Atheism and the Problem of Evil

problem of evil—the problem of reconciling God’s existence with

the existence of evil

argument for atheism based on the problem of evil—

1. If God exists, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good.

2. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good, then God can prevent evil, knows how to prevent evil, and wants to prevent evil.

3. If God can prevent evil, knows how to prevent evil, and wants to prevent evil, then God does prevent evil.

4. If God does prevent evil, then evil does not exist.

5. Evil does exist.

6. Therefore, God does not exist.

Possible objections to the argument—

1. Premise 1 is false: (a) God is not all-powerful, (b) God is not all-knowing, or (c) God is not perfectly good.

2. Premise 2 is false: God’s being perfectly good does not imply that God wants to prevent evil. Rather God wants to allow the evil necessary to bring about the greatest possible good.

3. Premise 3 is false: God’s being able to prevent evil, knowing how to prevent evil, and wanting to prevent evil does not imply that God chooses to prevent evil. God may also want to give human beings free will, which means that some evil must be allow to occur.

4. Premise 5 is false: Evil is the absence of good—not something that exists in its own right.

Another argument for atheism based on the problem of evil—

1. If God exists, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good.

2. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good, then God could have created the best possible world, knew how to create the best possible world, and chose to create the best possible world.

3. If God could have created the best possible world, knew how to create the best possible world, and chose to create the best possible world, then God did create the best possible world.

4. If God did create the best possible world, then this is the best possible world.

5. This is not the best possible world.

6. Therefore, God does not exist.

Possible objections to the second argument?