It kind of goes along with "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" and "Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people?"
I've never heard a completely satisfactory answer but the closest anyone has come is this: Without evil, we wouldn't know what good is (and vice-versa). Just as: without darkness, we wouldn't know what light is. Without sound, we wouldn't know what silence is. Without heat, we wouldn't know what cold is. And on and on.
I don't know that there is an answer that will satisfy us on this side of Heaven but the important thing to focus our thoughts on is that to one degree or another we are able to play a part in how those things affect and effect our lives.
To Torba's point, that is a tall ask.
We can't even come to agreement on things such as the rapture. Some preach a pre-tribulation rapture and can quote chapter and verse to prove their stance. Others preach a mid-trib rapture and can quote chapter and verse to prove their point. Others preach a post-trib rapture and others preach no rapture at all and can quote chapter and verse.
And each shouts, "Heretic!", at the other.
And don't even get me started on the topic of speaking in tongues.
It's a tall ask but I appreciate where Torba's coming from.
It kind of goes along with “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”
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If God allows free will then free will is granted to both good and evil people. God didn’t “cause” the Holocaust, but by his just nature of granting free will he had to let it happen.
God returned to us the “Tree of Life” in Jesus
He also allows us still to eat from the tree of good and evil, it’s our choice
God chose to give us his power to do his work on earth.
The most terrible things that happen here are because the good allow the evil to stand unchecked.
Why did the church allow Hitler to get that far? Hell, some of the church helped him.
In many cases, we are the blame for the atrocities on earth, not God
Your point of “without evil we would not know what is good” is right. This is a perfect example of the metaphor of the tree of good and evil. Man did not know evil until their eyes were open in Eden. We were not created to judge good and evil, we only knew good until then.
I’m right there with ya! Good post! BTTT
>>It kind of goes along with “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” and “Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people?”<<
>>I’ve never heard a completely satisfactory answer<<
This is my understanding. I don’t claim it is THE understanding, just seems to make sense.
God created the earth and all that’s in it. He then gave it over to man. Under lords if you will. Man was in perfect relationship with his creator...until the fall.
When man AND woman chose “free will” to disobey God and the fall from righteousness began, the keys to creation was handed over to satan. Not understanding all that that entails, it explains passages describing satan as the prince of the power of the air. Being the god of this world.
In essence, satan is in control of the events on earth.