Perhaps the biggest debate of all time has centred on the existence of God. Many intelligent people have come up with "proofs- over the years to argue for and against the existence of God. Arguments for the existence of God include the cosmological argument and the ontological argument, but these can be easily disproved. The problem of evil in the world is a much more legitimate reason to conclude that theism is false, if God is an omnipotent and omniscient being why does he allow the suffering that goes on? In this essay I aim to argue that the problem of evil in the world is the best reason to believe that theism is false. .
Our world as we know it is a comparably safe place, however it is not free from evil and suffering. Innocent people are robbed and murdered every day causing great suffering to their friends and family. How could an omnipotent and omniscient being, that it is argued God is, allow this suffering? If God is all good, all-powerful and all knowing then surely he should see the badness, judge it to be so and act to stop pain.
Philo gave four reasons for his lack of enthusiasm in believing in God. Why would a being capable of designing nervous systems as well as he is argued to have done incorporate pain into the experience of his creatures? This point could be argued against by perhaps explaining that a slight bit of pain when we do something wrong to our bodies reminds us that we are doing wrong, however Philo goes on to clarify this more. If pain were allowed, its excesses could be avoided. For example how can you justify a little innocent child being shot dead by a masked gunman? Philo also questions our powers as a whole; he suggests that we are too vulnerable in this world. Humans break down mentally and physically and sometimes have no ways of dealing with such disasters as flooding or droughts. (paper back p171-172).
The paradox of the stone is another factor that questions the possibilities of an omnipotent being.