Over coffee, I was talking to Bob, a Vietnam Vet, about God while waiting for a technology demo. Bob refuse to believe in God. He related to me some extraordinarily cruel war crimes in Vietnam. He was also quite a buff on war crimes. “How could a God let the Prussians of 1890 throw innocent babies up in the air and bayonet them in front of their mothers.” “How could God stand by a watch the extermination camps of Hitler, Pol Pot and others” he questioned. “Not to mention the serial rapists and child molesters in the news everyday” Bob added. Bob concluded, “If there is a God either he is cruel or just doesn’t care”.

This, in a nutshell, is the Problem of Evil. If God is good then how can there be evil? Is Bob right? Does God not care!

God does care! This is the very foundation of Christianity. God knows that the world is infected with evil and must be destroyed! God is quite aware of the Lucifer Principle. He warned ADAM and EVE "Gen 2:17... thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." He even exiled man from paradise that we should not live forever in such a horrible state.

Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Even as God curse the ground that man should work hard to live he was in fact helping man to temper the Evil within. After all, idle hands are indeed the devils workshop. You see, (2Pe 3:9) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

It is a fact that God has personally intervened many times in history to temper evil. Not only did he send his son Jesus Christ but God has also walk many times among men and intervened in the affairs of Man. Several times in the history of man He has tempered Mankind's terrible evil.

Gen 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

God does CARE. He grieves the evil of man. He almost has, and can and always will be able to destroy mankind from the face of the earth. It's important to keep that in mind. Yet, here in this passage we also see the compassion God has for good men. Compassion, even if just one family, Noah’s, is worthy of God’s mercy. God is long suffering and will not always resort to mankind’s destruction.

Gen 11:4And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Gen 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
Gen 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
Gen 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

So it must not be said that God doesn't care. He has tried time and again to change the course of Mankind. God well recognizes the Lucifer Principle in man. He established the law and the profits through Moses. Even more important is that God has given us the ultimate solution to the problem of evil. Jesus Christ.

1Jo 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jo 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1Jo 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

This is key. If the world would but choose to follow Jesus Christ then most all the evil would disappear. Wars would all but disappear. Crime would vanish. Even the famines, earthquakes and natural disasters would be of low impact as Christians would come to the aide of the afflicted. The United States is a poor excuse of this but as many in foreign lands dominated by other God's will tell you It is the greatest the world has. The United States Freedoms, standard of living, justice and opportunities are the envy of the nations. The entire blessings of this great nation are based on its foundation on Christianity. If everyone everywhere were to follow Christ there would still be sorrow but the arms of the love for one another would overcome that sorrow. If the world had been founded on Jesus Christ ways three would be peace. If the world would follow the mandates of Jesus Christ there would be no crime. This world would be without evil. This of course is ultimately God's goal.(See Isiah 11:6-10 to be blessed) God will ultimately gain this goal by destroying evil from the face of the earth. Cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The Question then is not “does God care?” but why does he not do anything about Evil, now!I would be very careful what you wish for O atheist and vengeful soul.For you might get it!Understand that evil is not a thing. It's not a virus or some black goop that is among us. It is a choice of will. It is A knowledge of Good and Evil. A Knowledge as in to experience something. As a carpenter knows his Job so does mankind Know Evil. It is a part of every one of us. Apart from Christ , not to do evil is like asking a carpenter to not build for a living when it's the only thing he knows. If he wants to live he must build! (FOREST GUMP)

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Understand O atheist and vengeful soul. if God where to have to destroy Evil from among us he will have to destroy You along with Hitler and the rest. Why? Evil is a disease of our soul. (See THE DISEASED SOUL) Like any infectious disease Sin must be cured or the host destroyed.

As we come to understand the weakness of our own soul we must now look at the Great picture or what I call the GREAT WAR. Satan claims his ways are more powerful than God’s ways. God, who stands for love, peace, freedom and true happiness (1Jn4:8 GOD IS LOVE) is at war with Satan whose ways are force, Violence, hatred and pride. Satan love the things of this world. He loves the LUCIFER PRINCIPLE he has so carefully crafted in us. Satan believes he can overcome the ways of God with it.

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

The disease of our Soul, evil, is like powerful biological warfare in the hands of the Enemy of God. As Satan seeks the ones he can devour. He produces situations of evil that explode and infect and harm more souls. This result is some kind of bizarre Glory for him as he seeks to destroy God’s creation. Every lie, murder, homosexual act and rape tempts people to doubt God and to reply with violence and hatred. Unfortunately, it is not only our hard Sins that work this way but also our carelessness, lies and laziness that can explode into such bombs. Drunk drivers, snide remarks, jealousy and more result in much agony and pain. In this way Satan hopes to destroy the belief in God and his righteousness. God would then have no choice but to destroy creation. Like house with small pox, the black plague or leprasy it must be quarantined and destroyed.

Gen 6:7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

The Lord then and now has two choices. Destroy mankind and thereby evil or effect a cure. He has nearly destroyed all of us in the past. However, for his love and his name’s sake he has chosen not to destroy creation. Instead he affected a cure though Noah, Moses, the Jews and ultimately Jesus Christ. I speak of course of Jesus Christ, who’s stated purpose is to bring us into a healing relationship with God.

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;

Unfortunately, All will not take the cure. The world continues in sorrow. The explosions of evil therefore go on. Despondently, as in any war these explosions kill both innocent and guilty alike. “In war”, a war correspondents often says, ”A stray bullet cares not about the innocence of its victim”. I honestly am often despondent with people over the loss of a loved one. Drunk drivers, Suicide bombers, or even careless drivers also care not about the innocence’s of their victims. Regrettably, these are what are called in war “collateral damage”. A callus word indeed, but appropriate. In a world that does not recognize the truth of God, Jesus Christ, then evil will explode and there will be collateral damage. Satan will continue to manipulate situations that explode evil.

God could destroy all men. He has shown that power in the past. However, God prefers to let the evil and the good grow together before the great harvest! The harvest consists of those who choose the cure and those who do not.

Mat 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Evil is just too intertwined with Good in this world. They must grow together that evil will be shown to be evil and good will be shown to be good. That, my friend, is the essence of the Great War.

So now the Problem of Evil is not “does God care?” or question of “destroy evil now” but “why does he not protect the innocent” or “why does he not force all to do Good”.

While these are good question in the light of an all powerful God they do lead to some rather comical speculation on how he would do this. Would some great hand extend out of nothing to stop the bullet from hitting the innocent or the drunkards’ car from killing the child?Would he stop time and secretly re-direct the bullet or car back upon the evildoer? Would suddenly a hand slap the criminal silly before he did his evil thing? The point here is clear. How would God do this? Without a specific process it’s difficult to give a specific reason. However, God does state his plan for salvation.

Jam 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Nevertheless, let’s assume he does the aforementioned things. There would almost certainly have to be a violation of two great rules of the Great War. These rules are Faith and liberty. (v17 below) The ways of love dictate that we must come unto God by way of faith (ie trust) in Him. (v17 above) We should not be forced or scared unto God. Fear, trickery and force are the ways of the Enemy not the ways of God. There is good reason why God follows these ways of love (Remember he is love) for if people were to come into the Kingdom of God by force or fear then would their hearts not have to change and evil would live on into eternity! No the wrath of God will come upon the ones who have no faith. (v18)

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

If every innocent were to be miraculously saved, i.e. by the hand of God then the Evildoers would not repent by faith, which changes their hearts, but by fear of the powerful hand of God. There would be no trust needed. Every time innocence was in harms way Evil would see the powerful and miraculous hand of God. Evil would continue to live on into eternity to plague the Good. The curse of death would indeed be in vain .

On the other hand, faith does no stop God from doing Miracles to save the innocent. He did so when he walk on the earth as Jesus Christ and continue to do so today. There are more than a dozen examples of Jesus miracles such as healing the sick and raising the dead and calming seas to save the innocent. However to apply these miracles in a universal fashion that is both repeatable and observable would be to violate the principles of Faith. Therefore, God continues his miracles in a way what would seem a capricious fashion to us (EX. 33:19)butI am assured that it will be made very clear in time.

Exo 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

For God to addict or force people to be Good is far from God’s nature. He will not make us some kind of Zombie for Christ. Living with our minds blown by some kind of drug or robotic mechanism is not the way of love. It is, however, the ways of the evil one , as the addicts of the world can attest! God does not want robots or unwilling slaves. Freedom and liberty are the ways of love and God will not force all people to be Good. He will not force people to believe in Christ. It is not in his Spirit. It is not his way.

In fact, if you think about it, the problem of Evil shows that there is a Good God. Yes, that’s right! Far from proving there is no God it proves there is a God.

Do you believe it is ultimately evil to throw babies up and bayonet them as the Japanese did in world war two. Do you believe it wrong to lock a young woman up in a closet and rape her every day until she escaped! Are you aghast at the evil of burning thousands of people in ovens like cordwood! Do you believe it to be ultimate evil to fly an airplane full of fuel into the twin towers full of innocent women, children and civilians!

Good, I am glad. Then you admit there is ultimate evil which means someone or something must have defined it that way. If not, then evil is a relative truth. If not, then evil is up to a society to define. For example,if you believe in evolution and it’s natural selection then bayoneting babies and burning people alive is just survival of the fittest! It's not evil! It's all part of the Lucifer Principle . In fact Hitler alludes to this is his work Mien Kompf . He states that the Jews, homosexuals and communists polluted the pure Arian bloodline of the German people. The Holocaust was then justifiable. Osama bin Laden justified his horror in the same way. He believes in a false God. He, like Hitler, is without the light of the true God in his soul.

Thank God we know that the behavior of Hitler and 911 is ultimate evil. We can only know this because ultimate Good define the rules for us. Yes the rules of the Great War are written in us because we were made in the image of God. We were made in the image of Good not Evil. How else would we know and recognize ultimate evil?

Think of it in the terms of light and darkness. If you and everyone else had lived in darkness all your life you would not know it to be darkness. However, should light come upon this world you would immediately know the difference between light and dark. Hopefully you would choose to live in the light and not live in the darkness of the Hitler's and Bin Ladens of the world. This is what Jesus says:

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Hopefully, by now you can see that far from proving that God does not exist Evil proves that God does exist. Now it still could be said that God should not have created life when he knew that Evil would lead it to so much suffering and pain. Indeed, in counsel of its victims have I often wondered? However, we are not God and I have found a very interesting principle. Good is made stronger through overcoming Evil. In life’s struggle to survive it becomes stronger as it overcomes the pain and suffering. People rise up and find more in themselves than they knew they had. Many even find God and his strength and love.

To answer this last question; ‘Should God have created life?’ We must have faith in God that all the suffering and pain is worth the ultimate Good God has for us as individual and humanity. We must trust in the purpose of God.

Now if you are a victim of Evil and suffering greatly I know that it is of little comfort for you to know that you are “collateral damage”. Even to know that you are made stronger through suffering and pain does little. However, it should be encouraging to know that God does love you. He has promise you comfort in your time of need. Open you heart and let the spirit of God comfort you and commune with you. His invitation always stands:

The pain will always be with you but so will God. Find comfort in him and you will overcome all Evil. You will be part of the solution not the problem. You will be part of the Kingdom of God. He has a place for you! God bless.

However, If you do not know God then it is very important to read salvation by faith. Please be part of the Kingdom of light and not part of the Problem of Evil...