Is God the Cause or Creator of Evil? (Part One)

Lately, for whatever strange reason, I have been involved in several lengthy discussions with various people about the issue of God and evil. Now, when I say lately I mean in the last year or so. The root of most of these discussions grows out of someone actually declaring or implying that God in fact is the author/creator of evil. That being the case, I have, in my own meager way, tried to help the person/s gain a better understanding of the issue so they can either respond to the individuals who are making the claim, or to help clear up any confusion that might be in their thinking.

Before I move into my brief discussion here of the issue, let me state that I am not an expert on this issue. Moreover, there has been so much material written on this one issue over the years that I am not trying to add to any of the material out there, as if I have something new to say about the issue. My aim here is to merely bring forth, in as simplistic a way as possible, the issue at hand and how I usually respond. If you have any remarks or comments feel free to make your ‘complaints or praises’ in the comments.

To the question, Is God the cause or creator of evil, my simple answer is. . . NO!
As Christians we believe and confess that God is the creator of everything, either primarily (meaning directly) or secondarily (meaning indirectly). In the creation account, God in fact is described as creating the heavens and the earth (the entire universe and everything in it). However, most fail to take into account that after God created He declared what he had created good. So according to the Genesis account, everything God created is good. Well, obviously this begs the question, whence then comes evil?

(Nota Bene: the question, “Whence then comes evil?” seems to spark a whole host of other questions such as “If humans were created good then why do we sin?” etc. This is not a post about the human condition. I have actually touched on that issue a little in my two part post titled Are People Basically Good? You can see both parts here and here. I want to maintain focus on the single question, “Did God create evil?”)

My first response to the question, ‘where does evil come from’ lies in the ontology of evil itself. And with regard to the ontology of evil, I believe Saint Augustine has provided the most thorough and precise answer of all the thinkers I have read on the issue.

In his treatise De libero arbitrio voluntatis Augustine, in startling detail, discusses the issue of evil as it relates to God (whether God created it) and as it relates to humans (why are we guilty of it and why do we perform evil acts). The treatise is actually written in dialogue. Augustine is carrying on a conversation with Evodius regarding the issues and questions surrounding evil. In this treatise Augustine’s main thrust is to demonstrate that God did not create evil, nor did God cause men to perform evil acts.

I believe Augustine has the most satisfying answer to the ‘problem of evil.’ Therefore, in an upcoming post (for reasons of space) I will provide my response, which is predominately based on Augustine’s treatise De libero arbitrio voluntatis, to the question did God create or cause evil.