Is it by chance that the oldest book of the Bible deals with the problem of evil and proposes precisely this solution?
The book of Job is thought to have been written 4,000 years ago. Thus, for at least 4,000 years this solution has been available and thus, the more popular the problem of evil becomes the more those proposing it discredit themselves—a 4,000 years history of refutation is certainly devastating to one’s objections.
Simply stated, the book of Job proposes that evil occurs and that God has a reason(s) for allowing it. Anyone who has thought this issue through is logically lead to conclude that this solution is viable. For example, I recall thinking of the problem of evil whilst watching a nurse stab my newborn baby with a syringe. As she plunged the needle into his ever so tender newborn foot his face turned red, he grimaced, yelled and cried in pain.
I recognized that I, for all intents and purposes, his omnipotent father could have prevented the nurse from causing him pain. Yet, I know better than he; I knew that there was a higher purpose, a deeper meaning and that his momentary pain was for the better as she was checking his blood sugar level. At that time I was so beyond his level of understanding that there was no way for me to explain, justify, why I did nothing in the face of someone causing him pain. I also suspect that by the time he is old enough to fully understand the functions of the human body as it pertains to blood sugar levels and medical procedures it will all seem simply irrelevant to him. I imagine that his reaction may be something to the likes of “What pain? How long ago? I certainly do not even remember! Whatever!”
Atheists have besmirched the book of Job for supposedly turning humans into play things, for treating humans as pawns in a wager between God and satan. However, the fact of the matter is that any and all atheist objections are simply irrelevant because the book of Job has been a source of comfort to the suffering for 4,000 years (I elucidated this in the essay The Book of Job Dismissed but Essential).
In the book of Job, Job receives some very bad advice from his friends; some of whom state that Job must be being punished for his sin. This was simply not the case. There comes a point at which Job confronts God Himself and from God’s very first statement we get the point, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” (Job 38:4).
While, this is only the beginning of God’s statement the point is clear; there is an entire universe occurring out there, the natural and the supernatural, and sorry but it does not revolve around us, it is not all about us.
Moreover, what if you took some medicine, it turned out to be from a bad batch and you suffered and died? What if this meant that this medicine would be investigated, pulled from the open market and thereby thousands of lives would be saved? Your suffering and death would mean that thousands would not suffer and die. Certainly, such suffering and death would seem worthwhile in the light of its effects. In such a case we would not emotionally like the idea of suffering and death but we would accept the logical / theological conclusion that it was justified since it had a reason(s).
Forms of the problem of evil:
1. If God exists, gratuitous evil does not exist 2. Gratuitous evil does exist
3. God does not exist
1. If God exists, gratuitous evil does not exist 2. God exists
3. Therefore gratuitous evil does not exist (the appearance of gratuitous evil is not really gratuitous)
1. If a perfectly good god exists, then evil does not. 2. There is evil in the world.
3. Therefore, a perfectly good god does not exist.
1. God exists. 2. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and perfectly good. 3. A perfectly good being would want to prevent all evils. 4. An omniscient being knows every way in which evils can come into existence. 5. An omnipotent being, who knows every way in which an evil can come into existence, has the power to prevent that evil from coming into existence. 6. A being who knows every way in which an evil can come into existence, who is able to prevent that evil from coming into existence, and who wants to do so, would prevent the existence of that evil. 7. If there exists an omnipotent, omniscient, and perfectly good being, then no evil exists.
8. Evil exists (logical contradiction).
1. If God is perfectly loving, He must wish to abolish evil 2. If He is all powerful, He must be able to abolish evil 3. But evil exists
4. Therefore, an all powerful, loving God does not exist.
1. God is the author of everything. 2. Evil is something.
3. Therefore God is the author of evil.
1. God made everything perfect. 2. Imperfection cannot come from perfection. 3. Therefore perfectly created beings cannot be the origin of evil.
4. Therefore God must be the origin.
1. If God is all good, He would destroy evil. 2. If God is all-powerful, He could destroy evil. 3. But evil is not destroyed.
4. Hence, there is no such God.