Good and Evil

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Good and Evil

Christianity

God is good and the Devil is bad

God is the beginning of everything and everything created by God is good

Some Christians would say that if there is evil in the world there must be an evil power and this power is often referred to as the devil.

Some don't believe in the devil and think that it is just people who want to be bad.

Good - anything that brings a person closer to God is considered to be good.

Evil - anything that frustrates humans’ relationship with

God is evil.

original sin-the sin in which eve brought into the world.

natural evil-natural disasters. Such as earthquakes.

moral evil- disasters caused by humans. Such as the holocaust.

Omnibenevolent- all-good.

omnipotent- all-important.

omniscience- all knowing.

Adam and Eve were tempted by the snake to eat an apple from a tree (known as the fall). they sinned by eating the apple and were punished. But because God is omnibenevolent he gave us the choice of redemption

God came down to earth as human form (Jesus) and he went on the cross to save us from our sins (redemption). those who will believe in Jesus will go to heaven.

Because Adam and Eve sinned this why there is evil in the world.

We are given free will. This means we have the choice of being good or bad.

ways in which Christians cope with suffering

 The Bible – Christian might look in the Bible for guidance

on how to behave. Examples such as the

Ten Commandments give clear rules about what is right and what is wrong, while

the teachings of Jesus often give principles (“Love your neighbour as yourself”)

from which you can work out what is the right thing to do.

 Conscience – your conscience is the voice in your head

that tells us when you are doing something wrong. Some Christians say that your conscience is

the voice of God.

 Faith in Christ – Some Christians use the idea of ‘What

would Jesus do?’ This helps them to

think about a situation and work out what Jesus’ answer would be. Following this helps them to be more

‘Christ-like’.

 The suffering of Christ – the story of the suffering of

Jesus is called the Passion Story and is told in each of the four Gospels. Jesus was arrested, beaten and whipped by

Roman soldiers. He was then

crucified. This involved being nailed to

a cross, resulting in a slow and agonizing death. This has become a metaphor for suffering, as

people sometimes say that they have a ‘cross to bear’. Christians try to follow Jesus and live a

life like him, and if the life of Jesus involved suffering, then they can

accept that their life may also involve suffering. Suffering can make them more ‘Christ-like’.

 Faith in God – the suffering of Jesus also reminds

Christians that the death of Jesus was God’s way of showing his love for

humanity. By taking on the burden of the

world’s sins and sacrificing his life to make amends for these sins, Jesus

brings salvation to the world. This

belief is known as the atonement.

 Christians might also say that they have to trust in

God. Even though suffering and evil seem

horrible and unfair, they have to believe that somehow it is all part of God’s

plan.

 Prayer / Reading the Bible – Christians might pray to God

for strength to cope with suffering or read examples in the Bible of how others

have coped with suffering as inspiration.

 Support of other Christians – being part of the Christian

community might help Christians cope with suffering. Sharing and helping others in need can be

very comforting.