This will be a religion-based blog post. Be forewarned.
Good versus Evil. God vs. The Devil. Light vs. Dark.
The Ultimate Conflict.
This conflict is the center of a meme that I saw a few weeks ago (the exact one is stored on my home computer; this is close):
This is known as the “Epicurean Paradox”. Going alongside this paradox are the answers that I’ve most often heard and seen, as a response: “God has a plan” and “”[It] happened for a reason”.
This is the source of my uncertainty and/or confusion.
I believe in God. I do not belong to a particular religion or a particular church. That paradox in the meme above brings up some questions that I have a hard time wrapping my head around. The 2 questions that most vex me, paraphrased, are: “If God willing and able to prevent evil, then where does evil come from?” and “If He is able but not willing? Then he is malevolent.”
The “willing and able” question is a good one. How does evil stay around if good can and will defeat it? Is there is more evil in the world/universe than originally believed? (doubtful.) Is good being too lenient on evil? (No.)
The “able but not willing” question ties into the “God has a plan” and “it happens for a reason” statements. I do not think or believe that God is malevolent…. but if He isn’t, then why is evil allowed to exist? Also, if it’s all “a part of the plan”, why are so many people suffering and/or hurting? The “plan” couldn’t involve the pain of millions… could it?
To be clear: I am not questioning God, regardless of the religion. I am not that stupid, arrogant, or powerful.
I am just a human, on this planet, trying get a little more understanding and clarity about some of the great universal questions. I’m not expecting answers but I am hoping to find out if I’m missing some key piece of knowledge.
The Nexus 