Can God do evil?

Question

"the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."

"when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?"

Another question is if doing evil things is even immoral if it causes an overall benefit

I believe the bible acknowledges the reality of moral relativism. What's good for one group may be bad for another group

Today, if you spank a child, which is evil according to the morally relativistic definition, it's necessarily immoral

PoliteSpeaker · Accepted Answer

God doeth the work. You just have the free will to choose. God is amoral. the Bible talks in ways we can understand him as humans. Same way we have pictures of a white Jesus instead of what he actually looked like or how Santa is white now too instead of Turkish. But God is amoral. God does not operate like man.

jshm2 · Accepted Answer

You're confused.

A lot of the bible is lost in translation and outright wrong in how it's applied by modern "Christians". Hence you cannot trust the bibles word absolutely.

God can only be God - nothing less, else he's not God.

purplepoppy · Accepted Answer

The Lord has made everything for his own ends, even the wicked for the evil day. (Proverbs 16:4 NAB) The next day an evil spirit from God came over Saul, and he raged in his house. (1 Samuel 18:10-11 NAB)
I regret the evil I have done you.” (Jeremiah 42:9-10 NAB)
God is evil

Agape93 · Accepted Answer

God even said he created good and evil. So if one creates the very concept of evil, can they be considered moral or good? No, because they are then responsible for every act of subsequent evil.

ChefPapiChulo · Answer

i'll explain it to you. But only once.

1. God can do whatever he wants. When we're talking about the Bible. He's God. That's really all that needs to be said. There's no counter argument, that's where it ends.

2. that's creepy thing to say. Evil is the act of being immoral. It's the same thing, they're synonyms.

3. The bible is the word of God, there are no contradictions and it doesn't recognize moral relativism. Whether you believe the Bible is true or false doesn't matter.

4. People today don't think spanking is evil. They just think it's wrong. Now you can be wrong and be immoral, but you're not immoral for being wrong.

Hopefully i boosted your IQ a few points.

bamesjond0069 · Answer

1. God is good as a definition. God is the ultimate arbiter of good and thus if God does something or commands something it is good.

2. There is no instance in which by doing evil causes so much good that it is now not evil. If you think it causes so much good for such a tiny harm you are actually mistaken to the facts. Can you call your wife a bad name to save all of humanity from full scale nuclear war? I'd love to hear an actual scenario like that. Typically what you're talking about is the justification like if we kill and steal from a few then the many can eat. That kind of thinking is evil.

Anonymous · Answer

If you’ve read the entire Bible and all you can determine is that morality is relevant only for the time you are living in, then you are mistaken. Many times in the Old Testament, God took only one person or family who was not evil and rescued them from his judgement. See Noah and Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. If God’s laws are as fluid as you make them sound, why were there specifically Ten Commandments and why was this law carried all the way through the rest of the Old Testament and into the New Testament? If you’re reading the Bible and all you can come up with is how morals aren’t that important and that they change as people change over time, then you are not reading it correctly.

Pj1981 · Answer

It's not evil if God does it but if you go buy the Bible especially old testaments he had absolutely no problem having people kill people that went against his will. I believe it's called a lesson if it comes from God maybe discipline even but I do know that if God doesn't tell us to do it then it is evil.

smølf · Answer

God do not, do any evil. However, he does allow evil to take place.

SynthKobra · Answer

Evil is a human construct and will always be a human construct. When I water the plants and kill ants am I evil? Perhaps if I decide so. But my perspective on such things is far beyond that of an ant. I would compare the same with the concept of higher beings such as “God”.

Ms_Vanderquack · Answer

Come on, have you even read the bible? God has murdered millions of people.

Lj0011 · Answer

I would like like to believe in God but I find it too hard to. With so many religions around the world, thousands before the Abrahamic faiths were created. I mean if a child dies from cancer at a young age is God doing that to them? And so many other examples of unjust events occurring. I think when we die it will be like before we are born no consciousness. I hope there is something after death but I don't think there is anything.

devilman666 · Answer

Yeah, read the story of job and the story of jephthah, then read the laws of slavery in Leviticus 25:44-46, then read about the children in 2 Kings 2:23-24.

dreamstar72 · Answer

Tower of Babel examples The flood example Just two of the bad mistakes Since god is god, why even have evil, hate and greed. Do we really need it?

TallAnon · Answer

If there was a God, it would be the most evil being in the universe. Knowing about all evil, yet choosing not to stop it. Including baby rape, cancer, torture, etc. Hell, one can say it's "his design".

SlightlyEccentric · Answer

If the story of Noah's Arc is to be believed, the answer is yes. Murders millions because he is basically a child standing over an ant hill.

stuntbrain · Answer

If God is all powerful, yes. If no, then where did this limitation come from? God must have decided to create this restriction, which shows ability

disgustingweebtrash · Answer

If God is to exist then all he does is just and none can question.

Keviihanma · Answer

No god is just an idiot I say that not out of spite but as a fact

Anonymous · Answer

God achieves good and evil through the works of men.

Diodoro · Answer

Power doesn't dictate morality. Yes

Hispanic-Cool-Guy · Answer

It's impossible. God is 100% righteous and Holy.

In_Trance · Answer

yeah; he's a real prick when he wants to be

Can God do evil?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said