Is God evil because He causes death?

[Sola'lor]

There's so many arguments against God because He cause people to be killed in the Flood, or because I commanded nations to be destroyed. Or they argue God is evil because He allows innocent children to die or people to die 'before there time.' So I'm going to take this argument to is logical conclusion.

Is God evil because He allows TRILLIONS of people to die from old age? Surely and all knowing, all loving God, would not allow trillions of people to die from problems with their bodies.

I could never believe in such a God that would allow death to come to EVERY elderly person in the worlds history. Such a God could NOT be a loving God!

:sarcastic

 

[Hema]

Anything that is born in the physical universe must die...it's only natural...nothing evil about it. The real self is Spirit which never dies.

 

[cardero]

Well I think if GOD allowed some people to live forever and some people to die, people would start screaming how unfair GOD was. Still, a loving GOD that provides us with the variety of 435,618 ways to die and the ability to choose which way to go (and when) isn't all that bad. There are even some ways that will get an entity out of the physical existence faster if one is in a hurry to get to the afterlife.

 

[Willamena]

It's a story.

 

[Wandered Off]

One difference is that those stories portray God doing exactly what God in other stories tells us is wrong.

Besides, many interpretations blame old age death on humans instead of God because of the sin in the Garden story, so they give God a pass on your issue.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

There's so many arguments against God because He cause people to be killed in the Flood, or because I commanded nations to be destroyed. Or they argue God is evil because He allows innocent children to die or people to die 'before there time.' So I'm going to take this argument to is logical conclusion.

I don't think your logical conclusion works. In the case of the Flood and "destroying nations", these are portrayed in the Bible as acts of justice and punishment. Dying of old age doesn't have the same implication of punishment.

Harsh punishment knowingly and deliberately meted out on the undeserving is evil, or at the very least unjust. I think it's that aspect that people generally have trouble with, not just the fact that people die.

 

[Wandered Off]

Dying of old age doesn't have the same implication of punishment.

Some churches interpret death as a result of "The Fall" implying that Adam & Eve were never intended to die but were punished with eventual death because of their actions, and humanity 'inherited' that trait.

 

[Sola'lor]

But death is punishment for Adams trangsression in the Garden of Eden. Because of Adams action God punishes all of us with death. It doesn't sound very fair to me.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

But death is punishment for Adams trangsression in the Garden of Eden. Because of Adams action God punishes all of us with death. It doesn't sound very fair to me.

I guess it depends whether you interpret that as a punishment or a consequence (e.g. hypothermia isn't a "punishment" for going outside in the cold, it's just what happens), but the way you describe it, I agree - it doesn't sound fair.

 

[Sola'lor]

I guess it depends whether you interpret that as a punishment or a consequence (e.g. hypothermia isn't a "punishment" for going outside in the cold, it's just what happens), but the way you describe it, I agree - it doesn't sound fair.

Actually I agree with the consiquence part. I'm just playing a little devils advocate because I don't find any other these God causes death arguments contrary to the all-loving God concept.

I just figure that if you call God evil for killing people in a flood or in a war then you must also blame God for killing people in their old age as well.

 

[Magic Man]

It's like the difference between shooting someone because you think they did something bad, and letting an elderly grandfather off of life support because there's no hope of him coming back to any kind of normal life. According to most Christians, the former is wrong, while the latter is humane.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I just figure that if you call God evil for killing people in a flood or in a war then you must also blame God for killing people in their old age as well.

But the thing is, I personally don't see the "God is evil because of the flood" argument in that way.

Unless you think that death itself is a form of punishment, people dying of old age or disease is just an unfortunate consequence - death's unpleasant, but it's unavoidable.

OTOH, there are specific cases where the Bible describes people effectively being sentenced to death (often in gruesome ways or with great suffering) and proclaims it to be punishment for some transgression. For instance, the flood was God's way of "wiping the slate clean", effectively: the way the episode is described in Genesis, every single righteous person in the world (i.e. Noah and his family) was saved, while everyone else was killed for their transgressions.

However, logically, those killed must have included many people who weren't capable of any transgression, such as newborn babies or the mentally infirm; my problem with the flood story isn't the idea of people dying, it's the idea of punishing people when they haven't done anything wrong.

 

[cardero]

But death is punishment for Adams trangsression in the Garden of Eden. Because of Adams action God punishes all of us with death. It doesn't sound very fair to me.

Equating death as a punishment would just be like considering birth as a penalty. There is no difference. They are both transitions. One brings you in and the other takes you out. I believe it is our choice when to arrive and when to depart, so this would indeed make GOD blameless.

 

[Sunstone]

Death isn't evil, so why should a god be evil for causing it?

 

[cardero]

Everybody dies and we're really good at it.

 

[Magic Man]

Death isn't evil, so why should a god be evil for causing it?

Death in and of itself isn't evil, but causing it can be, which is why I made the distinction in my post, between "good" death, and "bad" death. This is the problem with the OP, the deaths mentioned are two completely different circumstances.

 

[Popeyesays]

But death is punishment for Adams trangsression in the Garden of Eden. Because of Adams action God punishes all of us with death. It doesn't sound very fair to me.

God's ultimate justice is the fact that we all come to life through His will and we all pass from this physical life without exception. The Qur'an expresses this quite clearly.

Now is the end of physical life the end of "spiritual life"? That's the real question to explore.

Regards,
Scott

 

[Hema]

Death isn't evil, so why should a god be evil for causing it?

Exactly.

 

[.lava]

There's so many arguments against God because He cause people to be killed in the Flood, or because I commanded nations to be destroyed. Or they argue God is evil because He allows innocent children to die or people to die 'before there time.' So I'm going to take this argument to is logical conclusion.

Is God evil because He allows TRILLIONS of people to die from old age? Surely and all knowing, all loving God, would not allow trillions of people to die from problems with their bodies.

I could never believe in such a God that would allow death to come to EVERY elderly person in the worlds history. Such a God could NOT be a loving God!

:sarcastic

everything has an end. not only humans. everything ends but God.

why would you consider 'God with no limits' makes it evil?
what do you think death is?

i dont have certain idea on death. i mean, i cannot say it is good or bad. i believe it is neutral. what makes a death bad is the one who is dying, i guess.
i believe, our time on earth is like money in our pockets. we spend it on things we chose. then when it is finished we leave. imo it is very simple. not bad not good. just a system.

 

[crystalonyx]

God doesn't exist, death and taxes do.