At a certain college, there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians._ At the first class every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade and mock their statement of faith. One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand when asked if anyone was a Christian._ The professor asked, "Did God make everything, young man?" "Yes he did, sir," the young man replied. The professor responded, "If God made everything, then God made evil, and if we can only create from within ourselves, then God is evil." The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have once again proved the Christian faith to be a myth. Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something, sir?" "Yes you may," responded the professor. The young man stood up and said, "Sir, is there such thing as cold?" "Of course there is, what kind of a question is that?_ Haven't you ever been cold?" The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold does not exist._ What we consider to be cold is really only the absence of heat; absolute zeros when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist._ We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there." The young man continued, "Sir, is there such thing as dark?" Once again, the professor responded, "Of course there is." And once again, the student replied, "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist._ Darkness is really only the absence of light._ Darkness is only a term man developed to describe what happens when there is no light present." Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such thing as evil?" The professor responded, "Of course._ We have rapes, and murders and violence everywhere in the world, those things are evil." The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist._ Evil is simply the absence of God._ Evil is a term man developed to describe the absence of God._ God did not create evil._ It isn't like truth or love, which exist as virtues like heat and light._ Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat or darkness without light." The professor had nothing to say.
Just to throw my two cents in here.....evil does exist......that is the "mystery of evil". It exists and God didn't create it. If you want to talk about personalized evil the Devil exists....but the devil is intelligent, has a will, has a spirit, etc. All of these things in and of themselves are good, but in his case are used in opposition to God's will. That would be my definition of good and evil. In accordance with God's will or in opposition to God's will. The only real question is what is truly God's will. If you can figure that out then the rest is easy.
All the existential relativism crap aside, if you don't believe there is a good or evil or a God you are free to live you life any way you choose. You can kill, maim, torture, rape, steal and cheat as many people as you can get away with and there will be no eternal consequense for you. If you are really good at it you can inflict as much misery and attrocites upon your fellow man as a Hitler or a Stalin. No matter. When you are dead you just go into a hole in the ground like everybody else and you will have lived your life to the fullest of your perverted ambitions. But what if you are wrong and there is a God?
That reminds me of a quote from one of the Pope's after the death of the famous French statesman Richeileu (spelling?). (Richelieu was one of the most powerful men in Europe and responsible for the expansionist French policy that led to the Thirty Years War that decimated Central Europe). The Pope declared that if there is a God then Richelieu would have much to answer for. If there is no God......well then, Richelieu had had a successful life.
And then there's the dyslexic, insomniac agnostic. He lies awake all night wondering "is there a dog?"
"Its a 3 day ride from Bakersfield and I don't know why I came, I guess I came to keep from payin' dues. And so instead I grabbed a bottle, and a girl who's just 14, and it ended up a case of Mexicali Blues. And then the man came riding into town, some thought he was the law, Bille Jean was waiting when he came. She told me he would take her, if I didn't use my gun, and I'd have no one but my self to blame, So I went down to the dusty streets, blood was on my mind, I guess that stranger hadn't heard the news. I shot first and killed him, he didn't even draw, now I'll spend my lifetime runnin' from the Mexicali Blues Is there anything a man don't stand to lose, when the Devil wants to take it all the way, you just might find yourself out there on horseback in the dark, just runnin' across those desert sands" Greatful Dead - Mexicali Blues "Despite all my Sunday learnin' toward the bad I kept on turnin', Mama couldn't hold me anymore. And I turned 21 in prison doin life without parole, no one could steer me right but Mama Tried. Mama tried to raise me better but her pleadings I denied, that leaves no one but me to blame but Mama Tried." Merle Haggard song as done by Greatful Dead
