CONSIDERING THE QUESTION: "WHY DID GOD CREATE EVIL?"

The following is my slightly paraphrased account of a conversation that took place, many years ago, in a classroom in one of Europe’s foremost universities. See what you can learn from it.

A professor asked his students: “Has God created everything that exists?” When a student answered, “Yes,” the professor responded, “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. In fact this proves once again that God is a myth.”

The student then asked: “Is cold a thing?” “Of course,” said the professor. “Actually, sir,” the student responded, “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 based 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?” “Yes,” said the professor.

“In fact,” said the student, “darkness does not exist. It is simply the absence of light. We can study light but not darkness. We can use Newton's prism to spread white light across multiple colors and explore the different wavelengths of each color. The darkness of a room can only be determined by measuring how much light is present in it. Darkness is merely a term used to describe the result of an absence of light.

“Sir,” asked the student, “does evil exist?”  “I’ve already said so,” said the professor, “we see evil every day in the cruelty, crimes and violence that occurs around the world.” The student responded, “Evil does not exist in and of itself. What we see in cruelty, crimes and violence is what results in the absence of God. Evil is like darkness and cold which are only the result of the absence of light and warmth. It describes unbelief and hate which are the result of the absence of faith and Divine love in a human heart.”

Evil is a term that describes something horrible. It describes in one way or another and to one degree or another, the consequences of the absence of God.

The aforementioned student's name, by the way, was Albert Einstein.