reinforce my views. I find it difficult to meaningfully communicate with some idealists

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