“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; the darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Genesis 1:1-2
Why did God create evil? The answer shown below struck me to the core of my soul!
A professor at the university asked his students the following question:
“Was everything that exists created by God?”
One student bravely answered:
“Yes, everything was created by God.”
“Did God create everything?” – the professor asked.
“Yes, sir,” replied the student.
The professor then asked :
“If God created everything, then God created evil, since it exists. And according to the principle that our deeds define ourselves, then God is evil.”
The student became silent after hearing such an answer. The professor was very pleased with himself. He boasted to the students for proving once again that faith in God is a myth.
But then another student raised his hand and said:
“Can I ask you a question, professor?”
“Of course,” replied the professor.
The student got up and asked:
“Professor, is cold a thing?”
“What kind of question? Of course it exists. Have you ever been cold?”
Students laughed at the young man’s question. The young man answered:
“Actually, sir, cold doesn’t exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is actually the absence of heat. A person or object can be studied on whether it has or transmits energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees Fahrenheit) is a complete absence of heat. All matter becomes inert and unable to react at this temperature. Cold does not exist. We created this word to describe what we feel in the absence of heat.”
The student continued:
“Professor, does darkness exist?”
To which the professor replied, “Of course it exists.
“You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness also does not exist. Darkness is actually the absence of light. We can study the light but not the darkness. We can use Newton’s prism to spread white light across multiple colors and explore the different wavelengths of each color. You can’t measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into the world of darkness and and illuminate it. How can you tell how dark a certain space is? You measure how much light is presented. Isn’t it so? Darkness is a term man uses to describe what happens in the absence of light.”
In the end, the young man asked the professor:
“Sir. does evil exist?”
This time it was uncertain, the professor answered:
“Of course, as I said before. We see him every day. Cruelty, numerous crimes and violence throughout the world. These examples are nothing but a manifestation of evil.”
To this, the student answered:
“Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist for itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is like darkness and cold, a man-made word to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not faith or love, which exist as light and warmth. Evil is the result of the absence of Divine love in the human heart. It’s the kind of cold that comes when there is no heat, or the kind of darkness that comes when there’s no light.”
The student’s name was Albert Einstein.
Interesting concept.
God created angels, but didn’t create evil.
Evil therefore is the absence of God which is light.
Love this Mike!!!
You did it again! This was great to hear and follow the story as both sides argued. I like religious banter like this. It reminds me of Ravi Zacharias and how he would give us all ammunition to defend our Faith.