The existence of evil in the world leads many to question God’s goodness or even His existence. The problem of evil has been debated by theologians and philosophers for centuries. Questions arise, such as: ‘Where was God when the death camps were operating at full capacity?’ or ‘Where is God when civilians in Ukraine are suffering?’ The answer is not simple, but it is true.
Many who ask these questions often express the same doubt: ‘If God existed, He would not allow such evil.’ This is a common response from those who have lost a loved one, particularly to severe illness or tragedy.1 They argue that if God were real, He would intervene. Would He not have revealed Himself to Hitler to stop the Holocaust? Would He not prevent a murderer from carrying out a crime? Would He not heal someone suffering from a terminal illness?
These dilemmas are entirely understandable. For someone facing suffering, it is not easy to reconcile the belief in an all-knowing, all-powerful, and good God with His apparent lack of intervention. The question of how such a God can coexist with evil is as old as Christianity itself and is examined in a branch of theology known as theodicy.
Atheists and the problem of evil
The existence of evil and suffering is often cited by atheists as evidence against the existence of God. Atheists reject the idea of a Creator and accept the theory of evolution, which holds that suffering and hardship are natural aspects of life in the universe. Since evil exists, and a benevolent God would not create a world filled with it, they conclude that God cannot exist—or, if He does, He is to be resented. For this reason, atheists see the concept of God as incompatible with the presence of evil.
Is this really the case? Antony Flew, one of the most well-known former atheists, used the term incompatible in his 1950 article Theology and Falsification to argue against the existence of God. He claimed that the problem of evil was a serious challenge to theism. However, his critics, including Raeburn Heimbeck and Basil Mitchell, challenged his reasoning. Heimbeck accused Flew of confusing incompatibility with simply being an argument against God’s existence. In other words, while the existence of evil raises difficulties for theism, it does not make it logically impossible. God can still exist in a world where evil is present.2
Meanwhile, Mitchell showed that theologians fully understand the problem of evil and consider how it can be reconciled with the existence of a loving God. However, this does not cause them to doubt God’s existence or His love for humanity. This was one of the steps that led Flew towards belief in God. A few years before his death, he rejected atheism and accepted deism.3
The problem of evil in evolutionism
By accepting deism, Flew came to believe in a God who created everything. However, he still adhered to the theory of evolution, which, as previously mentioned, maintains that suffering has always been a part of the world.4 Initially, bacteria are said to have struggled for survival, followed by animals, and eventually humans. According to the theory of evolution, the fundamental principle is that the strong prevail, while the weak are left behind.
This theory cannot, however, answer a fundamental question: how did blind evolution produce humans capable of contemplating the problem of theodicy? Why can humanity think in terms of good and evil? Some Christians try to reconcile belief in God with evolutionary theory. They maintain that God created the world and humanity as described by modern evolutionary science while also granting humans dignity. This view is known as theistic evolution.
Yet this compromise view does not provide a satisfactory answer to why evil and suffering exist in the world. Moreover, it unintentionally implies that God created a world filled with suffering from the very beginning. If God is loving, He would not have created a world full of evil. For this reason, theistic evolution is more likely to foster resentment toward God than bring people closer to Him.
The problem of evil according to the Bible
The only way to address these dilemmas is to recognise that, in the beginning, God created a world without evil or suffering. The Bible shows that, at first, animals did not kill each other for food, and humanity lived in harmony with nature without destroying it.5 However, when humans rebelled against God, they faced the consequences of a curse. This was the origin of pain, suffering, and evil in the world.6 Yet the original ideal of the Garden of Eden, even if only subconsciously, remains in the human heart. It is this ideal that leads us to question why we suffer.
What about the question of why God does not intervene when great injustices happen? Why did He not stop Hitler before the Holocaust or Putin before the invasion of Ukraine? In the same way, one could ask why God did not prevent Cain from killing Abel or stop the Romans from executing the apostle Paul. Scripture tells us that Paul was ready to die for Christ, in whom he believed.7
In Abel’s case, the Bible says that God spoke to Cain before he killed his brother, trying to reason with him—but Cain did not listen.8 This shows that the biblical God does not usually prevent evil but waits for the time when all evil will be judged. However, He cares for the victims of wrongdoing. After Cain killed Abel, God said to him, ‘The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground’.9 God always stands on the side of the defenceless and the wronged. He also speaks—even through conscience—to those planning evil. Many crimes and atrocities never happened because God quietly reached a would-be perpetrator.
Conclusion
The theory of evolution seeks to convince people that God either does not exist or does not care about humanity because He allows evil. However, the Bible affirms that even though God permits murder, war, and genocide, He identifies with the victims. It also teaches that, in the future, He will judge all the evil in the world.10 This can only be fully understood through the biblical doctrine of creation, for it is only through Scripture that we know where we come from, where we are now, and where we are ultimately going.
By the way, we recommend reading the articles:
- Pangaea – The Supercontinent That Broke Apart
- Can Scientists Prove That the Universe Cannot Be Eternal?
- Did Dinosaurs Coexist with Humans?
- Saturn’s Rings as Evidence of a Young Solar System
- God and Genocide? A Critical Examination of the Difficult Passages of the Bible
- Speech – A Unique Human Ability
- Self-Transcendence – The Forgotten Human Need
Footnotes
- Answers in Genesis, ‘Where was God?’, available at: https://answersingenesis.org/suffering/suffering-death/where-was-god/
- Flew, A. & Varghese, R.A., There is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, HarperCollins e-books, 2007, p. 47 (PDF version).
- Ibid., pp. 74–75 (PDF version).
- Ibid., pp. 123–124 (PDF version).
- The Bible, New King James Version, 1982, Genesis 2:19–20.
- Mitchell, T., ‘Why Does God’s Creation Include Death and Suffering?’, Answers in Genesis, 31 January 2008, available at: https://answersingenesis.org/suffering/why-does-gods-creation-include-death-and-suffering/
- The Bible, New King James Version, 1982, Philippians 1:20–21.
- The Bible, New King James Version, 1982, Genesis 4:6–7.
- The Bible, New King James Version, 1982, Genesis 4:10.
- The Bible, New King James Version, 1982, Romans 12:19.
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