-
Essay / A personal perspective on the three principles of the Christian faith
The problem of evil is a problematic debate between skeptics and Christians. This essay will construct my personal views on the inconsistency between the three principles that intelligent and rational Christians affirm. The objective of this essay is to address the contradiction between the three tenets of the Christian faith and to discuss the resulting remarks regarding the labeling of God as all good and all powerful. Based on my personal belief, I find it difficult to accept all three principles since the third principle challenges the other two principles of God's power and love. If God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent, then why does He allow real suffering to exist in the world of humanity? Based on my personal reflection, I believe that God should not be categorized as a God who is both all-powerful and all-loving. since it allows moral and natural evil to occur in the world. Wouldn’t an all-loving, all-powerful God want to see humans happy and allow empathy into the world? In the book of Genesis, God is considered the sole creator of everything in the universe. Considering that he is the sole creator, we would like everything he brought to be based on good, moving intentions. But given that there are evil things in the world, wouldn't He also be the sole creator responsible for the existence of evil? When discussing God's ability to allow evil to exist, one must be aware that there are two types of evil; moral evil and natural evil. Since we are talking about evil, we must take into account the different types of evil that exist in our world. Moral evil and natural evil exist in the world. If God is all loving and all powerful, why does He allow moral evil, such as humans committing evil acts... middle of paper ...... evil that we are and are not in held responsible. It is God who is responsible for our actions because it is he who has granted us power. That being said, I argue that there is an inconsistency between the three principles that intelligent, rational Christians affirm. It is my belief that we cannot call God all-powerful and loving since He has allowed the existence of evil to not only be welcomed into society, but also to continue. The third principle of suffering contradicts the first two principles of God's love and omnipotence. If God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent, then why does He continue to allow suffering to exist in the world of humanity? The best way to answer this question according to Thomas Aquinas would be “Nothing that implies contradiction falls within the omnipotence of God.” (Summa Theologiae, Questions about God)