Name
Prof.
PHIL 201-B13
July 1, 2019
Final Essay
All over the world, all throughout time, there have been many beliefs and discussions on
what evil is and why it exists. While Christianity clearly defines who and what evil is, what
morality is, and why they exist, other beliefs struggle to truly define what evil and morality stand
for. These beliefs become almost subjective, saying that you may do what you will. What is the
meaning to life? Just as life and all that is good has its origin story, evil has its origin.
In “The Absurdity of Life without God” Craig says the following; “For in a universe
without God, good and evil do not exist—there is only the bare valueless fact of existence, and
there is no one to say you are right and I am wrong.” [ CITATION Wil19 \l 1033 ] When we
consider how God created everything in the beginning to be good, we know that everything was
good and there was no evil. Sin came into the world because of mankind’s decision to go against
the will of God and listen to the lie told by the enemy. The opposing force of the devil exists
within the world because of Gods plan for us all. In the end we know that he is cast away forever
and until that time there is evil that exists within the hearts of man. Neo-Darwinists think
differently in that “The universe has ‘no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but
blind, pitiless indifference’!” [ CITATION Tom18 \l 1033 ]. In theory this would mean that
morality is meaningless and that someone could just go out and kill someone else without the
need for any repercussions. However, any logical individual would argue that this is wrong and
that there are guidelines for morality even outside of religion. While people question the
existence of God in beliefs like atheism there are many papers, articles and defenses to why God
does exist. “The Plight of the New Atheism: A Critique” says “but somehow Harris seems to
construe Christian believers as being unwilling to present evidence for God's existence (p. 51).
This alone indicates that he is probably out of touch with the conservative, Bible-believing
Christian to whom he addresses the book (p. viii). To confirm this, all he would need to do is to
check out many of the scholarly treatments of God's existence.” [ CITATION Gar08 \l 1033 ]
The meaning of life is something everyone on earth wants to know intrinsically. Whether
subconsciously or consciously we long to have meaning and purpose in this life. This is big part
of what allows us to experience fulfillment. Going through life, feeling lost, empty, and confused
is life without God. Life without God is one without purpose. We all need to have purpose in life
and there is no meaning to life without God. Everything that is good comes from God. “If each
individual person passes out of existence when he dies, then what ultimate meaning can be given
to his life?”[ CITATION Wil19 \l 1033 ]. This life on earth is short in the timeline of the
universe. If we were to cease to exist when our time on earth is finished, then our life was
nothing more than a spark next to a raging inferno. If this were true, then what would the purpose
of all of humanity be? Nothing more than to live as we saw fit and then die. No higher purpose.
No greater calling. We must believe that there is more to this life than what this world has to
offer. God is the basis from which we pull meaning and purpose in this life and the next.
To live a good life is to live one with purpose. What is a “good” life? Could life be
“good” without an objective meaning? The answer is that life cannot be good without God and
without meaning. We may live a life where our experiences are fun and we have friendships and
live a long life, but in the end, when we come face to face with death, we will wonder what our
life was for. When you are unable to know what you lived for, why you when through heartache
and pain, what it all meant, you will be left lost, confused, and wondering what could’ve been.
God is without a doubt exactly who he says he is. The Bible is clear on the nature of
God. With regard to the problem of evil, as I explained previously, the origin of evil was not of
God’s intention and for us to conclude whether or not God was mistaken in allowing Satan to do
what he has done and for man to fall into sin is not our place. There is a reason for this that we
may not be able to see. To say that philosophically God can’t exist because evil exists is too
small minded. We need to think outside of our timeline and this world and think on a scale that
we cannot even begin to fathom.
Works Cited
Craig, William Lane. https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/existence-
nature-of-god/the-absurdity-of-life-without-god/. n.d. 1 July 2019.
Harbermas, Gary R. "The Plight of the New Atheism: A Critique." Journal of the Evangelical
Theological Society (208): 822-823.
Thomas, Tom. https://www.moralapologetics.com/wordpress/2018/9/19/suffering-richard-
dawkins-contra-jesus. 19 September 2018. 1 July 2019.
