FORUM 2

Name
Professor
Course
Date
God’s Existence besides Natural CalamitiesNatural evils in the world supposedly created by a good and loving God are often a contentious issue that many philosophers and Christians have battled about. Perhaps, it’s one of the most noteworthy and compelling argument that keeps philosophers from both the West and the East aloof. Difficulties have arisen whenever one tries to prove or disprove the existence of an omnibenevolent and omnipotent God. David Hume argues that God is impotent as he (God) has the will but lacks the ability to prevent it, or is malevolent if he (God) has the ability but fails to prevent itCITATION All03 p 87 l 1033 (Allen 87).
However, the premise held by David Hume alongside other atheists on God’s malevolence and impotence is a philosophical stance that needs careful consideration. St. Augustine, a great advocate of God’s existence, indicates that natural evil is a noticeable effect of Satan and his Cohorts. Basically, the existence of free will in the contemporary world explains the rationale as to why Satan is granted the free will to cause natural calamities intended to avert or destroy our faith in an omnipotent GodCITATION All03 p 88 l 1033 (Allen 88). To prevent natural evils, it implies that God has to withdraw the free will bestowed on Satan and his cohorts. The destruction of their capacity counts as the only solution to humans being spared from the natural calamities that frequently hit humans. However, such an action would be synonymous to stripping off humans the free will of doing evil and harming others.

Another argument against the atheist’s stance on God allowing natural evil is that the atheists seem to be stuck on the misdirection that God had to create a perfect physical universe. Even in the creation story, God referred to his overall creation as “good” and not “perfect.” As such, atheists argument is naïve or simplistic and devoid of understanding of how the laws of physics impact the universeCITATION Mac12 p 35 l 1033 (McCloskey 35).
Work Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Robert Francis. “St. Augustine’s Theodicy and Natural Evil.” Ars Disputandi 3.1 (2003): 84-90. <https://doi.org/10.1080/15665399.2003.10819769>.
MacCloskey, Henry John. God and evil. Springer Science & Business Media, 2012.